Write for Ingenia
Cover illustration for Ingenia 95, by Benjamin Leon.
About Ingenia
We run stories about engineering of all kinds. Our stories showcase its unique breadth and variety, how it makes a difference and how it helps to shape an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future. Our target audience is 13- to 25-year-olds interested in STEM, to encourage them towards engineering careers. Readers (especially in print) also include teachers, parents and carers of the target audience, and thousands of professional engineers, from academia to industry and Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Features: nuts and bolts
Our features are a maximum of 2,000 words. Articles must be clear, accessible, and resonate with our audience. The majority of our readers are not experts, so technical language should be explained and used with care.
What we're looking for
Your story needs to stimulate curiosity in engineering for our target audience. It needs to show how engineering makes a difference to people’s lives, or how it is positively shaping the future. Articles must have a UK angle. The bottom line: in your story, how is engineering helping to create a more sustainable society and inclusive economy?
The pitching/filing/editing process
- Please use the questions under 'Stage 1: Pitching' to guide your initial pitch to us. (Note, initial pitches should be just a few sentences long.)
- Please send your pitches to ingenia@raeng.org.uk. A member of the Ingenia editorial team will be your point of contact.
- If the pitch sounds like a good fit for Ingenia, we’ll ask for a more detailed abstract (350 words maximum) to share with our editorial board. Our board members include Academy Fellows and other science communications and engineering professionals. See 'Stage 2: Providing an abstract' for further information about abstracts.
- If the board is happy for the article to go ahead, we will provide you with their guidance for the article – particularly narrative and engineering content. They may suggest further areas to consider including in the article.
- Once your draft is complete, the board and editorial team will provide editorial feedback.
- Your updated draft will then receive a final copyedit and proofread before publication. We’ll also share it with contributors to ensure quotes and facts are correct.
Stage 1: Pitching
- In one sentence, what’s the story?
- In one sentence, can you highlight the innovative engineering? What challenge is it addressing?
- When did it happen? Or when was it announced/published?
- If you've found out about this story from a press release or existing news story, what new information/spin/insight can you add?
- How would this piece engage our target audience? What might 13- to 25-year-olds interested in STEM find interesting about this area? It would be a bonus if you can speak to/highlight a young person working in this field e.g. apprentice, young researcher
- Further information or attachments (paper, press release, news story)
Stage 2: Providing an abstract
Questions to answer in your abstract:
- Who are the characters?
- Where did it take place? What’s the UK angle?
- What challenge is it addressing?
- What’s the context, and what does it mean for the future?
- What key data can you include to support your story?
- Who will you interview for this piece? Please name the team members or other experts who you’d speak to for this piece, ensuring diversity of sources. Include their name, position and organisation.
- Would you welcome suggestions of contacts in this area from the board?
- Do you have any visuals e.g. photos or videos in mind at this stage? Note – this is helpful to keep in mind throughout the writing process, but not essential
Please note:
– any projects should be completed or near completion and any technologies/techniques should be near commercialisation/recently commercialised to ensure topicality
– if your article aims to cover a general area of engineering, it will need to show examples/case studies of the engineering in practice