Writing for EngineeringSkills.com
Seneca said ‘the best way to learn is to teach’.
I agree…and so did the renowned physicist Richard Feynman. He believed that the best way to learn and ensure you truly understand something is to try to teach it to someone else.
This has become known as the Feynman Technique and is one of the best reasons to share your knowledge online. When you write, you’re forced to clarify your thoughts and unjumble any ambiguity that clouds your understanding.
What I value most about working on EngineeringSkills.com is that it allows me to do what I love most - learn new things by teaching others.
Don't just take my word for it - here's what one of our authors, Callum Wilson has to say about his experience writing for EngineeringSkills:
"EngineeringSkills.com is a learning space where a passion for the technical side of engineering is encouraged and I am delighted to be writing for this fantastic resource. To date, I have found that the process of producing content for EngineeringSkills.com has allowed me to pursue a deeper understanding of complex topics as, ultimately, you must have a sound understanding of a topic before you teach it!
Producing tutorials has also dramatically improved my ability to communicate difficult concepts to a broad audience, and this is an invaluable tool for all engineering professionals. I would highly recommend contributing to EngineeringSkills.com if you are excited by the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded Engineers who share your passion for learning, teaching and innovating."
Callum Wilson, Structural Engineer and guest writer for EngineeringSkills.com
I want to grow the library of tutorial articles on EngineeringSkills…
- faster than my small team have the capacity to do
- and cover areas beyond what we currently have domain expertise in
Submit an article or tutorial proposal
If you have an idea for an article or a tutorial that would be helpful to someone out there on the internet - we want to hear from you.
Complete this short form with a few details about your idea, and we’ll email you to discuss and develop it further before potentially commissioning you for the piece.
We write for people, not algorithms!
We have one guiding principle that informs everything we publish - it must be helpful and informative to real people!
We don’t write for the Google algorithm; we write for the real people who are trawling the internet for that one tutorial or nugget of information to unlock whatever they’re currently stuck on.
You’ll be writing in your own voice and under your own name
We’re not looking for ghostwriters - we want to put you out front and centre as the author of your own content! You’ll be writing under your own author byline and bio (like mine at the bottom of this page). You can also include links to your own social channels and a link to your personal website.
Take a look at some of our tutorial articles to get a sense of what we like to publish. Some are much longer than others - don’t let that put you off.
Subjects and topics we’re interested in
Today, EngineeringSkills primarily serves Civil and Structural Engineers, so we have a slight preference for topics in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) space.
However, we’re also interested in broadening beyond AEC, so even if you’re a Mechanical, Electrical, or some other type of engineer, technician, or practitioner in a technical space, we’re still interested in hearing your ideas.
If you’re involved in STEM - and have knowledge to share, there’s a good chance we’d like to hear your proposals.
If we were to name some topics we’d love to publish helpful content on right away, they might include (in no particular order):
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Wind engineering
- OpenFOAM
- Computational engineering
- Grasshopper/Rhino 3D
- Python (and relevant libraries) for Engineers
- Code-based design of Timber, Steel, Masonry, and Concrete (pre-cast/insitu) in various design codes from around the world
- Soil mechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Environmental engineering
- Structural analysis
- Construction project case-studies (ideally ones you were involved in)
- Construction technology
- Earthquake engineering
- Blast engineering
- Structural dynamics and motion suppression
- Engineering mathematics
- Data science and machine learning (bonus points if it’s in an engineering context!)
- Financial and project management in an AEC context
Keep in mind, I’m a Structural Engineer - that’s why the list looks the way it does. You may have an idea, not on the list that would still be helpful and worth publishing, so please don’t hesitate to share it!
Maybe it should be a course!
Some ideas might make a good article, but would make a great course! Typically if there’s a lot to cover and it’s an under-covered and in-demand topic, its worth considering a course.
If we go down the path of producing a course with you, we’ll work closely to support you in the production and publication process.
If you’re open to producing a course, we can discuss that with you and explore the idea when discussing the article.
Payment for Your Work
Teaching is a rewarding activity, and you’ll get a lot out of the exercise…but we will also pay you for your work :)
I published as an academic (exceptionally high bar with no direct author compensation 🙄), admittedly not for long! I never thought that was a fair exchange of value, so I wouldn’t do that to anyone else :)
We pay a flat fee for each article. The amount is adjusted based on the length and depth of the article. Long, detailed and technical articles that require a lot of research are naturally compensated more than shorter, lighter articles. The subject area and author’s expertise may also influence the rate of compensation.
We’ll agree a mutually acceptable compensation range with you, based on an article outline, before you begin. We will pay you for your work on delivery of the final article. We only pay for articles that are published.
So, if you have some knowledge or experience you'd like to share with the world, please get in touch using this form.
