Author

’s Guidelines
Author

’s Guidelines

Proceedings Magazine

Author’s Guidelines

The Proceedings of the Marine Safety and Security Council is a principal outreach and communication tool forthe Coast Guard’s Marine Safety & Security Council. The magazine reaches

our partners and customers in industry as well as members of the Coast Guard. The magazine is published three times each year, and the majority of articles in an issue center on a

specific theme.

Who are the Authors? Each issue of the magazine is shepherded by a champion, typically

the manager of the Coast Guard program that is the theme for the designated issue. The

champion generally invites subject matter experts from Coast Guard, industry, and other

interest groups to write on a designated topic related to the theme.

How Should the Articles Be Written? The point of writing is to communicate information

or an idea. Generally, the most effective way to do this is to be specific, without being too

technical. Proceedings has a wide audience, ranging from seamen to industry executives.

Therefore, articles should be written in sufficient detail to inform the readers about the significance of yourtopic, but general enough so that allreaders will understand and find value

in your article. We believe the old journalism method is best: who, what, where, when, why,

how. When possible, try to pique the readers’ interest in the first paragraph by explaining

how the article relates to them or their program. Please provide photos and graphics when

possible. Remember, it is usually several months from the time you submit your article to the

time it goes to print, so avoid terms like “yesterday” and “this month.”

Editorial License. Proceedings encourages authentic and even-handed analysis of maritime

issues and reserves the right to reject any submission that does not follow these guidelines.

Anything damaging or unconstructive to the maritime industry orthe Coast Guard will not

be accepted. After passing an initial screening by the editors and issue Champion, article

manuscripts are evaluated by members of the Marine Safety & Security Council, who have

final say in whether or not an article is published. All articles become the property of

Proceedings upon submission and are subject to editing, formatting, and other alterations.

Proceedings and the Marine Safety & Security Council reserve the right to refuse publication

of any article.
Article Specifications

• Length.

Articles are targeted to be 1,500 to 3,000 words.

• Photos and Graphs.

We prefer about three to six photos per article, submitted separately as .jpg files. Please do not embed

the photos into the text. Photos and graphs need to be 300 dpi and include a photo credit (who owns

the rights to the photo) — most will be Coast Guard. In addition, we ask that you provide a caption.

The internet is not a good source for photos since they are copyrighted and are usually low resolution.

An excellent source of Coast Guard-owned, high-resolution photos can be found in the defense video

and imagery distribution system (DVIDS) at www.dvidshub.net. Please submit downloaded photos

you would like published with your article. You must obtain written permission from the source (email

is okay) for Proceedings to reproduce artwork or photos the Coast Guard doesn't own.

• Acronyms.

While most of the readers will understand commonly used acronyms, spell out each one on its first

reference. When possible, use a generic term instead of the acronym, simply because it’s easier to read.

• Text Format.

Submit your article in MS Word or a comparable application, using standard one-inch margins, single

space. Please send graphics or photographs as separate files in their original file format (e.g., JPG, TIF).

• Author Information.

Include your name as you would like it to appear in the magazine, your title, and your office or

association/company. Also, include your mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address so that

we can reach you if we have questions. You should also supply a biography of 50 words orless that will

be placed at the end of the article.

• Headline.

Keep the headline simple and to the point. Proceedings staff may recommend changes, but we

prefer that you include one.

• Author Timeline.

Article Outline Due: Article Due:

3 to 4 weeks after assignment 3 to 4 weeks after outline

Where Articles Should Be Submitted.

Please send your articles, photos, and graphics in separate files by electronic mail to the Proceedings managing editor, with a copy to the executive editor (see contact information below).

Review.

We will send you a draft version of your article for factual review. Draft articles are for internal CG review

only. Pay close attention to bylines, picture captions, charts, and endnotes and make sure that the information in them is correct. Please limit your comments to factual information. This is not the time to

“re-write” the article.

Questions?

The Proceedings staff is available to help at any step of the process. If you have questions, contact managing editor Antonio Balza at Antonio.E.Balza@uscg.mil or 202-372-2316, or executive editor Samantha

Quigley at Samantha.L.Quigley@uscg.mil or 202-372-2315.

Specifications
roceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council, the Coast Guard Journal of Safety and

Security at Sea, is the voice of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety and Security Council.

It began publication in 1944 and since then has reached an increasing level of recognition among the larger maritime industry and Coast Guard personnel.

Proceedings' audience includes a large segment of the private maritime industry,

including retired officers, fishing vessel captains,river pilots, ocean scientists, marine

engineers, tug/tow boat operators, shipping executives, insurance operators, and

maritime lawyers. Other subscribers include U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy personnel, mariners, reservists, Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation

staff, and allied foreign national readers.

The U.S. Coast Guard publishes Proceedings three times each year. Each edition of

Proceedings features a specific theme and is championed by a Coast Guard office,

assigned based on the command’s expertise in that area.

Readers may subscribe to Proceedings online at: www.uscg.mil/proceedings, or by

mailing a request to: Commandant (CG-5PS); Attn: Proceedings; U.S. Coast Guard

Stop 7318, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. S.E., Washington DC 20593-7318.

Proceedings magazine is free of charge.

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