Publications: About Publications

Author Guidelines

Publication Procedures for Numbered College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Cooperative Extension Publications

• Steps to Publication
• Updating a Publication
• Types of Publications
  • Bulletins
  • Circulars
  • Annual Publications
  • Temporary Publications
  • For-Sale Publications
• Internal and External Peer Review
• Translations
• Images and Graphics
• Pest Management Recommendations

 

Forms
Publication Reviewer Report Form	Fillable PDF
Publication Submission Form	Fillable PDF

 

This document provides information on publication procedures for numbered printed and electronic educational materials produced by faculty at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Cooperative Extension. All CAES and Forestry Extension faculty writing and distributing information through the CAES publications office must follow these procedures prior to submitting materials for publication.

All numbered publications are made available through the Print on Demand system and the CAES publications Web site as either an HTML page or printable PDF document (or both).

Note: All numbered publications published by CAES faculty must be routed through the publications office before being printed, reprinted, listed on the publications Web site or entered in the Print on Demand database. If you wish to use an outside vendor for design or printing, your publication must still be routed through the publications office first.

The following policies and procedures do not pertain to information found on departmental or county Web pages, in newsletters or alerts. The content of these educational materials is the responsibility of the author(s).

 

Steps to Publication

The procedures listed below must be followed before a publication receives an appropriate publication number and appropriate credit for a refereed publication, and before being included in the CAES Publications Web site and Print on Demand database.

1. Write your manuscript and assemble any accompanying images.
2. Send your manuscript for internal and external peer review as appropriate (procedures vary by department; check with your department’s Extension coordinator for more information).
   • Reviewers can fill out the Publication Reviewer Report Form online and print it.
3. Incorporate changes recommended by reviewers.
4. Complete the following at the same time:
   • Fill out the Publication Submission Form online, print it, sign it, and send it (along with your completed manuscript) to your department head.
     • The department head will sign the Publication Submission Form and forward it to the appropriate Assistant / Associate Dean for Extension / Research (depending on the author’s primary appointment).
     • The Assistant / Associate Dean will sign the Publication Submission Form and forward it to the CAES Publications office.
   • Send a copy of your manuscript (in MS Word) and any accompanying images to the CAES Publications office. Include separate files for graphics even if you have placed them within the Word file. Files can be emailed to Amanda Swennes at swennes2@uga.edu or sent on a CD to 114 Hoke Smith, Athens, GA 30602.
5. You will receive an email notification when your signed paperwork and manuscript have been received and your publication has been entered into the Office of Communication’s job request system.
6. The Publications office will edit and design your manuscript for both print and web publication, and will assign it a publication number.
   • If you plan to work with an outside design or print vendor, please contact Amanda Swennes at 706-542-1952.
7. You will receive an email with a link to your publication so you can review it and make any changes before it is made available to the general public on the Publications Web site and Print on Demand system.
8. Your publication is published to the Publications Web site and Print on Demand system.
9. You will be contacted every three years to review your publication to ensure it remains up-to-date.

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Updating A Publication

Four months before a publication reaches its three-year review date, the primary author will be contacted to determine if the publication should remain in the system for another three years without revision, if it needs minor or major revisions, or if it needs to be removed from public access.

• If the publication needs no revisions, it will be returned to the system with the new “Reviewed” date on the back cover.
• If the publication undergoes minor revisions, it will be returned to the system with the new “Revised” date on the back cover.
• Major revisions of existing numbered publications must undergo the peer review process again prior to being reprinted, re-listed on the Publications Web site or re-entered in the Print on Demand database.

Publications that are past their three-year review date will be removed from public access until they are reviewed and/or revised.

Some publications may need updating more often, especially if they contain pesticide recommendations. Any publication can be updated more often than every three years if necessary. When an existing publication is revised or updated, its designation as a Bulletin, Circular, Special Bulletin, Miscellaneous Publication, Leaflet, Research Report or Research Bulletin may be changed to reflect the current publication policies.

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Types of Publications

Bulletins and Circulars must be reviewed by both internal and external reviewers before receiving a publication number. Annual Publications and Temporary Publications must undergo an internal review before receiving a publication number. It is the responsibility of the author(s) to acquire all reviews, both internal and external.

• Bulletins: Bulletins represent a major writing effort and cover a broad subject area, contain several topics and may include references. Bulletins may address different individual topics in a particular discipline or a series of individual discipline subjects for a specific commodity. (Examples: Georgia Forages: Grass Species -- B 1351, Native Plants for Georgia. Part I: Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines -- B 987, Poultry Mortality Disposal - Methods for Catastrophic Loss -- B 1342, etc.)
  
  
• Circulars: Circulars are more narrowly focused than Bulletins. A Circular discusses one subject in a limited, stand-alone form and may include references. A series of Circular topics that have a common theme may be compiled to make up a Bulletin or components of an Annual Publication. Many publications formerly designated as Leaflets or Fact Sheets are now Circulars. (Examples: When to Harvest Vegetables -- C 935 (formerly L 291), Protect Yourself from Ticks -- C 937, Purple Moonflower Identification and Control -- C 936, etc.)
  
  
• Annual Publications: Annual Publications address a comprehensive issue, and components come from varied disciplines and commodity areas. These publications are generally large handbooks or issue-related materials that are updated annually. (Examples: Georgia Pest Management Handbook – SB 28, 2007 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates -- SB 41-10, spray guides, pesticide application training manuals, workbooks, etc.) Note: Annually updated publications such as the Georgia Pest Management Handbook or pesticide application guides for specific crops should be intensively reviewed section-by-section at the appropriate departmental level and do not need to go through additional reviewers.
  
  
• Temporary Publications: This category is only for issue- or event-related information that requires immediate dissemination to the public and may include white papers, county or cluster information sheets, or brief material to be used as handouts for educational programs. (Examples include: NAIS: National Animal Identification System -- MP 109, Climate and Weather Information for Georgia Farmers -- MP 115.) Note: Temporary Publications will only be available on the Publications Web site and Print on Demand system for three months; however, author(s) may choose to re-submit them as Bulletins, Circulars or Annual Publications.
  
  
• For-Sale Publications: For-Sale publications include any materials sold to clientele, including numbered publications.

In addition to traditional printed publications, publications may be submitted as:

• Stand-alone PowerPoint presentations, which must include a full script or voice-over text that is also reviewed, or
• Computer programs (e.g., Excel spreadsheets designed for specific calculations).

The last slide in a PowerPoint presentation must include the Cooperative Extension logo (or the CAES logo for non-Extension publications), cooperating and EEO text, publication number and date, which can be added by the author or the publications editor. (Examples: Rain Gardens in Home Landscapes -- EB 101, Success with Cover Crops -- EB 102.)

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Internal and External Review

A fillable Publication Reviewer Report PDF is available for reviewers to record and print their comments.

Internal Review. All numbered publications must be internally reviewed for accuracy and content by at least two faculty. Reviewers can be from within the author’s home department, discipline or commodity area. After corrections or suggestions have been considered, send the publication to at least one county faculty to review the publication for readability. If the senior author is county faculty, the internal review must be coordinated through the appropriate department, depending on subject matter.

External Review. Bulletins and Circulars must be externally peer reviewed by at least two reviewers. External reviewers can be from within the UGA system but external to the originating unit(s) or from outside the UGA system; this decision is left to the discretion of the originating department or unit.

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Translations

Translated versions of publications must follow the same basic guidelines as numbered publications written in English and be reviewed by one person fluent in the language in addition to the original translator. The author, department Extension coordinator or department head may find this additional reviewer. The primary criterion for this additional reviewer is fluency in the language — not knowledge of subject matter.

To ensure content accuracy of the translation, the author, department Extension coordinator or department head may wish to seek a content reviewer fluent in the language. This additional step is encouraged, although not required, to ensure that the message being conveyed is not lost in translation.

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Images and Graphics

You can provide images and graphics as digital photographs, scanned material or as slides. When it’s time to revise a publication, consider replacing older images. Note: Many older images and graphics are not on file in the publications office.

• Digital Photos:
  • Take photos at the highest resolution your camera will allow. Ideally, images submitted for publication will be at least 5x7” and 300 dpi (or equivalent).
  • Remember: You can always make large files smaller. If your photos are too small to start with, they’ll turn out fuzzy, grainy and pixilated.
• Scanned Images:
  • Scan images at 600 dpi and save the graphic as a TIF file.
  • Use the “shades of gray” or “grayscale” setting on your scanner for complicated line drawings, not the “line drawing” or “black and white” setting.
  • Try to avoid scanning a photograph – either color or black-and-white – printed in another publication.
  • If you’re scanning a small drawing, set the percent larger than 100 percent before you scan. A graphic will retain detail if its size is reduced within a publication, but the graphic will lose detail if it is enlarged later.
• Clip Art:
  • If you want use a drawing from a clip art collection, please send a copy of the original graphic file from the clip art CD.

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Pest Management Recommendations

Because pest management recommendations are often quickly outdated, it is strongly recommended that authors refer to the Georgia Pest Management Handbook or other published guides in their publications.

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Revised June 18, 2009