Submissions to Tea Circle are always welcome. We are happy to consider pieces in any of the following categories, provided Tea Circle is the first and only outlet for publication. We are especially interested in the work of new and emerging scholars of Burma/Myanmar.
We intend for Tea Circle to be a platform for debate and discussion and we also hope that our posts spark conversations off-site as well. While the blog is now hosted by the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Toronto, we have been keen to make it a place for both scholarly and non-scholarly contributions. We also try to distinguish between posts that are based on research or fieldwork and those that express an individual’s opinion.
In seeking to avoid the anonymous vitriol and ad hominem attacks that characterise most comment threads online, we do not have comments enabled on the site. However, we strongly encourage readers who have a strong reaction to a piece (positive, negative or somewhere in between) to submit posts in response. It is our firm belief that allowing for a mix of contributions helps to provide a platform for sharing a range of views on different topics related to Myanmar, from a multitude of perspectives.
In adopting this approach, it will also be the case that, as indicated on our site, we will publish controversial or unpopular perspectives, including opinions that members of our editorial team strongly disagree with. Our editors carefully consider the guidelines in our policy and while we do our best to avoid publishing anything that is abusive, libellous or insulting to individuals, we recognise that some readers will find some of our content distasteful or objectionable. We also reserve the right to refuse to post any submissions.
Having clarified this policy, we also believe that our standard for evaluation and inclusion of different perspectives on the site is itself a potential topic for debate and discussion. Just as we welcome continued submissions in response to any of our posts, we would also be happy to consider submissions that critically reflect on Tea Circle’s stated mission as a platform.
We are currently accepting Burmese language submissions. If your submission does not ‘fit’ into any of our categories below, contact our editorial team at teacirclemyanmar@outlook.com.
The vast majority of posts on Tea Circle are between 1,000-2,000 words, though both longer and shorter submissions are possible as “notes” (which fall between 500-1,000 words) or “essays” (over 2,000 words).
When submitting a piece, please let us know which of the following categories apply:
Contributions to Tea Circle should be sent by email to teacirclemyanmar@outlook.com. in a word document with minimal formatting. A short biography and byline (under 90 characters) should be included in the document, along with any images for which the author holds copyright or has permission to use. Along with the proposed title for the piece, keywords that describe the topic and content of your submission should also be included.
If submitting images, please do not embed them in the Word document. Instead, attach high-quality images (ideally sized 1200 pixels on the longest side, at 72 dpi) to your initial email submission.
We recognize that the military coup has heightened security concerns for many of our contributors, whether you are in Myanmar or outside. In order to protect our authors, Tea Circle is offering the opportunity to submit posts anonymously or with a pseudonym.
If you would like to protect your identity in this way, we suggest that you submit your post in one of two ways:
Tea Circle will not share any personal or contact information without your consent. Should you have any further inquiries, please contact us at teacirclemyanmar@protonmail.me or teacirclemyanmar@outlook.com.
For the blog format, we encourage authors to limit formal citations and footnotes, although hyperlinks to online sources are always welcome. However, it is still the responsibility of authors to accurately cite someone else’s material, whether direct quotes or someone’s general argument. It is always a good idea to err on the side of thoroughness and generosity in your citations, even for a blog post. When in doubt, please feel free to ask our editorial team.
While submissions to Tea Circle undergo review by two of our editors, it is your responsibility to accurately cite someone else’s work, whether you are using direct quotes or someone’s general argument. Using someone else’s ideas without citation or acknowledgement is plagiarism. Even though it is common for blog posts to include fewer formal citations than academic works, the expectations for accurately and adequately citing someone else’s work remain the same. It is always a good idea to err on the side of thoroughness and generosity in your citations, even for a blog post. When in doubt, please feel free to ask our editorial team.
If you suspect that a piece published on Tea Circle is guilty of plagiarism, please contact us at teacirclemyanmar@outlook.com. We pledge to conduct an immediate review, removing the piece temporarily if appropriate and working to make a prompt decision regarding the allegation. Possible responses could include working with the author to revise the post; removing the post permanently; or other actions depending on the severity of the offense. We reserve the right to remove any post that violates our policies. Tea Circle has editorial discretion in all final decisions regarding publication and continued hosting of a given post.
While we seek to adhere to high standards of academic integrity regarding plagiarism, we also recognize that Tea Circle is a blog that invites and encourages submissions from junior scholars and from contributors who might be unfamiliar with journalistic or academic norms. Our approach, in building a diverse community of commentators focused on Myanmar, is pedagogical and remedial rather than punitive. That is, depending on the nature of the offense, we will most often choose to work with an author to help them understand their mistakes and revise the post appropriately rather than resort to public censure.
Tea Circle is happy to receive requests for reprinting our posts and considers them on a “first come, first served” basis. We ask that any reprinting organisations acknowledge that the piece was first published on Tea Circle and provide a link to our site. While our authors retain the right to refuse reprint requests, we aim to confirm this with them in advance, so that we can respond quickly to requests. Taking into consideration editorial norms to change titles and make minor edits, we would ask that any major edits (or translations into other languages) be explicitly confirmed with the author of the post, through Tea Circle.
If you would like to reprint any of our posts, please send an email to teacirclemyanmar@outlook.com.
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