Submitting articles to article directories is a great way to show your knowledge on a particular topic and promote your website at the same time. While article submission guidelines may seem like a nuisance, they can make the difference of a poorly written article from a professionally written article. Here are 6 guidelines you may run into with various directories.

1. By submitting your articles to directories, many times this gives others the right to publish your articles. Whether it is on their website, blog, or in their newsletters, people are allowed to use your work as long as it remains in its entirety. This article submission guideline is often overlooked, but don't confuse this with others being able to claim it as their own.

2. The most obvious submission guideline is that the directory you submit to has the right to publish your article anywhere on their site. They can publish your article on their website, blog or through an RSS feed.

3. Submitting articles to a directory in no way guarantees that your article will be published or accepted. Almost all article directories require a screening process prior to accepting your article to make sure that it is up to par and acceptable for their website.

4. Article submission guidelines vary from directory to directory, and one of the biggest conflicting issues is with affiliate links. Some websites allow you to place affiliate links in your article to promote them, whereas others do not permit this. Make sure you research to find which ones allow it if you want to promote your links in an article.

5. As mentioned above, article submission guidelines can seem tedious and unnecessary. However, most directories do not accept articles that have a number of spelling errors and grammatical errors. Because of this, it is to your benefit that only your finest work will be published by directories.

6. The most crucial article submission guideline to take note of and circle is that ALL work you submit must be yours. The articles you submit can not be by other authors and the content must be unique and vary in some way or another from other articles similar to it. Many articles written will have the same idea, but make sure yours shines a different light to the topic.

Being aware of these article submission guidelines will make it much more convenient for you when writing your articles. It will allow you to write acceptable content that is your own work, and quickly have your articles accepted and displayed for the public to view.