See “dek.”

An abbreviation of “to come.” TK is a placeholder journalists use while they’re writing copy. Need to research how to spell something, or Google some fact? Put a TK in that spot in your copy, and fill it in when you’re done writing. This way, you don’t lose your flow.

See “deadline.”

The length of your article. The word count of an article is typically specified by an editor, and the journalist must stick to this. Word count is usually just a guide: If an editor asks for an article to be 500 words long, 450-550 words is generally acceptable. 200, or 700, is not.

A short article that aggregates a big news story, often simply for the sole purpose of providing coverage of that news story.

You are guilty of plagiarism if you copy someone else’s work, intentionally or otherwise. To learn how to avoid plagiarism, read my guide here.

Typically seen in longer articles, a pull quote is a quote from the story that’s blown up, and placed between sections of the article. A pull quote not only breaks up an article, but consists of a compelling line from the next few paragraphs in the article, therefore encouraging readers to keep reading.

Your idea for a story, as told to your editor. Basically, a sales pitch. You’ll typically get a “yes” or “no” from an editor depending on how compelling you make your pitch sound. To learn how to successfully pitch an article, check out my guide here.

See “angle.”

A paragraph. Depending on the writing style of a particular media company, a paragraph can be as short as a single line, but can also consist of many lines.