PIVRA accepts submissions from researchers, students and professionals. Please read this page before you write to us. It takes a few minutes and saves both of us time.
What we accept
- Opinion and articles. Argued opinion and analysis on Pakistan and its region, in English or Urdu.
- Policy briefs and issue briefs. Concise, evidence-based analysis for decision-makers. A policy brief builds a case toward recommendations for identifiable institutions. An issue brief offers focused analysis of a single question.
- Discussion papers and working papers. Papers that examine a topic in greater depth and put an argument forward for debate.
Our topics are governance, economy, education, technology, society, the environment and geopolitics. Opinion pieces reflect the views of their authors, not an institutional position of PIVRA.
Rules for every submission
- Your own work. Pieces written by AI are not accepted.
- Exclusive to PIVRA. Do not send the piece to other outlets at the same time, and do not publish it anywhere else, before or after it appears with us.
- Accurate and sourced. Every figure, date, quotation and factual claim must be traceable to a source. Check that every link opens.
- Original. Plagiarism means immediate rejection. We also do not publish promotional content, advertising, personal attacks or hate speech.
Opinion and articles
- Length: 800 to 1,500 words.
- Argument: take a clear position and support it with evidence.
- Sources: link directly from the claim in the text to the original or most reliable source. You do not need a reference list. If you already have one, send it.
- Byline and bio: your byline shows your name only, with no job title or organisation. Your bio appears at the end. Write two or three sentences about your studies, work or interests. Do not send a CV.
Policy briefs, issue briefs, discussion papers and working papers
- Length: briefs, 1,500 to 3,000 words. Discussion and working papers, 3,000 to 8,000 words.
- Abstract: include an abstract of up to 150 words and three to five keywords.
- Structure: a brief should state the problem, the evidence and specific recommendations, naming the institutions that should act. A paper should set out its question, argument, evidence or method, and conclusion.
- References: give a full reference list, with a link or DOI for each source that has one. State the source of every dataset and explain how you used it.
- Disclosures: tell us about any funding or conflict of interest connected to the work.
- Byline and bio: your byline may show your title and organisation. Include a short bio of two or three sentences.
- Tables and charts: send them in editable form, not as pictures.
How to submit
Email publications@pivra.org with the subject line [Type] submission: [your title], for example “Opinion submission: …” or “Policy brief submission: …”. In the email, include:
- the piece as a Word file, or a Google Doc link that anyone with the link can view;
- a two or three sentence summary of the argument (or the abstract, for briefs and papers);
- your short author bio;
- a line confirming that the piece is your own work, not written by AI, and exclusive to PIVRA.
When you will hear from us
We reply within three days of receiving your submission.
Questions before you write? Email publications@pivra.org.