We run reporting. Op-eds with a claim and the evidence for it. Interviews where the person says something that is not already on LinkedIn. If a piece only works as praise, we do not run it.
Have a story we should chase?
We want reporting, not a profile of yourself. Send the news, the documents, and why it matters in the Gulf. If it is an interview, say who will sit and what they will say that is not already on LinkedIn. Write to [email protected] or use the contact form. Founder and executive profiles go through Get featured instead.
Submitting an article as a guest contributor
If you have already written the piece, use the guest article form. Include the full text or a document the desk can open, a short author bio, source links and any relevant financial or personal ties. No WordPress account is needed. An editor reviews and publishes accepted work under your name and contributor profile; submission alone does not promise publication.
Writing a column
Columns are original points of view with a clear argument and a named writer. A column may come from a guest contributor or a writer with a WordPress account. Use the column form to send a draft without an account. Editors review claims, sources and disclosures, then decide whether to publish it as a column. Guest contributors receive a public byline; submitting a draft does not guarantee publication or a recurring series.
Desk rules
Every piece is edited against these. Read them before you write.
- First sentence: news or scene. Never a résumé. Never a thesis.
- If a person is "a leader", you have not described them. Say the job.
- One idea per paragraph.
- Quotes do work. They do not say the strategy is exciting.
- Adjectives are rationed. If the noun is strong, leave it alone.
- Do not announce that something is historic. If it is, the facts will do it.
- End on a concrete last line, not a moral.
- No "Also read" links stuffed with unrelated stories.
- Gulf English: dirhams and riyals first, dollars in brackets if needed.
- If a chatbot could have written the paragraph with no reporting, delete the paragraph.
Words we do not use
visionary, passionate, stunning, unlocking, leveraging, synergy, ecosystem (unless it is ecology), tapestry, journey (unless someone travelled), unique, robust, seamless, groundbreaking, cutting-edge, nestled, boasts, showcases, underscores, highlights the importance of, in conclusion, moreover, furthermore, delve, realm, landscape (unless land), beacon, testament, fostering, empowering.
Use instead: said, built, bought, missed, cost, hired, failed, signed, opened, shut.
Sourcing
- Name the company, the official, the city, the sum, the date. "Residents expressed excitement" with no resident named does not run.
- Original work only. Tell us if it has run elsewhere or is out with another title.
- Credit data and pictures. No plagiarism, and no undisclosed AI-written text.
- Tell us about any money, family, or business tie to the subject.
Photos and media
Send only pictures you own or hold a licence for, with captions and credits. We may ask for proof.
Rights
- Unless we agree otherwise in writing, you grant The Gulf Magazine a non-exclusive, worldwide licence to publish and promote the piece in any format.
- Exclusive commissions and syndication are agreed before publication.
Editing
An editor cuts, checks facts, and asks for changes. Expect a third of the words to go. We decline pieces without always saying why, and timelines move with the news.
Last updated: 2026-10-20