How to submit an article to Resource Magazine
Unsolicited submissions are welcome and will be considered based on the quality of the content and the appropriateness for our audience.
Most feature articles fill two or three print pages, which is the equivalent of 600 to 1,000 words of text, with three or four illustrations. We will edit as necessary to fit the available space. Use Microsoft Word for the text, and supply the illustrations as separate files in JPG or TIFF format.
The last page of Resource is reserved for the "Last Word," an opinion or editorial piece on a current topic in ag and bio engineering or news pertinent to the Society. Submissions to Last Word should no more than 600 words. Because Last Word is limited to a single page, there is rarely enough space for illustrations. As with feature articles, we will edit as necessary to fit the available space.
In addition to communicating new developments, recent accomplishments, and other news of interest to the readership, Resource provides an opportunity to showcase the unique capabilities of the ag and bio engineering profession. When appropriate, consider highlighting this uniqueness in your manuscript.
Submit your manuscript to the Resource Managing Editor with separate attachments for the text and illustrations. Please include complete contact information, including your preferred name, your professional title, and your professional affiliation and address. If any of your documents are too large to attach to an e-mail message, we can provide information for sending them by other means.
Illustrations
The illustrations can be photos, drawings, or graphs. They should be crisp and colorful. If you provide a scanned image, use 600 dpi for line art or 300 dpi for grayscale (in JPG, TIFF, or EPS format). If you provide a digital photo, use the “large” JPG setting, which creates the grayscale resolution needed for publication. Include a brief descriptive caption for each illustration.
The illustration used on the cover normally relates to one of the feature articles in the issue or to the theme of the entire issue. If you’d like to submit an illustration for consideration as the cover art, choose an image that is dramatic or eye-catching, and consider also the size of the cover and the need to include text.
What level of technical detail is appropriate?
Although most readers of Resource have an engineering background, the level of technical detail should be closer to that of a news story than a journal article. Keep in mind that many readers will not be experts in the subject you are discussing.
As in a news story, the beginning of the article is where you make the most impact. Therefore, state your purpose, your methods, and your findings in the opening paragraphs, with supporting information and explanations to follow. In the text of the article, use transitional phrases as you move from one topic to the next. Keep it short, and hit the highlights.
Do not use bibliographic references in the text. If you must cite a source document, do so explicitly by naming it. You may include URLs in the text to link to on-line sources. If necessary, you may include a sidebar list of documents “for further reading.”
For units of measurement, use the “SI (English)” format, as in “4 m (13 ft).” For other style issues, refer to the ASABE Style Guide for Authors.
February 2018