Shape the idea
The guide helps contributors turn an idea into a source-aware pitch, correction, media note, or partnership request.
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Contributor guide
Contributor Guide
Practical lanes for story pitches, source corrections, media credit notes, profile context, and partnerships so contributors can send stronger notes into the live editorial desk.
- Guide lanes
- 5
- Checklist items
- 20
- Desk mode
- Lane-routed
Why this page matters
Better contributions make the public site more useful, not just busier.
A contributor guide should explain what kind of help actually improves the work. CultureUp is not asking readers to submit content into a void. It is asking for leads, corrections, source trails, image credits, place context, and community notes that can survive review and improve what gets published.
Start here
Review workflow
Make every note easier to review.
Keep review simple
Checklists make the first human review faster without turning contributor notes into an automated publishing queue.
Route cleanly
Each lane links into the existing submission path so future infrastructure can inherit the same review language and handoff terms.
Guide lanes
5 matches
PitchContributor lane
Story Pitch
A strong CultureUp pitch names the cultural question, the people or places involved, and the source trail that can support the story.
- Best for
- Features, briefs, public memory stories, and topic-led explainers.
- Evidence cue
- Include names, dates, locations, source holders, links, photos, maps, programs, or oral history context.
- 1Name the person, place, object, event, or record at the center.
- 2Explain why the story matters now.
- 3List known sources and what still needs review.
- 4Share related topics, reading paths, or CultureUp stories.
CorrectionContributor lane
Source Correction
A correction should identify the page, the affected claim or media item, the suggested change, and the source that supports it.
- Best for
- Dates, spellings, captions, credits, source notes, and attribution changes.
- Evidence cue
- Provide a corrected value, the reason for the change, and enough source context for review.
- 1Include the page title or URL.
- 2Name the sentence, caption, credit, or source note involved.
- 3Provide the corrected text or attribution.
- 4Share the supporting source and any uncertainty.
MediaContributor lane
Media Credit Note
A media credit note should keep creator, holder, date, rights context, caption status, and usage notes close to the visual or audio object.
- Best for
- Photos, archival images, clips, transcripts, captions, and credit lines.
- Evidence cue
- Separate documentary material from illustrative material and name the creator or holder when known.
- 1Identify the media item and page where it appears.
- 2Name creator, collector, institution, or family holder.
- 3Add date, rights note, transcript status, or usage limits.
- 4Explain whether the asset is documentary, interpretive, or illustrative.
ProfileContributor lane
Profile Note
A profile note should connect a person or community to the places, relationships, records, and objects that make presence visible.
- Best for
- Artists, organizers, elders, scholars, builders, families, and communities.
- Evidence cue
- Gather role, date range, place, related records, known source holders, and unresolved attribution questions.
- 1Name the person, community, or group clearly.
- 2Include roles, date ranges, places, and relationships.
- 3List records, media, oral histories, or people who can verify context.
- 4Explain what the profile helps readers understand about culture or memory.
PartnershipContributor lane
Partnership Note
A partnership note should make the collaboration, audience, material, rights context, and intended reader value clear.
- Best for
- Archives, museums, libraries, schools, community groups, and cultural organizations.
- Evidence cue
- Name the collection or project, available material, rights limits, contact path, and potential topic fit.
- 1Name the organization or project.
- 2Describe the collection, event, program, or archive material.
- 3Flag rights, credit, privacy, or review constraints.
- 4Suggest the topic hub, reading path, or audience it fits.
Why trust this site
Contribution routes should be visible and accountable.
Readers should be able to see where to send a correction, a source note, a rights clarification, or a community context note without guessing which lane matters.
Editorial standards
See how CultureUp labels evidence, handles scope, and keeps public-memory claims disciplined.
Sources library
Open the source index to inspect institutions, collections, and records behind the reporting.
Corrections path
Readers can submit corrections and source notes through a visible, standing update route.
Media rights
Review how CultureUp treats captions, credits, permissions, and reusable editorial media.