Inside SOP Blog

Inside SOP welcomes suggestions for new blog posts from faculty, staff, and students. If you are interested in authoring a post for the blog, please contact Andrew Tie, senior web content specialist for the School of Pharmacy, at (410) 706-4235 or atie@rx.umaryland.edu with your idea. He will work with you to determine if your idea is an appropriate fit for the blog.

Previous blog posts published on Inside SOP have focused on topics such as:

• Student-led events and community service projects
• Student awards and accomplishments
• Unique faculty and student experiences, such as advocating for the profession, studying abroad, and one-of-a-kind pharmacy practice rotation experiences.

Once your idea has been approved for a blog post, you can begin working on a rough draft. Follow these best practices to ensure that your post has the greatest impact on potential readers:

• Keep post length between 500-1,500 words.

• Use first-person perspective when writing your post (e.g., “I,” “me,” “we,” etc.).

• Keep paragraphs short (no more than 3-5 sentences).

• Use headings to separate different ideas or thoughts within your post.

• Use bulleted or numbered lists when appropriate.

• Include hyperlinks in the text, where appropriate. Examples include:
  • Linking to your student organization’s website.
  • Linking to an event website.

• Keep your tone conversational, but professional. Slang and profanity are not permitted.

• Include a call to action, when appropriate. Examples might include:
  • Ask readers to register for an upcoming event
  • Encourage others to get involved with your cause/organization

• Cite any references in the text, not in footnotes. Examples include:
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
  • As noted in a study published by researchers at the University of Maryland...

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) also maintains an Editorial Style Guide for the Web to which all schools must adhere. This style guide is an excellent, quick reference for any questions you might have concerning:

• Acronyms
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Degrees and Titles

Additional questions about writing and formatting your blog post can be directed to Malissa Carroll.

Think you are ready to submit a rough draft of your post for review? Take time to double-check your post and make sure that it includes the following elements:

• Title (approximately 50 characters in length)

• One-sentence teaser or synopsis that provides an overview of the post's topic

• At least one relevant photo
  • Personal photos from the experience highlighted in your post are best.
  • A generic stock photo will work if you do not have a relevant personal photo. Royalty free stock images are available to download at www.pixabay.com and www.pexels.com.

The deadline to submit a rough draft of your blog post for review is one week after your idea has received approval. Please submit your draft to atie@rx.umaryland.edu.

After your draft has been submitted, it will be reviewed to ensure that it meets the University's editorial style guidelines.

If there are any edits or changes that are needed before your post can be published on Inside SOP, you will receive a revised draft within two business days with the suggested edits noted in track changes. Once you approve the edits, your post will be published and you will be sent a link that you can share with family and friends.