The Cavalier Daily welcomes guest contributions from members of the University community who would like to comment on University or Charlottesville-related issues. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of authors, op-eds and letters to the editor. Please read below for information on how to submit guest columns or letters-to-the-editor to the paper.
For both columns and letters, we do not accept anonymous submissions, and submissions cannot contain information that The Cavalier Daily cannot independently verify. Submissions can comment upon reporting in The Cavalier Daily or elsewhere, official University statements or other reputable sources. Submissions cannot contain original reporting or break news.
All guest pieces cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media), and they must be exclusive to The Cavalier Daily. Additionally, submissions cannot merely be advertisements for groups, events or programs.
All op-eds submitted to The Cavalier Daily must address timely issues that affect the University and/or Charlottesville communities. Op-eds may also be in response to a column, editorial or other content that has been recently published in The Cavalier Daily. Guest columns typically argue a unique point, while letters-to-the-editor may more directly respond to coverage or a specific event.
The length of accepted guest columns ranges between 700-900 words not including the title and subheading, and the length of letters to the editor typically do not exceed 400 words.
Submissions should be structured like an op-ed, with its argument using clear evidence to support one thesis. It should be persuasive prose, and shy away from lists and bullets. Please provide links to any references and evidence to support the claims you make, as all op-eds will be copyedited for accuracy.
Editors will refuse to edit or publish articles that lack factual support and rely on hypotheticals and speculation.
Before submitting an article, please review other guest columns or letters on the website. Each article features a title, subheading, attached visual and sign-off for the author. We encourage you to include these in your initial submission, even if you are not quite sure what this would look like for your piece. Email any questions about the process, formatting or other related concerns to opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
Once the article is drafted, email opinion@cavalierdaily.com with the column or letter attached in a PDF, .DOCX, or Google Doc file. In this email, include your name and affiliation to the University (e.g. Jane Doe, Class of 2025 alumna or John Doe, third-year Engineering student). If your column has time constraints for its publication, please include those as well.
Due to the large volume of submissions, the opinion editors may not acknowledge each submission unless choosing to move forward with publishing the submission, but every submission is read and thoroughly considered. In accepting a submission, we reserve the right to edit submissions for structure, grammar, clarity, context and length. We also reserve the right, at any point in the editing process, to not publish your piece.
If accepted, your submission will be reviewed by the Opinion Editors, Executive Editor, copyediting team and Editor-in-Chief. We use the Google Docs word processor to leave edits on documents, so please familiarize yourself with the application. You will be notified where the article is in the editing chain, and if you would like to review the final draft before it is published, please indicate this in your initial email.
If you have any questions about the process, please send us an email at opinion@cavalierdaily.com, and we will try to respond.
