Getting Published in JPT
Authors: Donnelly John 
Published: October 2018

Editor's column

JPT editors frequently get questions about how to get articles and information published in the print magazine or online. Both SPE members and nonmembers have several avenues to choose from that could lead to publication.

To paraphrase, SPE’s mission is to collect, disseminate, and share technical knowledge and enhance professionals’ competency, while its stated mission is to enable the oil and gas industry to share technical knowledge needed to meet the world’s energy needs. JPT, SPE’s other online periodicals, and its peer-reviewed journals all play a key role in meeting this goal. Because every SPE member receives JPT, it is the association’s most recognizable publication vehicle, and contains a variety of departments of interest to both members and companies. It fills a dual role as being a key channel of information to members about important SPE programs and services and features a monthly column from the SPE president, to also being one of the upstream industry’s leading trade publications.

Unique to JPT compared with other trade publications in the field is its monthly summaries of the best technical papers presented at SPE’s scores of conferences, as well as several multisociety conferences such as the Offshore Technology Conference, Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, and the International Petroleum Technology Conference. Each issue of JPT features four main technical topics and the JPT Editorial Committee chooses the best technical papers presented at conferences to appear in each issue.

The 47-person editorial committee is made up of practicing professionals world-wide, serves 2-year terms that can be renewed, and represents major operators, in dependents, national oil companies, the service sector, and academia. The committee’s current membership can be found adjacent to this column. The best way to get published in this section of the magazine, which also appears online, is to deliver an outstanding paper at one of SPE’s conferences. A list of upcoming SPE meetings, as well as calls for papers, can be found online at www.spe.org/events/calendar.

The committee, all volunteers, sort through more than 4,000 papers a year to ensure that JPT is publishing the best information on current technical trends and technology applications. More than 140 paper summaries are published annually.

In additional to the technical papers, JPT offers opportunities for guest article contributions about case studies, new products, as well as opinion pieces. Lengthier opinion pieces appear each month in the print magazine under the heading of Guest Editorial. These noncommercial articles are generally written by an industry executive about a particular trend or topical issue in the industry. Shorter opinion pieces are published on JPT’s website under the heading Another View.

Descriptions of newly commercialized technology are found in the Technology Applications section, while 2-page articles about the use of new technology and its impact are in the Technology Update section. Questions about submitting articles to any of these sections, in either the print or online format, should be made to the editor at jdonnelly@spe.org.