Write for us

Earth Notes is the official digital publication of the Environment Protection & Climate Change Department (EPCCD), Government of the Punjab.

We welcome researchers, students, practitioners, journalists, community members, and informed citizens to contribute clear, evidence-based articles about the environment and climate. You do not need to be a professional writer, but your article should offer a useful perspective supported by reliable sources.

Contributors from across Pakistan are welcome. Every article must have a clear connection to Punjab.

1. What We Look For

We publish articles on air pollution, water, waste, climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development, and related environmental issues.

A suitable article should:

• Have a clear focus. Explore a specific question, problem, local experience, or practical solution rather than giving a broad overview.
• Be relevant to Punjab. Explain how the topic relates to a place, community, institution, policy, or environmental challenge in Punjab and why it matters.
• Be supported by evidence. Use reliable sources to support factual claims, particularly statistics, research findings, and policy statements.
• Offer something useful. Give readers a clear explanation, a lesson from experience, or a practical insight.

For example, instead of writing generally about the importance of recycling, explain a waste-segregation effort in a Punjab school, the challenges it faced, and what others could learn from it.

2. Writing and Formatting

Write for readers who may be unfamiliar with your subject.

• Length: 800–1,000 words for the article body, including subheadings. The title and author biography are excluded.
• Font: Use Times New Roman, 13-point, throughout the Word document.
• Title: Choose a clear, specific title that reflects the article’s main point.
• Language: Use straightforward language. Explain technical terms and spell out acronyms when first used.
• Structure: Use short paragraphs and descriptive subheadings. Add bullet points where they improve readability.
• Author biography: Include a biography of no more than 50 words, highlighting relevant experience or qualifications.

3. Sources and Accuracy

Readers and reviewers should be able to check the evidence behind your article.

• Use in-text hyperlinks: add a clickable link to the words or phrase that the source supports in your Word document.
• Link directly to the supporting report, study, dataset, or official page wherever possible.
• Use reliable sources, such as official reports, recognised research institutions, and studies published in academic journals. Link to the original source wherever possible.
• Check all names, dates, statistics, quotations, and links before submitting.
• Make it clear when you are sharing a verified fact, your own opinion, or a personal observation.

4. Originality and Prohibited Content

Your article must be original, unpublished, and written entirely by you. AI-generated or AI-assisted content and plagiarism are not permitted.

• Your own work: Develop the article’s ideas, structure, analysis, and wording yourself.
• Proper attribution: Acknowledge ideas and findings taken from other sources, even when you explain them in your own words. Place direct quotations in quotation marks and link to the original source.
• Accurate information: Do not include invented facts, quotations, references, or experiences.
• Author responsibility: You are responsible for the originality and accuracy of your entire submission.

Submissions that breach these requirements may be rejected.

5. How to Submit

Submit your article through the website’s Submission Desk Form. You do not need to create an account.

1.         Complete the required author and contact details.

2.         Paste the same article text into the submission box that appears in your attached Word document.

3.         Attach the original Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) document, with all source hyperlinks preserved.

4.         Include your author biography of no more than 50 words at the end of the Word document, separate from the article.

5.         Keep the Reference Code provided after submission and use it in correspondence with the editorial desk.

If formatting or embedded links do not appear in the submission box, ensure they are complete and clickable in the attached Word document.

6. What Happens Next?

Receive → Screen → Review → Decide

The editorial desk checks whether your submission is complete, relevant to Punjab, original, supported by sources, and consistent with these guidelines. Suitable articles are then reviewed for subject accuracy, clarity, and writing quality.

You will receive a decision by email:

• Accepted: Your article has been approved for publication.
• Returned for revision: Changes or clarification are needed before a further decision.
• Rejected: Your article has not been selected for publication.

Submitting an article does not guarantee publication.

7. Editing, Publication, and Author Views

By submitting, you give the Government of the Punjab permission to edit your article for clarity, style, and length and to publish it on Green Voices.

Views expressed in guest contributions belong to their authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of EPCCD or the Government of the Punjab.