When counting words, note that tables and figures should be counted as 250 words each.
There is no official template for department articles (yet); any rationally organized, readable form of the text is acceptable.
Guidance from IEEE is that the text should be submitted as .doc(x) or .tex files
Expectations
In general, CiSE can have 2-4 department articles each issue, which need to be complete and transmitted (by me) to Lauren one or two months ahead of time. IEEE Pubs is responsible for scheduling in a specific issue.
Workflow
***Note that we do not use ScholarOne to submit or manage department articles.***
Department articles are selected and solicited by the department editors. When a department editor has an article which they have approved for publication in a future issue:
Article source: Assemble the final text in a source format acceptable to you and generally readable. Editors typically deliver .docx or LaTeX source files. This form should include the text features that you believe will help readers navigate the article, including the title, abstract (if applicable), body text, and subheadings (if applicable), along with tables and figures. Please include “native” images at the highest resolution you have when you deliver your source (if you are composing in MS Word, note that Word mangles the image format such that the higher resolution original is not recoverable). As noted above, there is no template (yet), so any rationally organized, readable form of the text is acceptable.
Article in final typeset form: a PDF version is helpful in order for the pubs staff to validate that what they get as a proof looks has the elements you intended in the correct places, but the source documents are required for publication (.docx, .tex, etc.)
No tracked changes, no comments: If you are using word processing software that supports advanced editing features (such as MS Word or Google Docs), make sure that the document is free of tracked changes (whether accepted or rejected), and make sure the document has no comments; comments that include information for me as the Pub Ops point of contact should be included in the transmitting email.
High resolution elements: We are still finalizing this part of the workflow. For now, if you have high resolution versions of figures or tables, you may include them in your article delivery. Please make sure they are clearly named according to this scheme (or some sensible variant):
If you are using software that includes some layout ability (such as MS Word or Google Docs), you should include a version of the image in your document, about where it should appear in relation to the text. Include a short, meaningful caption, and number the element (i.e., Figure 1, Table 2, …). Then when you transmit your high resolution version to me, use the element label and number (i.e., Figure 1) in the file name such that it is clear to someone with no background in computing or knowledge of your article which element from your document the high res version is intended to replace.
If you are using flat text (i.e., a LaTeX or markdown), include the element label and number along with a short, meaningful caption in the text near the content that supports it. Then, use the element label and number (i.e., Figure 1) in the file name such that it is clear to someone with no background in computing or knowledge of your article where the element goes in your article.
Transmit the content to your Pub Ops point of contact: Once everything is assembled and either email or fileshare the content with
john.e.west@gmail.com:
If you are emailing: attach all the parts of your article to an email that includes whatever extra information I may need and send to
john.e.west@gmail.com.
If you are uploading to our shared Google Drive space: we have a shared Google Drive space at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1C9dysxvHXTo9Id1Oa-urS3kp56KsgWt8. Within this folder select the “Departments” folder, select your department, and create a folder in which to deposit your article source and related files. You may name it anything sensible, and I’ll change it to match the convention after you notify me of your submission. Note that if you choose this option you must notify me of your upload by email so that I know to process the article.
If you are using a personal file sharing service: For especially large figures, or as it suits your preference, you may use whatever file sharing platform (i.e., Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, etc.) you prefer. Email the link/share the directory to
john.e.west@gmail.com. You should create a new directory that contains
only the content related to this specific article
all of the content that relates to this article, and
only the final version of that content (no drafts, earlier versions, etc.).
a PDF version is helpful in order for the pubs staff to validate that what they get as a proof looks has the elements you intended in the correct places, but the source documents are required for publication (.docx, .tex, etc.)
Note that these conditions are to minimize the chances that bad text or figures make it to press, not because I enjoy making things hard.
I will acknowledge your submission by email generally within 1-2 business days of when I receive it. Response times may be slower during the holidays, but as drop dead dates for issues are typically several months in the future, these aren’t time critical items. If I don’t answer you within a few days, feel free to ping me. I won’t mind.
After reviewing the submission for completeness I will log it into my tracking spreadsheet.
I will let you know that your submission is complete, or work with you to resolve any questions I had.
I will then transmit it to our editorial support and production assistant ( Lauren Briede <
l.briede@ieee.org> a/o November 2018). Note that in general I won’t edit or copyedit what you submit; I’m only checking to be sure that all the elements are present (text, figures, etc.).
When your content is scheduled into production I will follow up to let you know when you should expect it to appear. As of December 2018 the Editor in Chief is responsible for scheduling articles in specific issues.
Article proofs will come from IEEE to the corresponding author. Note that this is a change from the initial guidance that proofs would come to the pub ops contact and then I would distribute them.
You can feel free to ask me what I know about X, Y, or Z at any point in the process, and I’ll do my best to answer or find out the answer. But realize that I’m essentially an administrator in this process, with little influence on publication times or the length of the publication process.