ISC2 Insights Contributor Guidelines

ISC2 Insights – Intention & Audience

ISC2 Insights address the concerns of cybersecurity professionals at organizations of all sizes, across all industries and around the world. We focus on strategies, best practices and education that benefit the cybersecurity community. The content is therefore a mix of leadership development, strategic material, operational insights, cybersecurity news and the latest in training and certification developments.

Readers have a broad range of experience from the cyber-curious to senior leaders. We ask that contributors consider and tailor content to their target audience:

  • Getting Started – Those without any, or under five years of, cybersecurity experience. These may include learners working towards the Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) certification, ISC2 Candidates, CC holders or Associates of ISC2.
  • Mid-Career – Those with five or more years of cybersecurity experience, ISC2 members holding certifications outside of the CC.
  • Senior Leaders – ISC2 members and cybersecurity leaders with ten or more years of industry experience. These may include executive and C-Suite positions.

Contributors – Qualifications & Process

ISC2 members, associates, candidates and volunteers can submit articles year-round for consideration by the content development team. Contributions must be the author’s original work and they must have ownership of it in order to give permission for ISC2 to publish. Submitting an article, if accepted, constitutes providing ISC2 with a perpetual license to publish, republish and edit the piece in print and on all current and future digital platforms used by ISC2. The author retains ownership of the original work.

The article must not have been published previously anywhere, including corporate, personal blogs or social media. We encourage standalone over multi-part contributions but will consider short multi-part articles where there is a strong justification for it.

We are committed to sharing as many member voices as possible. In the interest of fairness and to maintain opportunities for all contributors, ISC2 reserves the right to limit the number of articles a single contributor can have published per calendar year.

Ethics

As an organization, we trust and expect our members to exercise personal responsibility and hold themselves to the ISC2 Code of Ethics. Respect for the ISC2 Insights global audience's diverse set of customs, values and points of view should be maintained at all times.

Contributors should not use this medium for covert marketing or public relations. Contributors should promote ideas, not products. Solicitation or advertisement of goods or services in posts, links, private messages or any other means of communication is prohibited.

Legal

When you choose to contribute to ISC2 Insights, you are legally responsible. Personal opinions are the responsibility of the author and may not always be aligned with ISC2 values. Submissions that include commentary deemed to be obscene, proprietary, libelous or infringe on the intellectual property rights of another will not be permitted.

The value of ISC2 Insight Member Voices lies in unique and varying opinions. Contributors should respect copyright, fair use and financial disclosure laws. It is critical to show proper respect for the laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including the copyrights and brands of ISC2.

Protect confidential and proprietary information, do not disclose or use confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or company.

It is understood that you are speaking for yourself and not necessarily on behalf of ISC2 or any other organization. Always consider the content carefully and be judicious in disclosing personal details.

Avoid misrepresentation and refrain from quoting more than short excerpts of someone else’s work. When citing a source, clearly attribute the excerpt to its author and, when possible, link to the original content. If you are unclear as to the propriety of a post, seek the advice of ISC2 content managers.

Topics & Types of Content

We encourage you to explore and dig deep into your area of expertise or interest within security. ISC2 welcomes all contributions, but in particular we are seeking those linked to our 2024 focus areas:

  • AI – All aspects of how data-driven artificial intelligence and machine learning, including legitimate and malicious generative AI (the creation of deepfakes, synthetic data, malicious chat bots etc.) impact organization and cybersecurity defense, strategy, best practice and day-to-day operations.
  • Cloud Security – Engaging in best practices for using, managing and securing interconnected cloud systems in an organization.
  • Cybersecurity Leadership – Elevating Cybersecurity to the board and c-suite level to develop competence in order to effectively govern organizations.
  • Digital Trust – Examining the cybersecurity challenges posed by inherent trust relationships that exist between digital systems, such as within supply chains and dependent networks, as well as looking at the role of ethics and digital trust in the workforce for cyber professionals.
  • Future Cyber Workforce – Taking a look at how emerging technologies impact the workforce of the future and their impact on skills or job roles. Increasing cyber career visibility and skills within underserved markets and expanding the range of cybersecurity professionals.
  • Securing Economic Business Growth – Policies and resources to support small and medium-sized businesses to help them stay secure and thrive.
  • Tackle the OT Issue – Offer guidance and best practice for product security, especially in relation to industrial and critical infrastructure in both the public and private sector.
  • Third Party Cyber Risk – Guidance on how to navigate, best practices and industry-specific parties: financial services, utilities, government, small and medium-sized businesses and more.

ISC2 Insights allows for several different types of content. Consider the following types of contributions:

Member Submissions

  • Long Form Feature – This allows you up to 2,000 words, for example, to convey a more complex argument.
  • Short Form Feature – There’s no need to add ‘filler’ to your article; if you can convey your points in 800 words, please do so.
  • Event Reporting – We welcome ‘citizen journalism’-type reports on events that you may have attended, whether virtual, physical or Chapter-organized. Tell other members about your experience and what you learned.
  • Case Studies – We welcome case studies based on your personal experiences. For example, you may have faced a threat that was satisfactorily resolved (or not - many lessons may be learned from advice on what not to do). Avoid technical, peer-review-style articles.
  • Success Stories – Too often all we hear is the negative. We need to be each other’s cheerleaders. Let’s celebrate our accomplishments, not just a crisis averted but what makes a difference for you and your team and share it with your peers. 
  • Get Technical – If it’s interesting to you, it’s interesting to your peers. Don’t be afraid to offer up a very granular deep dive into a niche topic, technical issue, process or solution you’ve experienced that the broader community can benefit from.

ISC2 Volunteer Collections

  • Multi-Member Viewpoint – We are always keen to bring together commentary and opinions from groups of members, as a means of debating an issue in the form of an article. To participate in a multi-member viewpoint article, we will ask you register as an ISC2 Volunteer and respond to email prompts. If your responses are used, they will appear in a piece along with comments from other members, allowing us to explore a topic from a variety of different viewpoints.

Feature Submitting

Please be sure to familiarize yourself with the material published on ISC2 Insights. This will help you to understand what has already been covered and how articles are presented (tone, style, etc.).

Submissions should be intentional and come from a voice of deep technical understanding. It is recommended to write in relation to domains of the credential(s) you hold. As an author, you should be a subject matter expert in your topic.

Feature submissions should be emailed to insights@isc2.org. The email should include the following:

  • Your name and ISC2 member ID.
  • ISC2 certification(s) and a two-line author bio.
  • A brief description of the article including the target audience, topic and purpose.
  • Article attachment as an unlocked Word document.
  • A recent high-quality headshot (1MB+ or larger than 3”x3”) or a no photo request.

If you would like a suggestion reviewed prior to writing, you may submit a proposal. Please be sure to keep this brief, one or two paragraphs will suffice. Tell us why your article will appeal to the ISC2 Insights audience, and if applicable how it differs from those who’ve published on this topic in the past. Your proposal should include your experience with the topic, scope of work and an estimated delivery timeline.

Review & Publication

Your submission or proposal will be reviewed by ISC2 Insights content managers. One of the following outcomes will follow:

  • Feedback on the subject and or overall style for revision with further guidance.
  • Acceptance for publication, possibly with copy and/or style edits for your approval.

Please allow two full weeks for our content team to provide guidance based on your submission. Submissions are not guaranteed publication. Technical elements may be reviewed by ISC2 internal SMEs.

FAQs

Can I earn CPE credits for feature writing?

Yes, members should self-submit for CPE credit after an article has been formally accepted or published. Use Group A, CPE credits are rewarded at one per hour of service. Category: Contributed to the Profession (Writing, Researching, Publishing). Be sure to keep in mind all time required for writing your feature. This includes both research and writing time.

Once published, can I share on another outlet?

Our best practice recommendation is to allow 60 days from ISC2 publication for maximum visibility. Once this time has passed, should you choose to republish, we advise including a link back to the original feature. In relation to article citation, we are not set up to report usage from outside sources.  

Can I promote that I was published?

Yes! ISC2 shares Insights articles on our social media channels (X, LinkedIn and Facebook). You are welcome to repost from our accounts or share on your own social media profile directly. We recommend posting on LinkedIn for professional awareness rather than social media accounts that may contain personal information.