How to create a publication for the EPALE platform

Tips and suggestions for the authors

Epale - 17/06/2021

Every user’s publication is well welcomed on the EPALE platform, as one of the key tasks is to preserve the diversity of topics and views enclosed. However, at the same time, we also have to be sure that articles will correspond to the field of adult education. Therefore, to help better perform this task, we have made some recommendations that verify whether the article would be relevant to the portal’s mission.

A large part of the content of the EPALE platform — articles or blogs, news, calendar entries — is generated by the portal’s users: adult education professionals and policymakers, as well as anyone interested in adult education.

Such content creation can be compared to expressing an opinion on social networks — just as Facebook or Twitter, where one only has to become a registered user to make a record. Furthermore, publications on the EPALE platform do not require the skills of a journalist; their main goal is to raise awareness on issues or present one’s personal experience and vision.

However, the difference lies in the fact that (unlike in social network profiles) the focus of the EPALE portal is rather specific: adult education. The sector is branched and diverse, so sometimes, we have also supported articles that relate subtly to adult education.

Nevertheless, here are a few suggestions that will help those who write not get too far from the main topic, so the content stays useful for the work of adult education professionals.

Consider — for which audience your article can be useful for!

EPALE has five major audiences:

adult education practitioners;
academics/researchers;
project promoters;
representatives of the media;
policymakers.

The content must be relevant to at least one of these audiences, and the link of the article to the field of adult education should be obvious. The publication should always be viewed from the reader's perspective, whether and how it will be valuable and/or informative.

If the content refers to secondary or higher education students, it is not likely to be considered relevant.

For example, posts regarding various courses offered should not be the top priority — such as knitting or IT literacy for adults. Instead, it would be more beneficial if the experience of people who organized them would be shared. Then the methodology and experience presented can inspire other adult educators!

Any information that one wishes to share can be adjusted according to the required format of one of the main sections of the platform: as news, as a longer article, as a blog, as a resource, or as a calendar entry.

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