Vidya E-News Article Contest 2024 Guidelines

Instructions for Submitting Articles for Vidya E-News Website

The following instructions should be followed in submitting articles for the Vidya E-News website developed and maintained by the Ministry of Education with a view to popularizing science and technology and reducing the knowledge gap.

Articles should be submitted on new knowledge, innovations, new technologies, various research, and related discoveries in the fields of Science, Technology, Innovation, etc. for the promotion of Science and Technology. We kindly request you to submit articles giving priority to the following areas.

1. Artificial Intelligence
2. Augmented Reality
3. Biotechnology
4. Robotics
5. 3D Printing Technology
6. Astronomy
7. Cloud Technologies
8. Nano Technology
9. Research & Development
10. Innovation
11. Internet of Things
12. Life Sciences

The Structure of the Article

•  All articles should be submitted either in Sinhala, Tamil, or English only.
• For the convenience of publishing please use the following font styles and sizes.

English – Arial Font (size 11)

Sinhala – Unicode (size 11)

Tamil – Bamini Font (size 11)

1. The Heading

Keep the title very concise to match the content. (Font size 14)

2. Author

Please mention the below author’s details at the bottom of your article.

The author’s name:

Profession:

Work Place:

School/ University/Institute:

Email Address:

Contact Number: (Residence) (work)

Address:

Recent Photograph:

3. Summary

A brief summary of no more than 150 words will suffice. The main purpose of the article should be explained briefly, but the excerpts should not be mentioned.

4. Keywords

Use only 5 words that are relevant to the subject of the article that will help to find the article quickly.

5. Graphical Abstract

This should offer readers an at-a-glance visualization of your paper via a single, concise image. Graphical abstracts are optional, but helpful for readers and for the promotion of your article.

6. Content

Each article should have a minimum of 350 words and a maximum of 1500 words.

7. Submission

Articles should be provided in electronic form and comply with the given instructions. Use the email vidyaenews@gmail.com provided for this concern. Your article must be only in WORD format.

8. Artwork

All figures should be embedded and correctly positioned within your word files, and should also be supplied as separate graphics files in their original formats. In case you fail to embed correctly, the entry number should indicate where to embed. jpeg, pdf, PSD, and TIFF formats are preferred. Use high-resolution images whenever possible.

(Please note that these points are important to maintain the quality of the website.)

9. Quotes / References

• In an excerpt from an author and publication,

Format: Surname of the Author (year of publication) or

                 [ Surname of the Author (year of publication)]

Eg: Karunanayake (2002) or (Karunanayake 2002).

• Journal reference style,

Format: 1. Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.

2. Year of publication of the article.
3. Article title (in single inverted commas).
4. Journal title (in italics).
5. Volume of the journal.
6. Issue number of the journal.
7. Page range of the article.

 Eg: Zeng R. J., Lemaire R., Yuan Z. & Keller J. 2004 ‘A novel wastewater treatment process: simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal’. Water Science and Technology, 50(10), 163-170.

• Book reference style

 Format: 1. Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.

2. Year of publication of the book/e-book.
3. Title (in italics).
4. Edition.
5. Publisher.
6. Place of Publication.
7. Referred page numbers

 Eg: Henze M., Harremoës P., LaCour Jansen J. & Arvin E. 2018, Biotechnology, J. Winter (ed.), 2nd edn, Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim, Germany, pp. 455-478.

For e-books retrieved from a website, replace the place of publication with a ‘viewed’ date and the URL.

 Eg: Henze M., Harremoës P., LaCour Jansen J. & Arvin E. 2018, Biotechnology, 2nd edn, Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim, <https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40077/40077-h/40077-h.htm>, pp. 455-478.

 Online references

Format: 1.  Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.

2. Year of publication of the article.
3. Title (in italics).
4. Publisher. Where there is a corporate author, the publisher, and author may be the same.
5.   Date viewed.
6.   Web address <in angled brackets>

Eg: Cancer Council 2017, Causes of cancer, Cancer Council, viewed 21 May 2018, <https://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/>.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

The following list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to us for review. Before submitting the article, you should check whether the following checklist has been completed.

• Does the article mention the author’s name?
• Does the article mention the email address of the author of the article?
• Are keywords, diagrams, tables, notes, etc. used correctly?
• Is the grammar of the article used correctly?
• Are the excerpts correct?
• Is permission obtained from the author for references/excerpts (where necessary)?

In addition, you should pay special attention to the following general points

• Articles published in various Sinhala and Tamil media (newspapers, web pages, magazines, etc.) should not be copied and pasted in full without the written permission of the author.
• If you write an article yourself, you are responsible for the accuracy of the article, including the veracity of its contents.
• Articles should not be provocative, controversial, or debatable.
• Articles should not be submitted with the primary purpose of advertising a person or product.
• The article should be based on new knowledge in the fields of Science, Technology, and Entrepreneurial Development, recognized innovative technology, various research, and activities, and may include information on (persons/product) designs.
• Publications such as pamphlets and advertisements published in Sinhala, Tamil, and English by various governmental or non-governmental organizations should be avoided.

Special Instructions for School Children:

• Please send the following details along with your article.

1. The name of your school
2. Your class name
3. The address of your school

• The minimum word count for the kids’ corner articles is 200 words and you are always welcome to write an article up to the maximum word count of 1500 if possible.

• It is not compulsory for students to send articles in word format, but the students should always try to send their articles in a readable format.

Special Guidelines for Vidya E-News Article Contest 2023

The Ministry has decided to organize this contest under 3 main categories:

Academic: The academic staff of the universities / related institutes and the undergraduates will be considered as under this category. The winners will be chosen separately from each sub-category (Eg: An academic staff winner and an undergraduate winner will be selected.)

School Category: The academic staff (including principals, teachers) and students of any government /private/international school will be considered under the school category. The winners will be chosen separately from each sub-category (Eg: An academic staff winner and a school child will be selected.)

• The non-academic staff  at universities/institutes /schools  will fall into the “open category”

Open Category: Anyone who does not fall into any of the above categories (Academic/ School)will be considered under the open category

Therefore, please make sure to send the correct author details along with your article.

Note: The articles which will be sent after the deadline will not be considered for the competition.