Journalism, Analysis, Articles, Reviews
The Wire Science
The Wire Science, the science desk of India's The Wire, pays per piece rather than per word and publishes its full 18-point house style publicly. Hard cap 1,100 words, every claim hyperlinked to a primary source, and a stated preference for quoting scientists working outside the West. The rate is not published.
🟢 Currently accepting Verified 2026-09
The docket
The six things that decide whether a pitch is worth sending. Every answer below is either taken from the publication’s own guideline or computed by BRYME from the 147-publication desk. Where the publication does not say, the docket says so instead of filling the gap in.
- Payment
- Not statedPaid per piece - figure not published. The publication publishes no figure BRYME could record. That is not the same as unpaid — but you cannot price the work from this page.
- Length
- Up to 1,000 words; hard cap 1,100
- Who can submit
- Not statedThe guidelines state no geographic restriction on who may write for the desk. India-based.
- Response time
- Not statedNo response time recorded. A follow-up after two to three weeks is reasonable; silence past that is a soft no, not a rejection.
- AI policy
- Not statedThe guideline is silent. BRYME records that 47 of the 147 publications on this desk do restrict AI-assisted work, so silence here is not permission — ask.
- Rights
- Not statedBRYME records that 62 of the 147 publications on this desk state their terms. This one does not. Ask what rights you are assigning, for how long and for what territory, before you sign anything.
What this record does not tell you
This publication leaves 5 of the six questions unanswered. BRYME publishes that gap instead of filling it — a generated answer would look complete and cost you a pitch.
- Payment — pitch only if you are comfortable negotiating the fee itself, or ask before you write.
- Who can submit — the guideline leaves this open, so ask before you spend an evening on the pitch rather than assuming a yes.
- Response time — expect to wait blind, and keep other pitches live.
- AI policy — assume disclosure is expected unless the editor says otherwise.
- Rights — you may be asked to assign more than you expect. Get the terms in writing.
Record last human-checked 2026-09-30. Sources listed at the foot of this page. This record holds no figure BRYME could compare, so no ranking appears above it. Where a rate is quoted per word, it is never ranked against a flat fee.
Quick facts
- Payment
- Paid per piece - figure not published
- Word count
- Up to 1,000 words; hard cap 1,100
- Submission
- Email the science editor; pitches discussed case by case
- International writers
- Yes
- Status
- 🟢 Currently accepting
- Last verified
- 2026-09
What this publication wants
This is BRYME's summary of the publication's focus — not a copy of their website. Type of writing: Journalism, Analysis, Articles, Reviews. Official guideline: The Wire Science guidelines.
Topics, themes and styles they look for
- Science, health, environment, technology and education stories with a real reporting base.
- Pieces built from primary sources - papers, filings, datasets - not from other coverage.
- Independent experts, and explicit encouragement to quote scientists working outside the West and women scientists.
- Descriptive writing that shows rather than announces its structure.
- Conflict-of-interest disclosure where you have any link to the work you are writing about.
Subjects they avoid
- Plagiarism - warned once, banned on the second offence, and self-plagiarism is treated as plagiarism too.
- Citations in footnotes. They want hyperlinks inline instead.
- Papers in predatory journals or unreliable preprint servers.
- Charts without the underlying data in a separate spreadsheet.
- Pieces over 1,100 words without clearing it with the editor first.
Key requirements
- Average sentence length of 18 words or fewer.
- A .doc or .docx file; a PDF may accompany it, not replace it.
- Every source cited as an inline hyperlink.
- Charts supplied with their data in a separate spreadsheet and the source named.
- Suggested images under Creative Commons Attribution or Zero, with the uploader's username and licence version.
- A conflict-of-interest disclosure where relevant.
Who can submit
The guidelines state no geographic restriction on who may write for the desk. India-based.
Rights
Not stated on the guidelines page. Ask the editor before you write.
AI policy
Not stated in the guideline
How to write for them
Official requirement: always follow the publication's own guideline exactly.
BRYME's practical advice: write for the publication's audience, use a clear structure, keep paragraphs short, lead with a specific angle, and confirm the word count before submitting. These are practical suggestions — they are not the publication's official rules.
How to pitch
Where a pitch is required, this is the general pattern BRYME recommends — always adapt it to the publication's guideline.
- Research the publication and read several recent pieces.
- Choose a specific idea that fits their beat and audience.
- Write a concise subject line naming your idea.
- Introduce yourself in one or two lines (who you are, where you publish).
- Explain the proposed piece in a short paragraph — angle, structure, length.
- Say why it fits this publication.
- Include 2–3 relevant clips or links.
- Close professionally and thank them for their time.
- Send through the official channel only.
Accepting submissions now, with no stated closing date.
How to submit
Email the science editor; pitches discussed case by case
Apply through the official channel below. BRYME only records submission destinations it has verified.
- Official guideline: opens the publication guideline (new tab)
- Submission: Email the science editor; pitches discussed case by case
- Submission email: mukunth@thewire.in
What the guideline asks you to prepare
- Pitch the idea first: the desk discusses story ideas case by case, and points 4, 5, 7, 12 and 15 of the guidelines apply to pitches as well.
- Write to the science editor, Vasudevan Mukunth.
- Send the piece as .doc or .docx with sources hyperlinked inline.
- Check the average sentence length with their suggested tool before sending - it is an explicit house rule.
What happens after submission
Expected response: Not publicly stated
If the publication does not state a response time, BRYME records that it is unknown. A follow-up is generally reasonable after a couple of weeks; if there is still no response, treat that as a likely non-acceptance rather than a rejection. Acceptance is normally communicated by the publication. If they accept, they will tell you exactly how to submit the final piece and, for most, how and when payment is made.
Check, question or correct this record
BRYME publishes its working, not just its conclusions. Last human check: 2026-09.