What You Can Submit to ILLUMINATION Scholar on Medium

--- What We Expect at a High Level I refrain from perfection and don't like elitism and rigid rules. So style and formatting are not big concerns. Rather than rules, the following are guidelines for the stories we plan to publish: 1. Evidence-Based Stories: Support your claims with credible evidence, such as from peer-reviewed literature, reputable news, or data from respected organizations. When you share a thought experiment or a hypothesis, explain its logic and cite comparable models or theories where possible. Facts, figures, and scientific insights help readers trust your voice. 2. Clarity and Integrity: Write with clarity, honesty, and care for your audience. Explain complex terms in plain language, but do so respectfully, assuming your readers are intelligent and eager to learn. Be transparent when presenting your own interpretation or opinion. Distinguish clearly between your original insights and facts, using phrases such as "In my analysis," "Based on recent research," or "In my experience as a scientist, educator, innovator, etc." 3. Engaging Storytelling: Bring your research to life. Use narrative structure. Begin with a compelling question, dilemma, or real-world challenge. Build your case logically, drawing connections across ideas, and conclude with clear takeaways or calls for reflection. Our readers value stories that feel both personal and universal, where research and experience intertwine. 4. Originality and Respect: We welcome your original or unpublished writing. If your work has appeared elsewhere, disclose this at the end of your story. We seek writers who welcome constructive editorial feedback and value our commitment to scholarly discourse. 3. Proper Attribution: Cite sources wherever you draw upon existing work. Hyperlink to research papers, books, or articles (e.g., Nature, Science, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, New England Journal of Medicine, or respected news outlets). Reference direct quotations, key findings, or datasets accurately. I did not touch on our generic policies such as plagiarism, AI-Writing, image captioning, harmful content, etc, (which we don't allow), as they are all documented in the onboarding pack, and we expect our contributors to follow Medium's rules and our publication values. How to Apply and Submit You can apply by sending your Medium ID to this registration portal form. You can send your draft via Medium's ILLUMINATION Scholar publication, which will show in your publication list once you have been given writer access. Our administrators will inform you via onboarding packs, tagging your profile, and linking to these guidelines. You can submit only one story per week for this publication, as we are just starting. We might allow more in the future, depending on our resource capacity. Conclusions and Value for Contributors As part of ILLUMINATION Scholar, your writing will join a curated publication known for rigor, impact, and clarity. You will reach a thoughtful audience eager to engage, debate, and learn. We offer editorial guidance, peer review, and a space for genuine dialogue, helping you refine your content and voice and make a meaningful contribution to the world's knowledge. If you care about advancing our knowledge and understanding, your carefully crafted story can make a ripple effect. Whether you are a seasoned scholar, a thought leader in your discipline, or a curious experimenter, I invite you to illuminate new paths of thought through ILLUMINATION Scholar. As this is the first draft to inform the community, I'd appreciate your feedback with questions, if possible, so I can incorporate them into the next version. This will be a living document to be improved with constant feedback. If you want to learn about other ILLUMINATION publications, you may review this master onboarding pack. You can contact me via this form and request access to our free and moderated Slack workspace, which offers many benefits to writers and readers. Here is how to join ILLUMINATION Scholar. Find me at Digitalmehmet Content Ecosystem or ILLUMINATION-Curated.com Thank you for reading these guidelines. I wish you a healthy and happy life. --- I invite you to subscribe to my networks and publications on Substack, where I offer experience-based and original content on health, content strategy, book authoring, and technology topics you can't find online to inform and inspire my readers.