Launched in December 2024, Inquisitive is a quarterly intellectual magazine published by Heterodox Academy. As we prepare for the March 2026 publication of issue #6, we invite you to pitch us a contribution, particularly if you are a graduate student, faculty member, researcher, or administrator in a college or university and interested in HxA’s Open Inquiry U agenda. HxA members are particularly encouraged to pitch their ideas.

For inquisitive, we take a “small plate” intellectual approach to topics that implicate the principles and academic culture HxA advocates for in higher education: open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. In addition to regular features (described below), each issue includes 4-7 articles tied to a single theme—although not necessarily tied to each other.

The theme for our sixth issue is “Limits.”

We seek pitches for articles and essays in the range of 300-2,000 words (excluding references). We’re interested in the whole range of potential topics on the theme of “limits” as it relates to the issues we are interested in, including open inquiry, the free exchange of ideas, intellectual freedom, institutional neutrality, viewpoint diversity, (self-)censorship, dissent, conformity, constructive disagreement, curiosity, humility, and pluralism. 

Examples of how you might engage the theme of “limits” include:

• Limits and limitations on academic research, institutional neutrality, academic freedom, dissent, and/or constructive disagreement.
• Limits and limitations on pedagogy and teaching.
• How academic culture limits or is limited.
• Moments when you reached a limit and consequently also reached an insight about one or more of the issues noted above.
• Ways that open inquiry and/or viewpoint diversity is being limited, including by disciplines, administrations, implicit norms, explicit standards, and governments.
• Tolerance limits.
• Limitations of the human mind.

Don’t feel limited by these examples. We value creativity, unexpected ideas, and smart cross-talk that supersedes boundaries.

In your pitch for a theme-related contribution, please tell us all of the following:

• the topic you intend to explore (be very specific) and how it relates to the theme;
• how your chosen topic engages one or more of the issues HxA is interested in, if it isn’t already obvious;
• your thesis (argument), if your contribution will have one;
• the approach you’ll take (data-science driven, historical, journalistic, autobiographical, employing legal analysis, etc.);
• how many words you expect your contribution would be, excluding references (acceptable range is 300-2,000 words, with shorter/tighter recommended);
• given what others have written on this topic, how your take is unique.

Pitches that do not address these factors may not be considered. 

Please note that inquisitive also seeks pitches for our regular features. 

Pitches for regular features need not be tied to an issue’s theme. Our regular features include: 

• field guides to academic disciplines;
• a books column;
• “Back in the Day,” in which episodes in the history of open inquiry in higher education are recounted;
• “The Heterodox Life,” featuring first-person essays by academics (or former academics) centering on unique personal experiences that bring to life the importance of HxA’s mission.

Want to pitch a theme-related contribution or an idea for one of our regular features or have questions? 

Write to inquisitive's managing editor Alice Dreger at editor@heterodoxacademy.org.

The submission deadline for pitches for issue #6 is October 6, 2025. Decisions will be made by October 14 with full submissions due by December 1 and publication in early March 2026.

Please note that inquisitive employs a rigorous editorial process to ensure accuracy, precision, and compelling prose. If your pitch is accepted, we look forward to working with you through that process.