Writing Guide – Notebook
Our maths Notebook is a set of easy to understand articles exploring the world of maths. It is written by our community of students so that you can have fun learning not only about theorems and rules but also their proofs, why they are important and the history behind them.
If you are interested in writing an article for our notebook, we recommend you read this page in full.
The process of writing an article for our notebook, from beginning research to finishing writing, should take 3-6 hours.
Summary
Notebook articles explore a particular topic in mathematics, for example simultaneous equations or imaginary numbers. They should impart to the reader all the knowledge a lesson or textbook chapter on the subject would, but also providing fun facts, proofs, history and real-world applications for the topic to bring it to life for readers and demonstrate why the topic is worth learning about.
Our notebook is our vision of for the maths curriculum, facts and formulae but told in a way that seems fun, important and relevant to our lives. We want to provide teachers with a helpful, educational resource that comes from a student viewpoint.
These articles are informative and carry a lot of information but in a relaxed and bitesize way. It is our aim for Maths Society articles to be both the most detailed and easy-to-understand on the internet.
The unique aspect of our articles is that they are written by students from their perspective, so they should be written in a lively, enthusiastic and relatable manner but still remain focused on the topic.
Topic
For your article, you may choose any topic that interests you or one of the topic titles from the suggestion lists below. If you would like to cover any of the topics below, please contact us to discuss the exact contents of the article.
| Concepts | Curriculum | |
|---|---|---|
| Fractals | Vectors | |
| Imaginary numbers | Transformations, similarity and congruence | |
| Infinity | Shapes and solids | |
| The constant e | Simultaneous equations | |
| Topology | Inequalities | |
| Platonic solids | Circle theorems | |
| Non-Euclidean geometry | Expressions, formulae and equations | |
| Tessellations and repeating patterns | Sequences | |
| Group theory | Lines, angles and angle rules | |
| Boolean logic and binary systems | Integers, powers, roots and surds | |
| Diophantine equations and integer mysteries | Graphs | |
| Linear algebra | Decimals, fractions and percentages | |
| Chaos theory and the butterfly effect | Ratio and proportion | |
| Statistics | ||
| Constructions and Loci | ||
| Bounds | ||
| Histograms, cumulative frequency and box plots | ||
| Tangents | ||
| Algebra | ||
| Transformations of curves | ||
| Probability | ||
| Data | ||
| Bearings and scale drawings | ||
| Units and measurement |
It is our goal to soon cover all maths topics students aged 11-16 study, through including articles on all topics covered in the United Kingdom’s GCSE Mathematics curriculum. However, we are open to submissions on all topics, particularly on more niche topics not covered as much elsewhere on the internet.
Structure
Introduction
100 words (First 40-50 to be included in excerpt)
A snappy, persuasive introduction that establishes the topic, what it is, why it is interesting, important and relevant, and what will be covered in the article.
Overview
100-200 words
Introduces the basics of the topic and begins to explain it in greater detail. Roughly outlines what will be covered in the article.
Main body
300-800 words (Depending on topic)
Should include the knowledge, rules, formulae and facts you want to convey in your article with detailed and easy-to-understand explanations. Consider where diagrams and images can be used to make the article easier to understand and enjoy reading.
Relevance and applications
100-200 words
A bit of detail about the relevance, real-world and mathematical applications of what has been discussed in the article, and where readers may have come across it.
3-5 ‘fun facts’
10-50 words each
Any interesting facts or stories about the topic, to be scattered throughout the article as box-outs.
History
50-200 words
A box-out about the history of the topic.
Conclusion
50-100 words
Reflects on the topic, significance and usefulness of the article, perhaps posing a greater question about the topic.
Quick quiz (optional)
6-12 questions and answers
An optional addition to the end of the article with a few questions and answers testing what the reader may have learned in the article.
Writing
Good notebook articles:
- Cover concepts in a reasonable level of depth and detail, and avoid the reader asking how and why questions
- Explain concepts at a level that can be understood by an intelligent 12-year-old (it is assumed the reader has secure knowledge of primary/elementary school level mathematics)
- Include all of the knowledge within the topic necessary up to GCSE level
- Attempt to explain concepts in the first sentence (or paragraph if necessary) before going into further detail
- A sense throughout of why the topic being covered is important and relevant to the reader
- Are written in the third person and scientific voice
- Have lots of engaging and relevant images and diagrams
- Have opportunities to link to other articles and features on the Maths Society website
- Have good use of different levels of headings, bullet point lists, and box-outs to make the article more engaging to read
- Include proofs for formulae and theorems or explanations of how they were discovered, so that the reader is not taking anything on trust
References and Accuracy
- All statements, assertions and formulae should be thoroughly checked to be accurate
- British terms used by the United Kingdom’s National Curriculum should be used by default but where alternative terms are used internationally they should be made clear
- A list of sources is not necessary but may improve the chance of an article being published
Please note that we advise against extensive use of AI chatbots in the writing of articles. There are many reputable sources and resources both online and in print for your research and inspiration.
If after reading this guide you still have any questions, or want to get in touch with suggestions to improve this guide, please contact us.