INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
(Revised February 2026)
Catholic Insight seeks to enlighten hearts and minds by proclaiming the splendour of truth and the sanctity of life. We endeavour to foster the culture of life by reporting truthfully, critically, contextually, and comparatively with a view to history and guided by a cultural vision inspired by Catholic doctrine and the classical liberal arts. In a climate of moral and cultural relativism we unequivocally proclaim the truth of God’s law as the source of hope through faith and charitable love.
Examples of content sought by Catholic Insight include devotional, doctrinal, and historical articles and reflections; commentary on civic, cultural, and social matters, including news commentary; and all types of book, movie, and media reviews. While Catholic Insight primarily seeks original works, we do sometimes publish previously printed material, within the rules of copyright.
In all cases, submissions should be grounded in and cite to authentic teachings of the Catholic Church, and should lead Catholics and others of good will to a deeper understanding and more firmly-grounded living of the Catholic faith.
TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS
Catholic Insight accepts submissions in the form of letters, commentary, and articles. Please send your submission as a Word document attached to your email, to editor@catholicinsight.com. Please include a three to five sentence biography with your submission.
Letters (100–500 words). Letters to the editor should address an article or editorial that has appeared in Catholic Insight or a subject of general interest to readers. Preference will be given to letters relating to recent issues.
Commentary (500-1000 words). Commentaries are short articles, essays, reviews and reflections of general interest to Catholics.
Articles (1000–3000 words). Articles are thoughtful treatises on subjects meriting such treatment. Articles should be well researched, substantiated, and footnoted as necessary.
STYLE GUIDE
Tone and Content
Catholic Insight aspires to help gather souls for Christ, in truth and charitable love. Guiding principles for all submissions include:
- Matthew 22:37-39: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
- John 8:31-32: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Acknowledging that each of us sometimes feels inclined toward righteous indignation, we also encourage contributors to consider the following in shaping their remarks:
- Matthew 7:1-3: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
- John 8:7: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.”
Format
In all cases editorial discretion may be applied.
Data files. Submit articles as Word documents. Use a single space after periods, and indent the first line of each paragraph.
Titles. Capitalize the first word only. Titles should reflect the thesis of the submission.
Introductions. Theses should be clearly stated at the beginning of each submission, and succinctly supported by the remainder.
Headings. For major headings, capitalize the first letter and centre the heading on its own line. For minor headings, capitalize the first letter but place at the beginning of the paragraph and indent.
Spelling and grammar. Use Canadian spelling as identified in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, unless the article necessitates otherwise. For grammar, follow Fowler’s Book of English Usage, editions prior to the 1965 printing, and the Government of Canada style guide available here.
Foreign words and phrases. All foreign words are to be italicized, unless these have effectively become part of common English language usage: e.g., ad hoc, per capita, ibid, i.e.; or are a name, for example: Mater Dei High School, contrasted with revering Our Lady as the mater Dei. See this site for examples. Italicise unfamiliar foreign words, and follow by an English translation in parenthesis if the meaning is not generally known.
Pronouns. Divine pronouns and relative pronouns referring to God are to be upper case. Capitalize Mass, Catholic when referring to the Catholic Church or the Catholic Faith, and Pope when referring to a specific pope.
Quotations. Depending on the length of the quotation, quotation marks may be used (for shorter quotations) or the text may be presented in italics.
Units of weight and measure. Units of weight and measure may be Imperial (acres, gallons, miles, pounds) or SI (metric). If American English units are used and the distinction is required, they should be distinguished as such; for example, gallons (American).
SUBMISSION SCHEDULE
Submissions will be reviewed by the editor for suitability and decisions will be made within a brief time frame.
Please send submissions as a Word document attached to your email, to editor@catholicinsight.com.
An honorarium will be offered for accepted submissions, where appropriate and as resources permit.
