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About Us

A Guide to Writing for Youth Central

This page has some information about the kind of things we're looking for from our contributors, and how we prefer those things to be submitted - you know, word length, how big your video is, file formats, that sort of thing.

There's also information here about things that we are NOT interested in publishing.

It's a good idea to review this information before pitching an idea to us. Even if you've pitched an idea and we've gone for it, it's worth having a look before you start writing.

What We DON'T Publish

The list of things we don't publish is pretty short and easy to remember. It comes down to two things:

  • Whether the material is appropriate for Youth Central
  • Whether the material is your own original work

What's Appropriate for Youth Central?

In simple terms, "appropriate" just means that something is the right kind of thing for its intended use. There are two elements to whether an article is the right fit for Youth Central:

  • Is it the kind of article we publish?
  • Is it generally appropriate for publication on Youth Central?

Is it the Kind of Article We Publish?

As a writer you  should be able to make a judgement about whether the thing you want to write about is appropriate for the publication you are submitting it to. For example, for one reason or another, Youth Central doesn't publish

  • Opinion pieces/editorials
  • Creative writing
  • Restaurant/cafe/bar/nightclub reviews
  • Reviews of specific commercial products

The best way to get a feel for appropriateness is simply to read the publication you're submitting to. By looking at the kind of articles it publishes, you can start to get a sense of the kind of articles it does and doesn't publish. Check out our Articles Archive and Reviews Archive to get a feel for what we've published in the past.

Is it Generally Appropriate for Youth Central?

As well as the issue of whether an article is the right fit, it's important to consider general issues of inappropriateness. Examples of things that will almost always be inappropriate, no matter what the context, include:

  • Defamatory content - writing that is unjustifiably damaging to the reputation or public standing of an organisation or an individual
  • Discriminatory content - writing that is racist or sexist or otherwise unfavourable towards a particular group of people
  • Offensive or pornographic content - for example swear words or writing that is sexually explicit
  • Content that encourages illegal behaviour - for example writing that endorses or encourages drug-taking or underage drinking
  • Content that is itself illegal - this can include any of the above content which breaches relevant laws as well as content that breaches an individual’s privacy or copyright
  • Content that promotes commercial interests - content that promotes or could be seen to promote the commercial interests on a company or individual is not appropriate for inclusion on a State Government website, except when these sites are the obvious choice as the preferred information source
  • Promotion of biased viewpoints - this includes published or linked material that expresses strongly biased political, cultural or religious viewpoints or commentary (this can include content that deliberately misrepresents facts or information)
  • Content that promotes inappropriate associations - this includes any material, even if it is not itself inappropriate, that is associated with an organisation that has expressed viewpoints or actions that would be considered inappropriate using the definitions above (this can include organisations that deliberately misrepresent facts or information)

Any material that is submitted to Youth Central that falls into any of the above categories will automatically be refused for publication. If your work is rejected on these grounds you will be notified. You will be welcome to submit other articles, but if your next article also fails to meet these standards of appropriateness, you will be disqualified from future publication on Youth Central.

Originality of Material

Any work that you submit as a professional has to be your own original work. Submitting someone else's writing as your own, even if it is only part of your article, is plagiarism.

It is acceptable to use parts of press releases in articles, for example using a quote from a government minister or a relevant statistic to back up what you are saying. But be careful - using too much of the material presented in a press release is often perceived as lazy or sloppy journalism.

It is also acceptable to quote from creative works that you are reviewing, for example a line or two from the lyrics of a song, a couple of lines from a book, or a line or two of dialogue from a movie.

These are examples of what's called "fair use". In these examples the quoted text is not being presented as the author's own work - it is being used to further illustrate the point that the author is making.

All material submitted to Youth Central will be checked for originality using a series of plagiarism checks. Any submissions  found to be plagiarised will be rejected. You will be welcome to submit other articles, but if your next article is also found to be plagiarised, you will be disqualified from future publication on Youth Central.

What We DO Publish (and how we like it)

Youth Central is a place for young Victorians to share their opinions, life stories and experiences with other young Victorians. The kind of things we publish include:

  • Interviews with young people that celebrate their achievements (e.g., sporting achievements, academic achievements, contributions to their local communities)
  • Articles about the ways that you and your friends are participating in your communities
  • Articles that inform and give advice about things like work, study, health, relationships and other lifestyle issues
  • Reviews of things you're keen about (e.g., CDs, movies, books, plays, games, websites)
  • Articles that inspire people and suggest ways that they can make a difference

This isn't an exhaustive list, though. If you've got an idea for something you think we'd be interested in, then get in touch with us and let us know about it - we can't say yes if you don't ask!

For more ideas about the kind of thing we like to publish, check out our our Articles Archive and our Reviews Archive.

We tend to group the things we publish into three categories: reviews, articles and video/audio. Each of these categories has a few basic requirements in terms of how long they can be, what kind of information they need to provide, and what formats are preferred.

Reviews - Basic Requirements

We publish reviews of:

  • CDs
  • Plays
  • Movies
  • Gigs and concerts
  • Games, apps & websites
  • Books

We DON'T publish reviews of restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs, or reviews of specific commercial products. We don't publish shopping guides either (this includes guides to online shopping).

If you're submitting a review it needs to be:

  • No longer than 600 words
  • Accompanied by a rating out of five
  • Revised and spellchecked before submission
  • Either saved as a .doc/.dox file attachment or pasted into the body of an email

For examples of the kind of reviews we've published in the past, check out our our Reviews Archive.

Articles - Basic Requirements

When we talk about "articles" we're basically talking about anything that isn't specifically a review. This can include interviews, general articles and personal stories. It DOESN'T INCLUDE opinion pieces or creative writing.

If you're submitting an article, it needs to be:

  • No longer than 900 words
  • Accompanied by at least one photo
  • Revised and spellchecked before submission
  • Either saved as a .doc/.dox file attachment or pasted into the body of an email

Check out our our Articles Archive for some examples of the articles we've published in the past.

Video & Audio - Basic Requirements

If you're interested in submitting a video or an audio story, you need to make sure that your submission is:

  • No longer than 10 minutes
  • Accompanied by a 100-200 word description of what the video/audio is about
  • .mp3 format for audio
  • .mp4 or .avi for video (HD quality if possible, otherwise 16:9 ratio)

Check out our YouTube (new window) for some examples of the videos we've published in the past.

Submit Your Work On Time

Professional writers don't hand things in late - ever! Once we have agreed to accept your work, we will set you a deadline. Make sure you stick to it.

If you know in advance that you can't meet a deadline (and the day before is not "in advance") you can always contact the Content Editor to arrange a deadline extension. We're pretty good at being flexible, so don't be scared to ask for an extension. It helps if you can contact us about three days before the deadline to ask for an extension.

If you miss a deadline once, your article will still be considered for publication, but you must meet all future deadlines. If you miss two deadlines, your article will not be accepted for publication and you will be disqualified from future publication on Youth Central.

Further Information

If you have any other questions about writing for Youth Central, please email the Content Editor at youthcentral@dhs.vic.gov.au.

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