IFLScience Features And Op-Ed Pitch Submission

About us

At IFLScience, we’re dedicated to bringing the amazing world of science to people in an informative, thought-provoking, often amusing, always accessible way. Our editorial team aims to entertain, educate, and spark curiosity about the world around us—and beyond. 

We have a wide-ranging audience with varying knowledge and understanding of science. IFLScience prides itself on making complex science accessible in our news reporting. For feature and opinion pieces, language and style can be more descriptive and conversational than a news story, however, IFLScience expects the content to remain well-researched and sourced. We strongly advise you acquaint yourself with our story archives and our values to make sure your subject and tone is the right fit for us before you pitch.

What to pitch 

IFLScience editors are looking for contributions in the form of feature-length pieces on any subject with a STEM angle. We are particularly keen on features that challenge expectations, provide insights from overlooked perspectives, and have something new and important to say. Such stories can take several forms:

Deep dive – In-depth reporting on a specific subject, fact, or discovery entices the audience to want to know more.

Biographical/profile – From the award winners to those who should be better known, this is a way to talk about a subject via the work of an individual scientist. 

Covering a social-scientific issue – Science cannot be separated from the society in which it operates; this type of feature aims to place it in the wider context. 

Topical – Stories can mark a specific international date with STEM relevance, or be tied to time-specific/seasonal occurrences.

Opinion – Make a case or take a stand on a particular issue within a science context. 

Please note - Specific papers/new studies are usually covered by our staff writers. Our journalists have ready access to press sites and journals and we generally do not accept pitches pertaining to individual studies. However, we do accept pitches on pre-print papers or on upcoming research that has been shared by researchers in interviews.

This guide pertains to editorial content only. Authors need to declare potential conflicts of interest. We don’t accept promotional content. For sponsored content or Custom Content Services please see here.

How to pitch

Please submit a synopsis or a couple of paragraphs and a potential title in your pitch. It should tell the editor quickly what the story is, the unique angle, and why IFLScience should cover it as well as give an impression of the style and tone you will aim to strike.

If this is your first time pitching to IFLScience please provide a brief bio including previous examples of your work.

Features need to be original; they cannot have appeared elsewhere partially or in their entirety. We expect the writer to craft a piece that is rich in sources for the claims made in it. We also encourage the author to seek original interviews and produce original analyses. 

If possible, include images (with the appropriate credit) or provide suggestions for images to accompany articles. There is scope for some original IFLScience images and graphic creation, so ideas are welcome. 

To ensure a wide range of freelance writers, all features are paid opportunities. Rates for features will be discussed with commissioned pitches. 

Deadlines will be discussed on acceptance of a pitch, but we expect a fast turnaround from commission to published article.

Please send your pitches to pitches@iflscience.com.

Due to the high volume of pitches we receive we are unable to respond to every email and only reply to successful pitches. If you haven't received a response from us within a week, please accept your pitch wasn't successful this time. We encourage you to keep pitching new ideas!