Publishing content on PATH.org

Intended for all audiences, articles tell an engaging story about PATH—just like any article you would read in a magazine or newspaper. Most often, articles take the form of a narrative, though they can also be question and answer (Q&A) interviews with PATH experts or opinion-editorials (op-eds) in which a PATH leader takes a stance on an issue. PATH.org articles should always include photos and captions, a well-paced introduction, quotations by named PATH staff, and a title + lede + hero image designed to catch attention in busy web environments.

Process: Articles are program written and proofread by a certified PATH proofreader, then built by program communicators directly in Wagtail and submitted for EXA moderation, High-Risk Review, and publication.

Examples: See a narrative PATH.org article /OR/ a Q&A PATH.org article /OR/ an op-ed PATH.org article.

Template: Download a Word document template to guide the creation of your article. (Freelance PATH proofreaders can download this Word document template from the Proofreading Resources file in Box.)

Additional guidance: Read this tutorial on writing successful web articles.

Intended for partner audiences, case studies are capacity-forward, metric-filled recaps of one or several PATH projects. They use a specially designed web template that includes the following sections: “The challenge,” “The solution,” “Why was PATH chosen to do this work?,” “Our approach,” “The results,” and “Funding.”

Process: Case studies are program written and proofread by a certified PATH proofreader, then built by program communicators directly in Wagtail and submitted for EXA moderation, High-Risk Review, and publication.

Example: See a PATH.org case study.

Template:Download a Word document template to guide the creation of your case study. (Freelance PATH proofreaders can download this Word document template from the Proofreading Resources file in Box.)

Equivalent to a press release or news update, announcements give our partners and the media a straightforward summary of upcoming or recent events, new partnerships, regulatory approvals, or any other program news.

Process: Announcement pages are program-written, proofread by a certified PATH proofreader, then built by program communicators directly in Wagtail and submitted for EXA moderation, High-Risk Review, and publication.

If you are publishing an event announcement and would like to have it listed on the PATH Events page, submit an EXA request using this form and choose "Promoting program content on PATH channels."

Examples: See a PATH.org news announcement /OR/ a path.org event announcement.

Template: Download a Word document template to guide the creation of your announcement. (Freelance PATH proofreaders can download this Word document template from the Proofreading Resources file in Box.)

Intended for partner audiences, these pages give each PATH program and country a platform to highlight their leaders, projects, initiatives, impact, technical capacities, and more.

Process: Program pages are program written and proofread by a certified PATH proofreader, then built by program communicators directly in Wagtail and submitted for EXA moderation, High-Risk Review, and publication.

Examples: See a PATH.org program page /OR/ a PATH.org country page.

Intended for partner audiences, resources are for sharing knowledge, best practices, roadmaps, tools, or similarly applicable programmatic content. Resources are often in PDF format and are available for download from PATH.org via resource pages.

Process: The actual resource files are created by programs, proofread by a certified PATH proofreader, and submitted for High-Risk Review via the EXA Request Form. Once the resource file has been through High-Risk Review, the PATH.org resource page is built by program communicators directly in Wagtail and submitted for EXA moderation and publication.

Example: See a PATH.org resource.

(1) Photos

Our single greatest concern is protecting the privacy and dignity of the people and communities PATH supports. When moderating content in Wagtail, the first thing we check are the photographs and captions to ensure they meet the standards outlined on pages 51–81 of the PATH Brand and Communications Guidebook. Please pay close attention to the special cautions noted on pages 77–80. If the photos and captions do not meet these standards, revisions will be required before the content can be published.

(2) Brand risk and alignment

Our second greatest concern is protecting PATH as an institution and brand. Appropriate and properly consented photos are a big part of this (#1 above), but we also review all written content to ensure it aligns with the PATH Values and Brand Attributes outlined on pages 7–18 of the PATH Brand and Communications Guidebook. The dos and don'ts summary on page 16 is an especially useful resource for ensuring brand alignment. If the written content is noticeably misaligned with our institutional values or brand, revisions will be required before the content can be published.

(3) Content type alignment

The third thing we review is content type alignment (PATH.org's five content types are: Announcement, Article, Case Study, Program Page, and Resource). Put simply, is the content submitted an appropriate use of the content type as described on this page? If there is noticeable misalignment between the content and content type, revisions will be required before the content can be published—possibly even resubmitting the content as a different content type.

(4) Basic quality and web readiness

The fourth and final component of EXA moderation focuses on quality and web readiness. To ensure content is high quality and web ready, (a) all content must be proofread by a certified PATH proofreader* so it is aligned with PATH Style, (b) all hyperlinks must be working and lead users to the intended address, and (c) content must be tagged to the correct related program. If there are obvious typos or misalignments with PATH Style, hyperlinks are broken or misdirected, or the wrong related program is tagged, revisions will be required before the content can be published.

*EXA does NOT currently offer proofreading services in Wagtail. To have your content proofread by a certified PATH proofreader, you can either:

(i) submit your content to proofreading services in Word document format via the EXA Request Form, OR,

(ii) a member of your team can be trained as a PATH proofreader. If you would like to pursue training, please email Teri Gilleland (tgilleland@path.org), OR,

(iii) reach out to a member of your team already trained in PATH proofreading. Here is a list of trained proofreaders around the organization.

An EXA editor reviews submitted content at least once each business day, though we recommend submitting all content for moderation at least five business days before the desired publication date in case changes are required.

If the content coincides with an external event or milestone that cannot be moved, we encourage submitting the content for moderation at least ten business days before the desired publication.

Though it is not required, you may also provide advanced notice to our team via the EXA Request Form.

If you're not familiar with our Risk Review policy, click here for a summary.

To offer programs a single streamlined process, all content being published to PATH.org will be High-Risk Reviewed during EXA moderation in Wagtail with two exceptions: videos and resources.

Since videos and resources are separate files (as opposed to live text and images), all those meeting high-risk criteria must be must first be submitted for High-Risk Review through the EXA Request Form, then built as web pages in Wagtail.

All Announcements, Articles, Case Studies, Program Pages, and Resources published to PATH.org will be findable by search engines (e.g. Google, Bing, etc.) and the search function on PATH.org. They must be appropriately tagged and manually added to appear on program and country pages, at the discretion of program communicators.

Publishing content on PATH.org does not necessarily mean it will be promoted on PATH's institutional channels which include: PATH's social media accounts, the PATH Insights newsletter, and PATH.org's main landing pages (Home, Evidence and Expertise, etc.) and their recent article feeds. These channels are managed by EXA to align with and advance institutional objectives. Institutional objectives are set by leaders of program and country teams, business development, and advocacy.

To have your content considered for promotion on these institutional channels, please submit a request via the EXA Request Form.