Guidelines For Magazine Contributors

Special Message to Readers

This is your magazine. It should reflect your interests, and especially your desire for good information on the park, recreation and conservation movement in Illinois. The editors will do their best to meet your needs, but the magazine can only be enhanced by a continuous influx of articles, features, and ideas for improvement. You can make verbal suggestions to members of the Joint Editorial Board or the Editorial Staff. However, written contributions are especially welcome. The following will help guide you.

About Features and Special Articles ...

What Can You Write About?

Write about a subject with which you are familiar. Describe a successful program, course of action, or other activity, with sufficient detail so that others may adapt it. Raise a current problem and offer a solution, based on what you have done or what you think should be done. Summarize the results of research and spell out the implications for practice.

What About Style?

Write plainly and clearly. You can be most effective by being simple and direct. IPR Magazine readers are busy people doing important work, and they're interested in practical information, successful techniques, and thought-provoking ideas. Tell at once what you intend to talk about in the article; it is not necessary to begin with the historical background or philosophical justification for vour subject. Stick to one topic; don't try to write all you know in one article. Don't write to please yourself: keep the potential reader in mind.

Be concise but provide all the necessary information. It is not necessary to document every statement of fact. Avoid end notes as much as possible, but give appropriate credit for all verbatim quotations. You don't need to write for permission to quote one or two hundred words as long as credit is given. Preferred length of feature articles is 1000 to 1500 words, or four to six double spaced typewritten pages. Other features submitted may be considerably shorter. All manuscripts accepted for publication will be edited to conform to IPR style and space limitations. Proofs are sent to authors only on written request.

Send two copies of the manuscript, typed on white, letter-size paper. Double space everything, including references and quotations. Place references, figures, tables, and picture captions on separate pages.

Visual materials are highly desirable. All graphics should be of good technical quality. Black-and-white glossy photographs (no color photos or color slides, please) should not be smaller than 4x5 inches. Art work for charts, and graphs, cartoons, etc. should be prepared in black ink on white paper.

What Assistance Is Available?

Many people who have good ideas, or experiences they wish to share, do not write very well. However, with some editing assistance these ideas and experiences can be presented in an informative and interesting way. The editors stand ready to assist at any stage of the process—from shaping an idea to final copy.

Mailbag

This is your opportunity to express an opinion, raise a question, or inform about a happening. Address letters to the Editor at the location indicated below.

Guest Editorial

Do you feel strongly enough about an issue to get on a platform? The editorial page provides the stage. Editors should be informed early of your desire to speak out. Statements must be approximately 600 words long.

Student Perspective

Each issue will feature the viewpoint of a student from one of Illinois' colleges and universities which offer degrees in recreation, park administration, or leisure studies. Articles should be about 600 words, following the specifications outlined above.

Creative Corner

This page will consist of short prose or poetry, up to 300 words, cartoons or other drawings by you or by someone you serve. It can reflect many creative facets of the leisure experience.

Other Things You Should Know ...

The editors cannot consider material that is being simultaneously considered for publication elsewhere. Articles in IPR Magazine are a contribution to the profession and no remuneration can be made. The magazine is copyrighted by IPRA-IAPD. Deadlines for copy are six weeks prior to the first day of the month the issue is to appear.

Where To Send Articles And Other Materials ...

Submit them to Editor, Illinois Parks and Recreation Magazine, Suite 101, 217 E. Monroe, Springfield, IL 62701 or send directly to.L.E. Cleary, Jr., Dept. of Recreation, SIU, Carbondale, IL 62901. Materials will be acknowledged upon receipt, but it may be several months before a decision to accept or reject can be made.

Illinois Parks and Recreation March/April 1981