Contribute

How do I contribute?

Obviously the modelling guides have very specific formatting. We don’t expect you to do all that work. To contribute a topic all you need to do is provide the worked example in excel, and descriptive text in a word document. We’ll then work together to produce the final modelling guide. We’ll do all the hard work on production side of the final published guide. You’ll get authorship credit for the content and idea.

Where should I start?

Check out the guides that have already been published. Then take a look at the pipeline page.  If there is a topic on the pipeline page that you’d like to contribute to, get in touch using the form on the top right of this page. Please also use this form to suggest new topics.

I’d like to add to or change an existing modelling guide

We’d love you to help us make each of the guides better. If you have ideas on how to improve any of the guides, please use the comment section that you’ll find below each published modelling guide. You’ll also get contributor credit for useful comments, corrections and additions.

Will contributors get a share of the profits?

No. The book is a not-for-profit venture. All the content will be available for free download online. When we’re ready, and the material is good enough, a printed version will be available for purchase. The printed version will carry all the names of all the contributors with full credit for their work. All profits from the sale of the printed version will be given to charity.

What are the modelling guides and what role do they have in the book?

One model of writing a book is to spend two years locked in a room and then emerge with something and just hope it’s useful. Instead of doing that I’m going to publish this book in short useful sections, called Modelling Guides. These guides are on specific topics that should be of use to modellers. We can then get feedback as we go along and iterate and improve along the way.

What’s in it for the collaborators?

All useful contributions will be acknowledged on this website, and will be mentioned and thanked in the book. Contributions may be whole modelling guides, or may be feedback on those modelling guides.  The more the contributions from any individual, the more highly they will be profiled in the book. Contributors will also get extra goodies when the book is published, and will be invited to the launch party. I’m serious.

Can anybody contribute?

Yes, however:

1. All comments will be moderated. You may be surprised to hear this but not everybody on the internet has positive intentions. I will only post comments that contribute to the discussion.

2. No pitching. This is not the place for you to advertise your latest plugin for excel or your modelling services business. If you are a regular and helpful contributor, we’ll make sure you get profiled.

3. No abuse. Anybody who is anything other than constructive and polite will be removed and black-listed. Be nice.

What are the case studies?

I am inviting specific individuals from industry to contribute sector specific case studies for inclusion in the printed book. These will include downloadable example models. If you’d like to contribute a case study – please get in touch using the form on the top right of this page.

When will the book be published?

There’s no fixed date yet- and the collaborative nature of the project means that I’m not going to commit to a date until I feel like the content has been properly peer reviewed and discussed by the community. And that will take as long as it takes.