Bs1234 Jessica Simpson

When writing an article for publication, it is very important to check your facts. This might seem obvious, but it is still worth mentioning. If readers complain because they disagree with your opinion... well, that's part of the job. But if they complain because you have your facts wrong, that could hurt your credibility as a writer.

It will also hurt the credibility of the magazine, which is why most magazines are so strict with facts. Some of the larger magazines hire a team of fact-checkers, going over every sentence in every article to ensure it's error-free. Many ask for a complete list of your sources, so you should keep details of all the books and articles you used. Some will even ask that you include footnotes in your articles, even if they don't intend to publish them. It is best to use a reliable source, even if it means looking up some books in your library rather than simply checking WIkipedia. (Most magazines, I'm afraid, believe that internet sites are too unreliable.) Yes, it's a bit like writing a school essay!

Even if you think that you know certain facts by heart, it is still worth checking. In my experience, you can't always be certain of a year, a date, or the spelling of a name or place. If you're like me (and most other people), you'd be surprised at the facts you were "sure" you knew, but didn't.

You never know when errors will enter a piece. I once wrote a magazine article about (fittingly enough) historical inaccuracies in the movies. I mentioned a scene in "Ben-Hur" (1959) in which the Roman governor Pilate announces the big chariot race, and mentions competitors from Carthage and Corinth. "Apparently, he momentarily forgot that Rome destroyed both cities back in 146 BC," I cleverly wrote. "Yes, that would be BEFORE the birth of Christ - at least a century and a half before 'Ben-Hur' takes place."

After reading this on a website, I checked and re-checked the information. Yes, the info was correct: Carthage and Corinth were destroyed in 146 BC. The information was included in my article.

The complaints, I was told, rolled in. I'd forgotten about other cities of more recent history: London, Hiroshima, San Francisco. All had been destroyed by war or disaster - and all had been rebuilt, within less than 100 years. The same happened with Carthage and Corinth (and if I'd only remembered my Bible - namely, Paul's letter to the Corinthians - I would have known that). They could easily have competed in "Ben-Hur"'s big chariot race. I had checked my facts, but this one had not occurred to me. However diligent you think you have been, you must never be satisfied with just a basic fact-check!

Fortunately, that magazine forgave me (eventually). These days, it asks all contributors to list not just one, but TWO sources for each fact! While this is a headache for writers, it's great that a magazine is willing to treat the facts so seriously. (Fortunately for writers, however, most magazines are happy with just one source per fact.)

Recently, I had a call from another magazine, for which I write a regular quiz (and yes, I am asked to name a source for each question). They had a query about one of my questions: "What unfortunate honour was accorded American Christa McAuliffe in 1986?" The answer - which is perhaps obvious to Americans, but perhaps less so to the magazine's Australian readers - is that she was the first schoolteacher selected for a space mission. (She perished in the space shuttle Challenger explosion.)

But the editor wasn't comfortable with that question. It was announced in 1984 that McAuliffe would fly in the Challenger mission - so really that's when the honour was "accorded" her. She did her training with NASA for the mission in 1985, and the ill-fated Challenger took off in 1986.

Fortunately, the editor was happy when I re-worded the question: "American Christa McAuliffe suffered a terrible fate in 1986, after being selected for what honour?" That left no room for ambiguity, and no room for pedantic readers to write in and complain.

When they see your work, magazines want to see the facts, and nothing but the facts. It's good for their reputation - and of course, it's good for yours.

Mark Juddery is a writer and journalist based in Australia. A member of the Sri Chinmoy Centre, he is inspired by personal meditation and spirituality in his growing number of creative activities.

He can be contacted via his website: http://www.markjuddery.com/