The Thresher welcomes submissions from Rice community members, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The guest opinions and letters to the editor that we publish do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or of the Thresher. The Thresher does not endorse the views in any published guest opinion or letter to the editor. Further, Thresher columns reflect only the opinion of their authors, not the Editorial Board or the Thresher as a whole. We fact-check all submissions to the best of our ability.
Please note that we do not guarantee publication of any submission. The Thresher reserves the right to delay or cancel publication at any time.
The Thresher does not publish hate speech, which we define as abusive or threatening writing that targets a particular group or individual or puts those groups or individuals in danger. We strive for civil and constructive discourse in the opinion section.
Please read the guidelines below, then send your submission to thresheropinions@rice.edu. The editors-in-chief may make exceptions to any of these guidelines.
Guidelines for guest opinions
A guest opinion is an opinion submitted by members of the Rice community that is distinguished by its call to action. Guest opinions typically run between 500–700 words.
A call to action is a clear and sound request to our readers, who are members of the Rice community. For examples, we encourage you to read recently published guest opinions on our website.
Guidelines for letters to the editor
Letters to the editor (LTTE) are letters written by members of the Rice community in response to an article published in the Thresher. LTTEs are typically 400-500 words and must be submitted within two issues of the article they are responding to.
The Thresher does not publish responses to letters to the editor to avoid back-and-forth exchanges across multiple issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the deadline to submit?
The deadline for all submissions is Friday at 5 p.m. before publication in the following week’s issue. In special circumstances, the editors-in-chief may consider late submissions.
Can multiple people co-write a piece?
The Thresher allows up to three authors per guest submission. A co-author is anyone who has actively contributed to the writing of the piece before its submission, and must be named in the byline. We don’t allow submissions written on behalf of an organization, though we do permit individuals from a shared organization to co-write.
However, after an opinion piece has been submitted, under no circumstances may it be shared with or altered by anyone other than the author(s) and Thresher staff.
What is a conflict of interest?
The Thresher will not publish opinion submissions that can be construed as self-promotion. This includes articles originally written for academic credit, monetary compensation, an internship or promotion of a club or an event. All submissions should be previously unpublished.
Further, the Thresher will not publish opinion submissions from Thresher staff who have been directly involved in reporting on the same topic.
What happens after I submit? What are the next steps?
After you submit, your opinion must go through the Thresher’s editing process before being published. Some things the editors look for include accuracy, conciseness, clarity and relevance. In a strong opinion article, all assertions should be attributed to a reputable source (formatted as a hyperlink directly in the article).
Your submission should include a headline, or a short phrase of about 20-30 characters that introduces the reader to the article’s main idea. A good headline should draw from the call to action, which is the most important part of the article. The Thresher will make a good-faith attempt to communicate with the author regarding the headline. While we will not seek to alter a headline without an author’s consent, we reserve the right to change it or write a new one if needed. Similarly, we won’t make edits directly to a document without the author’s approval.
After submissions are made by the Friday before publication, the opinion editor and the editor(s)-in-chief will make edits by Monday morning. The text of your submission should be finalized by Monday at 9 p.m. After this point, copy editors may make minor edits to check for grammatical or spelling errors and for Associated Press style.
Content warnings may be added to any piece at the editor’s discretion for sensitive topics.
Can I stay anonymous?
After you submit, the Thresher will ask for identifying information that will be printed alongside your byline, including your preferred full name, a headshot and your affiliation with Rice. If you are uncomfortable with the Thresher printing this information and would like to publish a piece under full or partial anonymity, please reach out to the editor(s)-in-chief at thresher@rice.edu.
The Thresher will only consider anonymous submissions if publishing the piece under your name would put you at serious risk of personal harm. In the past, we have allowed anonymous authors on pieces that have discussed severe personal mental health or their experience with sexual assault. Note that the Thresher keeps a high standard for anonymity.
Further, you must reveal your identity to the editors-in-chief and/or opinion editor so that the editor can attempt to fact-check claims while honoring your anonymity. The Thresher will make every effort possible to protect your identity.
Can I retract an opinion piece?
It is against journalistic ethics and the Thresher’s policies to retract opinion pieces or grant anonymity after publication. The Thresher will only consider retracting opinion pieces in cases where factual information in the piece is found to be seriously flawed after publication.
As a result, The Thresher encourages you to consider any and all potential consequences of publication before submitting an opinion piece.
However, opinion contributors are free to revoke their piece at any point during the editing process and prior to publication. The Thresher will not publish any guest submission without the author’s clear consent.
What is an editorial?
An editorial is written collectively by the Editorial Board of the Thresher on a timely topic every issue. It expresses the view of the Editorial Board. The members of the Editorial Board are identified with an asterisk in the masthead of the print editions.
The proceedings of the Editorial Board are completely separate from the Thresher’s reporting, and the view of the Editorial Board is never a factor in how an article is written.
Sometimes, certain members of the Editorial Board may recuse themselves from an editorial. Members who are directly involved in the reporting of the same topic will be recused. Similarly, members who have a connection to the topic that could pose a conflict of interest will recuse themselves.
What is a column?
A column is often a recurring piece written by a Rice community member to express their opinions on a specific topic or theme. Typically, each edition of a column tackles a subtopic within a given theme.
Similar to guest submissions, columns express the opinion of an individual. Columns do not reflect the views of the Thresher or its Editorial Board. Thresher staff are not permitted to write columns on topics in which they are directly involved in the reporting.
If you are interested in pitching a column to the Thresher, please contact the opinion editor at thresheropinions@rice.edu.
