NOTICE: Lifting Suspension on Opinion Policy
The Tech Editorial Board is lifting the temporary suspension on the Opinion section, and we are accepting submissions, effective immediately.
After taking steps to rectify our operating guidelines, we believe that our updated Opinion Policy will enable us to engage with MIT community members in a meaningful and sensitive way. We will continue to take next steps in our pursuit of the highest journalistic standards.
With these modified guidelines, we will ensure that each piece is screened for factual accuracy and novelty. We uphold accountability standards for author(s) by requiring, among other things, a brief biography of the author(s) to contextualize their submission with past and present affiliations at MIT. Furthermore, we will automatically reject any articles without an author or designated signatory (for submissions on behalf of a group).
These guidelines were created to enforce author accountability, validity of claims made, and relevance to our readership. Find the updated Opinion Policy below and on our Opinion Policy page.
We are very excited to bring the Opinion section back to print, and look forward to reading your submissions!
Opinion Policy
Management
The Opinion department is collectively managed by the Editorial Board of The Tech, which consists of the Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Executive Editor, and Opinion Editor.
Editorials
Editorials are the official opinion of The Tech. They are written by the Editorial Board.
Dissents are the opinions of signed members of the editorial board choosing to publish their disagreement with the editorial.
Staff Submissions
Staff columns express a particular opinion on campus-relevant matters.
Cartoons are hand-sketched graphics expressing a particular opinion through hyperbole and satire.
Columns and cartoons are created by individuals and represent the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of the newspaper.
Guest Submissions
A Guest Submission, which may be designated as either a Guest Column or a Letter to the Editor, may be written and submitted by any member of the MIT community.
Guest Columns express a particular opinion on campus-relevant matters; a Letter to the Editor is an open letter addressed directly to the “Editor,” in reference to a particular opinion expressed by The Tech through an Editorial or a Staff Opinion or to a particular piece or set of pieces published.
Electronic submissions are encouraged and should be sent to tt-opinions@mit.edu. Hard copy submissions should be addressed to The Tech, P.O. Box 391529, Cambridge, Mass. 02139-7029, or sent by interdepartmental mail to Room W20-483. Electronic submissions will be prioritized over hard copy submissions. All submissions are due on Thursday two weeks before the date of publication (i.e. by the publication prior to the target publication).
Submission
All submissions must be made to the Opinion Editor with the following items:
The full name of the author(s) as it shall be published
The full manuscript of the opinion piece
A list of citations for sources used
A brief biography of the author, including their past and present affiliations with MIT and the purpose or context of their submission
In cases when a submission is made on behalf of a group, there must be a designated signatory (e.g. Jane Doe, on behalf of The Tech). Articles penned under anonymity or under a pseudonym shall be immediately rejected. Submissions published elsewhere or which shall be reprinted by the author outside of The Tech shall be automatically rejected. All submissions must be written solely for publication in The Tech. All submissions shall be fact-checked by the Editorial Board or the corresponding Officership designate throughout the editorial process. Unverified facts are considered grounds for rejection. Corrections may be issued after publication, but writers are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of their own pieces. For consideration in a particular issue, the submission must be made at least two weeks prior to the date of publication thereof.
Rejection
The Editorial Board, with the concurrence of the Publisher, the Editor-in-Chief, and the Opinion Editor, reserves the right to reject any and all Guest Submissions on any and all of the following bases:
One or more of the required items for submission is missing, such as the absence of a clearly-designated individual signatory
The submission lacks novelty in context to previously published Opinion pieces
The submission lacks an appropriate and cohesive opinion on a campus-relevant matter
The submission or the author does not adhere to community standards and proper journalistic ethics
The submission asserts unverified or contested facts without clarity or context
The Editorial Board may also reject a Guest Submission at its discretion by unanimous decision. In addition, the Editorial Board reserves the right to retract any published Guest Submissions by unanimous decision should it find that the corresponding author or group fails to adhere to community standards in a context relevant to the published piece.