This page summarizes the STC Houston policies for content submitted to and published as part of the News and the Dateline Houston Newsletter sections. If you have any questions, please contact our Newsletter Editor.
Publication Schedule
As a blog, articles and other information are posted as available.
An email is sent each month to the following outlets to let members and others know about the articles/information posted to the newsletter (blog) during the previous month:
- STC Houston email list (STCHouston-L)
- STC Newsletter Editor list (news-eds)
- STC Houston group on Facebook
Copyright
By submitting an article, you implicitly grant a license to Dateline Houston to post the article and for other STC publications to reprint / repost it without permission. Copyright is held by the author. In your cover letter, please let the editor know whether this article has run elsewhere, and whether it has been submitted for consideration to other publications.
Reprint Policy
Dateline Houston may grant permission for articles to be reposted /reprinted in STC and non-STC publications.
Publication/Author Guidelines
The following sections provide information for News and Dateline Houston Newsletter writers and editors.
Content and Style
Dateline Houston provides information of professional interest to technical communicators and others involved in preparing technical documents. Potential submissions include:
- Practical examples and applications of technical communication
- opportunities for networking and education that promote readers’ professional development
Before making a submission, review recent newsletter postings to make sure your topic and approach are appropriate to readers. Consider also that the Houston chapter is home to an active population of independent consultants and contractors.
Write in a clear, informal style, avoiding jargon and acronyms where possible. All decisions on style and usage should be guided by common sense: What is the clearest way to present the information? Please refer to the chapter style guide for usage matters.
Submission Deadlines
As a blog, submissions are posted as available.
Manuscript Preparation
All submissions are subject to editing. You will not receive a copy of the edited article prior to posting on the newsletter page. Upon request, you will receive notification when your submission has been posted.
- Submit an electronic file containing the text of your manuscript to the Managing Editor.
- Provide the article’s title, author names, bio of each author, and a picture (GIF or JPG) of each author. (Contact the Managing Editor for an example bio.)
- Use up to three levels of headings, and indicate them clearly.
- Use a word count that conveys your subject, but also is of a length that will hold the reader’s attention. Generally, 500 words is a good length.
- Insert figures and tables into the text of your submission. Also, include a separate graphics file for each figure and image. Each graphic should be saved as a GIF or JPG file.
Feature Articles
Feature articles should be no more than 1000 words in length. Topics should cover issues faced by technical communicators.
Book Reviews
Book reviews should be no more than 500 words. If you would like to get ideas for books to review, please refer to the list of books received in each issue of Technical Communication. You will find this list online in the Book Review Collection. The list of books received is at the end of the book review list for each issue.
For guidelines on reviewing a book for the newsletter, we suggest you refer to the Technical Communication book review guidelines.
Software or Equipment Reviews
Software and equipment reviews should be no more than 500 words in length. If you have a topic idea, please contact the Managing Editor to verify that it’s appropriate for the audience.
Letters to the Editor
We request that letters to the editor be no more than 200 words. Comments can be regarding anything relating to chapter, newsletter, and international STC activities. If appropriate, we will arrange for a response to be posted along with your note. You can also add comments directly to published News and Newsletter articles.