Sidebars can vary in length from a short paragraph to a column. Whatever their length, sidebars need to be part of the total word count of the article. We like the articles in Signs of the Times to have interest-grabbing introductions. One of the best ways to do this is with anecdotes, particularly those that have a bit of suspense or conflict. Illustrations and authorities We find that it also helps to include one or two more anecdotes later in the article.
Readers also like to know that someone who is an authority on the topic supports the author's point.
Thus we encourage authors to do a bit of research to find some authorities they can quote in their article. However, even a couple of lines from a song or poem can constitute such a large percentage of the total work as to violate copyright law. It is the author's responsibility to obtain any permissions that are required and to pay for those permissions where that is necessary. It is not necessary to be a Seventh-day Adventist in order to be published in Signs of the Times . However, you may find it helpful to know something about our beliefs, which we will be glad to share with you in a booklet called Let's Get Acquainted, available free on request.