Author Guidelines

If you've got an idea for an article relating to technical communication, Intercom magazine would like to hear from you. Please write a 100-word summary of your article idea and send it via e-mail.

Intercom does accept complete, unsolicited manuscripts from STC members and other industry experts. However, sending a summary of your idea enables our editorial staff to respond more quickly. It also saves you time in the event that another writer has already proposed a similar article.

The "Content" section of this guideline will help you to determine whether your idea is in keeping with the goals of Intercom. The sections marked "Style" and "Manuscript Preparation" will help with the actual preparation of your article. Please read the "Copyright" section before sending your article to the magazine.

Content
Intercom publishes articles of professional interest to technical communicators, including writers, editors, illustrators, teachers, managers, consultants, and others involved in preparing technical documents. It provides practical examples and applications of technical communication that promote readers' professional development. Before writing an article, look over several recent issues of the magazine to make sure your topic and approach are appropriate for our readers.

The purpose of Intercom is to inform. You should therefore write in a clear, informal style, avoiding jargon and acronyms. All decisions on style and usage should be guided by common sense: What is the clearest way to present the information?

Style
Our authority on spelling and usage is The American Heritage Dictionary; on punctuation and format, The Chicago Manual of Style. All articles will be reviewed by professional copyeditors from a firm contracted by STC.

References
Intercom is a magazine and not an academic journal; therefore, articles will no longer include footnotes or reference citations.

An example of a reference citation would be, "These principles have been confirmed by extensive research (Smith 1995)." Such a sentence should be changed to read, "Smith confirmed these principles using extensive research."

Abstracts
Intercom articles do not include abstracts. Articles should have a strong opening section that specifies the intended audience and the thesis of the article.

Bibliography
At the end of their articles, authors may include a list of publications for suggested reading. These sources are meant to provide readers with more detailed information on topics discussed in an article. The style of these citations should be in accordance with the style defined in The Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition, chapter 16).

Manuscript Preparation
Please follow these guidelines for preparing your manuscript.

Length
Intercom prints articles of all lengths. However, it's best to write just as much as necessary to cover your subject. The editor reserves the right to edit an article--to condense or expand material--as appropriate.

Some writers feel more comfortable writing toward a target length. For Intercom, a good target length is 2,000 words.

Formatting
Authors should put the title of the article in boldface at the top of the first page. The next line should contain the name of the author(s), and their STC membership level and chapter affiliation. If the article has previously appeared in another publication, the following line should state the name and date of that publication. The body of the text should begin on the next line.

Sub-heads within an article should be in boldface. Sub-sub-heads should be in italics. It should not be necessary to use sub-sub-sub-heads--if you find yourself tempted to do so, please consider restructuring your article.

It is not necessary to use multiple fonts or columns when formatting a manuscript. Times Roman, or any other common font, is adequate.

Article Submission
The easiest way to submit an article to Intercom is via e-mail. If possible, save your article in Microsoft Word format and attach it to e-mail and send here. If this is not technically possible, please contact the editor to discuss alternatives for submitting your manuscript.

Submitting Graphics
Please follow these guidelines for preparing your graphics.

Submitting Screen Captures
Screen capture images should be provided at the size they were created. Please do not resample, enlarge, reduce, convert or alter them in any way. The resolution on screen captures should be left at 72 dpi. If you would like to combine or crop graphics, relay your edits to the editor.

Submitting Graphics (i.e., charts, figures, graphs, etc.)
Graphics should be sent as attachments to e-mail. Graphics should not be embedded into the manuscript—file-embedded graphics will not arrive in usable condition. Authors should indicate the spot in the manuscript where graphics should be inserted using a note offset in square brackets.

All images should be saved in TIFF, EPS or BMP format. JPG is also acceptable as long as a low compression setting is used. Please do not supply images that have been saved in GIF format.

Please note that Intercom is not able to change the quality, readability, or resolution of an image that you send. We cannot touch up or re-create your graphic. This means that what we print will not look better than what you send us. If your graphic looks fuzzy, low-rez, or otherwise low-quality, that's how it will look in print. If we receive a low-quality graphic, we will let you know and ask you to send a better version.

Submitting Photos
Photos should be submitted in color, at least 300 dpi in resolution, and submitted at a size appropriate for use on a standard magazine page. (Images can be printed smaller than provided, but not larger. Therefore, please don't be hesitant to send oversize images—they can always be reduced.) Submitting photos as TIF files is preferred.

Note: When using a digital camera, please use the highest quality setting possible for both resolution and compression at the time the photo is taken. Please do not try to alter the image or settings after taking the photo.

Submitting Graphics Created in PowerPoint
If a graphic is created in PowerPoint, please supply the original PowerPoint file.

Cover Letter/Concluding Matter
An article should be accompanied by a note stating whether the article has appeared in another publication, and whether you plan to submit it to another publication. At the end of the article, please include a brief biography of the author(s). You may include a contact name and address for feedback; include this information only if you wish it to appear in the magazine.

Publishing Rights
The Society for Technical Communication requires that author(s) grant STC one time print rights to articles appearing in Intercom. The Society also requires that author(s) grant STC permission to place the article on its Web site for an indefinite period of time.

Address for Submitting Articles
All manuscripts and correspondence should be sent to the following address:

Liz Pohland
Editor, Intercom
901 North Stuart Street, Suite 904
Arlington, VA 22203-1822
E-mail Intercom