Readers are welcome to submit articles that provide informed commentary or analysis on some aspect of Arab society, politics or culture.

The general policy of al-bab is not to offer "more of the same" but to highlight important issues which have been neglected by other media. Open sources are preferred and arguments should be evidence-based – which means that articles should include links to their sources.

There is no fixed length. Articles should have enough words to make their point clearly but not so many that they bore readers.

Articles previously published on personal blogs and specialist websites can also be considered for re-posting at al-bab.

When offering an article it is best initially to send a note via thecontact page briefly outlining what it would say. To recommend re-posting of a published article, send the URL with a few words explaining why it should be re-posted.