The following guidelines will help you prepare your manuscript (MS) for submission to Communication Services (CS). The contact person at CS for questions relating to these guidelines is Steve Barnett, Project Manager-Publications (swbarnett@ucdavis.edu, [530] 754-3929).
Peer Review
All manuscripts must pass peer review before being submitted to CS for production. For more information on the peer review process, see the CS website under Publication Production.
Please provide ANR Associate Editors with five (5) copies of the manuscript for sending to peer reviewers. If your MS is very large and this amount of copying presents a problem, discuss it with your Associate Editor. The Associate Editor will submit your MS to CS along with a completed submittal form (MF-21) after the peer review process is complete and the Associate Editor has accepted the project. Please note that in some instances, the Associate Editor may ask you to submit the final MS directly to CS.
Final Submission to Associate Editors
When you submit your final approved MS to the Associate Editor for transmittal to CS, you should submit
- one printed copy of the manuscript (MS)
- the computer files of the MS (on a disk or disks for PC or Macintosh)
- original slides and line art (your Associate Editor may want you to send the original art directly to CS). If the original slides or art are not yet available, submit the captions with a description of each item (color slide, line art, etc.). For more information, see Photographs, below. If your artwork is incomplete or if you have any questions about submitting your artwork, please contact CS.
Manuscript Format
The MS should be double spaced and have 1-inch margins on all sides. Most MSS will be edited on a computer using Microsoft Word's revision marking feature. CS can accept MSS in a variety of word processing programs; please check with CS if you have questions about whether we can accept your word processing software.
Electronic Submission of Text Files. Instead of sending the MS files to CS on a disk, the Associate Editor may ask you to attach them to an e-mail message to Steve Barnett at swbarnett@ucdavis.edu. This option is generally not available for charts, graphs, photographs, or very large text files.
Order of Elements in the MS
Material in the MS should be presented in the following order:
Title. Publication titles should be brief but should reflect important aspects of the publication and contain appropriate key words.
Author Identification. Fully identify all authors. Give the full name, current Division personnel title, department, and location or campus.
Table of Contents. A complete table of contents that includes all subsections and subheads in the text is necessary for all publications except for those in the 7000 series. The published version of the table of contents may not include every level of heads. CS may choose not to include the table of contents in shorter publications.
Trade Name Disclaimer. If the manuscript mentions registered trade names of products, do not use the "registered" symbol in the text. Add this standard disclaimer after the table of contents: "To simplify information, trade names of products have been used. No endorsement of named products is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products that are not mentioned."
Text. Present your subject matter in the form and order that will most clearly accomplish the objectives of the publication. Three descending levels of heads are generally sufficient; preparing a table of contents is invaluable in helping to establish the hierarchy of heads in the MS. For information on the style used in most CS publications, please refer to the Editorial Style Sheet .
Citations. . The source of any material that is not created by the author must be cited in the text (see also Permissions, below.) We prefer the author-date method of citation, as opposed to endnotes or footnotes. For more information on the style of citations, please refer to the Editorial Style Sheet .
References. List all sources cited ialphabetically in a "References" or "Bibliography" section. For more information on the style of the literature cited section, please refer to the Editorial Style Sheet .
Authors must obtain permission in writing to publish lengthy quotations, figures, or tables that have been created by or published by someone else. Copies of the written permissions should be provided when the manuscript is submitted. These permissions are required by federal law, and violations can have serious consequences for authors and publishers alike. At the same time, it is neither necessary nor wise to request permission when none is needed. Authors should have a general understanding of what needs permission and what does not. If you have any questions about permissions, please contact CS.
CS will not publish a figure or table that needs a permission if we do not have on file a copy of that permission.
Most figures, including artwork, graphs, etc., originally published by someone else need permission. Figures that do not need permission include those that
- are taken from ANR publications or supplied by ANR staff
- must be completely redrawn
- were originally published by any branch or agency of the U.S. government (state government publications generally need permissions)
- were taken from works published before 1924
For tables, authors need written permission to publish someone else's published or unpublished data. A table whose data comes directly from a single source and whose arrangement of data has not been altered must have a permission. If the arrangement been modified, reorganized into different columns, re-totaled, augmented, annotated, or otherwise changed, no permission is generally needed. A table whose data has been compiled from two or more sources does not need a permission. As with figures, tables originally published in DANR publications, by the U.S. government, or before 1924 do not need permission.
It is important to distinguish obtaining permission from citing a source. Sources must be cited for everythingÑa quotation, table, or figureÑthat is not created by the author. Failure to cite a source is plagiarism, a violation of the most basic publishing ethic. Even tables or figures that do not need a permission need a source if they are not the author's own work.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures should be removed from the text and collected at the end of the manuscript (or at the end of each chapter if the chapters have different authors). Each table should be in a separate computer file. All tables and figures should be referenced in the manuscript. If you wish to reuse an illustration from a previously published source, tell us specifically in what publication and on what page can the image be found. Keep in mind that CS can only "pick up" illustrations from publications that ANR Publications has produced. Look for an ANR reference number on the publication to be sure before assuming the illustration can be picked up.
Tables. Tables should support principal points and provide essential data that cannot be presented in text or graphs. Tables should be understandable when considered apart from the text. Data should not be put in a table if they can be explained adequately in a few sentences of text. If the MS has more than one table, number the tables and refer to them consecutively. For more information on the style used in tables, refer to the Editorial Style Sheet .
Type tables separately from the text and in put each in a separate computer file. Place each table on a separate page or pages. When assembling the MS, put the tables after the text. We prefer that tables be submitted in Microsoft Word's table format, as opposed to tab-delimited or comma-separated formats. Consider the size and proportion of the printed page when composing tables. Consult CS editor if necessary.
In research reports, suitable statistical statements on estimated reliability or significant differences should be included when quantitative data are shown in tables. Do not use ditto marks in tables.
Figures. The term "figure" includes original photographs, drawings, charts, graphs, maps, and other illustrations that support the text. Before submitting the MS to the Associate Editor, consult with CS to determine the best way to submit originals of your figures.
Figures should be used to establish principal -- not minor -- points in the publication. Provide captions (the title of the figure) and legends (explanatory material in the figure, such as callouts in an illustration) for each figure. Each caption should be descriptive enough so that the figure can be understood without reading the text. Numbered figure captions should be typed together on a numbered page or pages and should follow the table titles at the end of the manuscript.
Authors should provide the relevant data points for each chart or graph to ensure that the computer-generated version will be accurate. On each graph, indicate units of measure along the ordinate and abscissa.
Number each illustration or graph on a piece of paper taped to the back of the figure (please do not use glue or paper clips), place the figures in an envelope with a cardboard stiffener, and include the envelope at the end of the manuscript.
Many advances have been made recently in the process of preparing photographs for publication. Today, the prepress work for photographs in most of our publications is done in-house on a computer. Consult with CS about your photographs early, preferably while you are writing your publication. CS photographers can help you with your photographs or shoot high-quality photographs for you. Poor-quality photos may be rejected for publication. If you do not submit your photographs with the manuscript, please include the captions; also include a description of each item (color slide, etc.) if applicable.
Digital Files. The total number of pixels determines the largest size print a digital file can produce. It is always preferred to have as many pixels as possible. Ideally, image files for publication will be the largest size and highest quality the camera can produce. This allows the most flexibility in image manipulation and cropping. The image size should be at least 1200 pixels x 1600 pixels (2MP) to produce a 4 x 5 print without cropping.
The in-camera file format to select is an uncompressed format. RAW is best, TIFF is acceptable. JPEG is a compressed format. If JPEG is the top format the camera produces, the quality setting (compression) should be set at Superfine or Fine. Depending on the quality of the camera, JPEG may not be acceptable at all. Only submit unaltered digital files. Do not submit files that have been manipulated in any way including cropping, rotation, color correction, sharpening, or resizing. You may submit a manipulated JPEG copy as an example or cropping suggestion for the photographer to use in processing the original file. Make sure the original and the example JPEG copy have the same or similar file names. If there are a large number of digital image files to submit, a portable hard drive, CD, or DVD is best. The photographer can make arrangements for you to use FTP to electronically submit many large files. To transmit a few files electronically, use the File Vault or Photo Upload page on the CS website.
Color Slides or Prints. For four-color reproduction, please provide original (not duplicate) slides. Correct exposure and sharp focus are critical. High-quality reproductions can be obtained from low-speed (ISO 50-100) color slide films, such as Kodachrome, Ektachrome, or Fujichrome. If you have original slides, do not scan them yourself to get them into a digital format for publication. Our scanning equipment will provide the best quality scan for publication work.
You may indicate a particular area of a photo print that is most desirable for publication, but do so with Post-It notes. Do not write on or physically cut any photograph or slide. Write any instructions on a separate piece of paper and tape it to the back of the photo or the slide envelope&emdash;do not use paper clips or staples. Photos should be numbered consecutively, with indications of where they are to appear in the text. Photos and slides should be enclosed in an envelope with the other figures. Photo captions should be typed with the other figure captions.
As with illustrations, if you wish to reuse a photo from a previously published source, tell us specifically in what publication and on what page the image can be found. CS can only "pick up" images from publications that DANR Publications has produced. Look for a DANR reference number on the publication to be sure before assuming the photo can be picked up. When a photo is picked up from an older (pre-1993) publication, it can be reproduced again only in the size in which it first appeared, or smaller. Authors are urged to utilize the photography services available through CS to re-shoot these older images.
Black and White. Black-and-white photographs should be submitted as prints on glossy or semi-matte paper. The preferred minimum size is 5 by 7 inches. Focus must be sharp with crisp details. The subject must stand out clearly against its background; avoid dappled light.
Revised 08/06