Condensed guidelines for authors

The Information Management Journal is a peer-reviewed quarterly publication of ARMA International. Its purpose is to advance the knowledge base of the Information Management field and to satisfy the growing needs and interests of information professionals.

The Journal publishes articles of professional interest to information managers and executives concerned with records, information and knowledge in the organizational or corporate environment. This audience includes practitioners, consultants, academics, advanced students, vendors and others. Their professional specialties typically include records management, archives management, corporate librarianship, knowledge management, and information systems. Topics of interest encompass all aspects of information production, use and disposition, as well as resource management issues such as value, quality, ownership and security. The application of management techniques (e.g., cost benefit studies, cost analyses, project management) to information activities is of particular value to members of this profession.

Many categories of submission are appropriate. Examples include case studies with general application, state-of-the-art assessments, reports of innovation, technological surveys, theory development and testing, informed opinion, research studies having generalizable findings, a multipart article series on a subject of significance, and analyses of professional issues (e.g., ethics, certification, status of the field, compensation). Authors are advised to research the literature in the field and cite relevant publications so that a manuscript builds on and extends previous work.

The Journal is international in scope, and manuscripts from beyond North America are welcome. Signed letters to the editor are also welcome and may be edited to fit available space.

Once submitted, all manuscripts are subject to a peer review process during which authors remain anonymous so that objective evaluation can be done. Selection of manuscripts for publication in the Journal is based on (1) suitability of subject to audience, (2) originality, (3) the intellectual merit of the contribution, (4) effective coverage of the subject, and (5) positive evaluations of two peer reviewers as to the quality and value of the contribution.

Inquiries about writing projects are welcome, and the Executive Editor will gladly discuss with authors their publication projects, whether they are near completion or at an early developmental stage. The Executive Editor may be reached (in the U.S. Eastern Time Zone) at (423) 974-6509 (voice), (423) 974-4967 (fax), or nights and weekends at (423) 693-8907 (voice/fax), or by e-mail at jpembert@utkux.utcc.utk.edu

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal should not be under consideration elsewhere. Material that has appeared elsewhere fi in whole or in part fi should be identified to the Editor when it is submitted, along with an explanation of how the current manuscript differs from the originally published piece.

Style

The language of the Journal is Standard English. Manuscripts are typically 3,500 to 5,000 words (about 10-18 double-spaced pages), including endnotes, appendices, etc. Briefer communications, usually 1,500 to 2,500 words (about 7-9 double-spaced pages) are also accepted for publication.

ARMA International's style guide is A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, latest edition). For issues not found in Turabian, consult The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, latest edition).

Use endnotes, rather than footnotes for citations or references. Provide endnotes on separate sheets of paper at the end of the document. See Turabian for citation and reference style.

Supply a bibliography - annotated or not - only if it provides useful references beyond those already cited in the endnotes. See Turabian, and use the humanities style of bibliographic reference.

Manuscript Preparation and Submission

Manuscripts should be double spaced and printed out onto 8.5" (21.5 cm) by 11" (28 cm) or A4 bond paper, with 1.25-inch (4 cm) margins on all four sides. Printouts should be crisp and clear. Acceptable fonts are those with serifs (e.g., Times Roman, Garamond, and CG Times), in 11 to 13 points. Use upper and lower case, and center title and section headings. Do not use special formatting, such as full justification. Place page numbers in the upper right corner of each page.

The first page of the manuscript contains the work's title followed by an abstract (ca. 50-75 words), which ideally is a gem-like, condensed version of the manuscript's main points. The manuscript should contain no further author identification to assure anonymity throughout the review process.

On a separate cover sheet, provide:

Manuscript Title

Author(s) Name(s)

Workplace Address(es)

Work Telephone Number(s)

FAX Number(s)

E-mail Address(es)

Illustrations, Charts, Reproductions: Provide illustrations, charts, or tables as camera-ready copy from the best original possible. Number each table, figure, or illustration in sequence, using Arabic numerals in the order of mention in the text. Indicate item placement in text (e.g., "Place Figure 2 here"). Assemble all tables and graphics in sequence at the end of the manuscript. Previously submitted graphics may be used with permission. Upon acceptance and publication, textual information may be made into a graphic representation at the discretion of the editors.

A letter of transmittal is required if the manuscript has had an earlier publication in some other form or forum or if there is any other issue not evident in the manuscript itself.

At the authors' option, a letter of transmittal may also contain names and addresses of up to three persons having special knowledge of the subject area(s) of the work submitted. The Executive Editor has a group of subject specialists to call upon for manuscript evaluation but invites authors to contribute to this growing list.

Send three identical printed manuscripts to:

J. Michael Pemberton, PhD, CRM, FAI

Executive Editor

Records Management Quarterly

The School of Information Sciences

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

804 Volunteer Blvd.

Knoxville, TN 37996-4330

The Executive Editor acknowledges receipt of a manuscript in writing (letter, fax, e-mail) within two weeks. For security purposes, authors must retain copies of everything related to the manuscript.

Acceptance and Publication

When a manuscript is accepted for publication, the author(s) must submit to the Executive Editor a printed copy and a wholly identical text file on diskette. Submit a text file on a virus-scanned 3.5-inch diskette or Iomega Zip disk in either WordPerfect 5.1 (or higher) or MS Word (6.0 or higher) format. Label the diskette showing content, file format and application software version. The type(s) of file(s) supplied must each be clearly identified on a disc label. Please do not send as an electronic mail attachment. Please do not use specialized coding such as HTML or SGML.

In addition, each author will be asked to complete a form from which a biographical sketch of about 50-75 words will be prepared. The principal author's e-mail address and/or fax number will appear with the published article so that readers may contact the author for further information. Each article printed in the Journal automatically becomes a candidate for the Britt Literary Award given annually ARMA International's Awards Committee. Authors who are Certified Records Managers (CRMs) are eligible to receive five hours credit toward certification maintenance per each printed page published in the Journal. Rejected manuscripts are returned.

Compensation and Copyright

Authors whose manuscripts are chosen for publication receive an honorarium upon publication. Additionally, authors receive two complimentary copies of the Journal issue in which their article appears. ARMA retains all publication rights for accepted material. Copyright resides with the publisher unless the publisher formally relinquishes that right.

Note: Extensive guidelines for The Information Management Journal are available at or through fax back at (800) 280-8643. Authors who seriously consider writing for the Journal should read the full version of the Author Guidelines before beginning manuscript preparation.

Copyright Association of Records Managers and Administrators Inc. Jan 1999
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