How to Submit a Blog Post

Overview

The Genomics × AI blog uses a Git-native, PR-based submission workflow. All submissions go through peer review before the post goes live.

Submission Process

1. Write Your Post

   • Use the blog post template (copy the frontmatter and adapt)
   • Conduct internal lab review first
   • Ensure all required frontmatter fields are complete

2. Create a Pull Request

   • Fork the repository
   • Add your post to content/blogs/YYYY-NNN/index.md; place all images and assets in the same folder (e.g. content/blogs/YYYY-NNN/figure1.png)
   • Your PR must only contain files inside content/blogs/YYYY-NNN/ — do not modify any files outside this folder (no static/, config.toml, .github/, etc.)
   • Create a PR with the submission template filled out

3. Preview Your Post

   • Within a few minutes of opening the PR, a bot will post a comment with a live preview URL
   • Once the link appears, it may show a 404 for 1–2 minutes while GitHub Pages propagates — refresh until the post loads
   • The preview renders your post exactly as it will appear on the blog
   • It updates automatically on each new commit to the PR (allow 1–2 minutes after each push)
   • If the bot instead posts “Preview Deployment Skipped”, it means the PR contains files outside content/blogs/ — the comment will list the offending files so you can remove them
   • The preview is not indexed by search engines and is not linked from the main blog; it is deleted automatically when the PR is closed

4. Editor Review

   • Editors review submissions with a minimal editorial review (MVR)—a quality gate for clarity, correctness, and fit, not full academic peer review
   • They may request changes via PR comments
   • Address feedback and update your PR
   • For the full checklist, possible outcomes, and timing, see Editorial Review (MVR)

5. Going live

   • Once approved, editors will merge your PR
   • The post will be automatically deployed via GitHub Actions
   • Your post will appear on the blog

6. Updates

   • Once merged, you can continue to submit updates to your post which will alter the updated date.

Getting notified of comments and likes

Comments and likes on the blog use GitHub Discussions. To get notified when someone comments or reacts to your post:

1. Watch the repository
   On the repo page, click Watch → Custom → enable Discussions. You’ll get GitHub notifications (and email if your GitHub settings allow it) for new discussions and comments.

2. Subscribe to your post’s discussion
   Once your post has at least one comment or reaction, a discussion is created under Post Discussions. Open your post’s discussion and click Subscribe (top right) to get notified only for that thread.

Editors and maintainers can use the same options to follow all post activity.

Writing Notes

• There are no strict stylistic requirements, but posts should be clear, accessible, and engaging for a broad scientific audience.
• Use headings, figures, and examples where helpful to improve readability.
• Cite relevant prior work using hyperlinks or a formal inline citation style, and the inclusion of a references section at the end of the post is encouraged.
• Ensure that claims are supported by appropriate sources.

Example of a strong post

Style and length can vary, but a good reference for structure and depth is Adapting AlphaGenome to MPRA data: it states the problem clearly, walks through methods and results in order, includes a reader-facing Summary, figures, code-oriented guidance, references, and honest limitations. Use it as inspiration, not a rigid template.

What editors look for (high level)

Editors aim to confirm, in a lightweight pass, that your post:

• Belongs here — genomics × AI remit; scope, tags, and audience match the content
• Holds up technically — no obvious factual errors; claims match the evidence you provide
• Works for readers — logical flow (motivation → content → takeaway), appropriate level for the audience
• Is complete in the basics — opening summary via the summary shortcode, reasonable attribution, working links, and clean formatting

For the full framework (checklist, review outcomes, escalation, and time expectations), see Editorial Review (MVR).