Spontaneous Order (SO) is the digital repository of essays of India’s leading liberal think tank Centre for Civil Society. SO aims to “explore the power of ideas” through a liberal lens and strives to provide a liberal platform for scholars, academicians, researchers.
Under the broader ambit of re-examining classical liberalism in an Indian context, we would encourage submissions on the following themes:
- Reforms in education, livelihood, good governance in India
- Market solutions to India’s key developmental challenges.
- Liberalism in India
We accept essay submissions to be featured on the platform on a rolling basis and welcome contributions in areas of governance, public policy, history of Indian liberal thought, political economy etc.
Guidelines for Authors
In order to ensure uniformity and to provide a wholesome experience to our readers, we expect the authors to adhere to the following guidelines:
Authors: We accept co-authored submissions, written by not more than two authors. If you’re submitting a co-authored piece, mention in your initial email to us that the piece is co-authored, and that you have his/her permission to get the piece published.
Content: The content of the piece should focus on imparting either a new perspective or new information to the reader. Keep your sentences short, and ensure that the flow of the argument is clear and backed by empirics wherever possible. Refrain from using jargon and legalese. You must mention: “Views expressed are personal” in your submission document.
Originality: All submissions will be subjected to a plagiarism check; hence we expect authors to submit original pieces and give credit where it is due. If the essay has been published elsewhere, please convey this at the time of submission.
References: Since this is an online blog, we would encourage the author to cite their sources in the form of hyperlinks wherever necessary and not at the end of the piece through a bibliography.
This is what it should look like: “On November 18, the finance ministry released an order saying…..” here, the words “released an order” should be hyperlinked to the news source/order itself. Remember, you’re writing a blog piece, not an academic paper.
Format: The essay should be between 700-850 words and should follow English (UK). Please email the article in a word document, along with:
- a 50-60 word summary
- a mugshot and a 50-60 word bio of the author
- A picture accompanying body text, if applicable
Please note: The essay will be subjected to a rigorous review process. All decisions will be contingent on the compatibility of the content with the idea of the blog. In case of any misalignment, the review team reserves the right to reject the article.
As a liberal platform, SO holds in high regard the free exchange of ideas. Therefore, an author wishing to critique a particular strand of liberal thought is invited to do so, as long as said critique is free from vitriol and/ or unsubstantiated claims.
You can send in your submissions to essay@spontaneousorder.in . Please give us at least a week’s time to get back to you. We don’t accept paid submissions; all articles are selected solely on the basis of merit and their alignment with our ideas.
