Dateline Houston Author Guidelines

This page provides several sections of information for Dateline Houston writers and editors.

Content and Style

Dateline Houston publishes articles of professional interest to technical communicators, including writers, editors, illustrators, teachers, managers, consultants, and others involved in preparing technical documents. It provides practical examples and applications of technical communication, as well as opportunities for networking and education, that promote readers’ professional development. Before writing an article, look over several recent issues of the newsletter to make sure your topic and approach are appropriate for our readers. Consider also that the Houston chapter is home to an active population of independent consultants and contractors.

You should 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

Newsletter contributions are due by the 15th of each month prior to the publication date.  Dateline Houston is published on the following months:
September

October

November

December

February

March

April

May 

Manuscript Preparation

All submissions are subject to editing. You will not receive a copy of the edited article prior to the newsletter’s release. Upon request, you will receive notification that the newsletter has been published.

1. Submit an electronic file containing the text of your manuscript to the Managing Editor.
2. Provide the article’s title and the names of the authors at the beginning of your submission file. Your byline should have the following format: Name, Job Title, Company. If you are an STC Associate Fellow or Fellow, please let us know.
3. Use up to three levels of headings, and indicate them clearly.
4. Stay within the word count specified for the type of article you are submitting. If your topic requires more space than we have specified, please contact the Managing Editor to make arrangements.
5. 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 in length. If you would like to get ideas for which 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 put forth by the book review editor of the journal. Please consider also submitting your book review to that Society journal, though you may need to provide them with a longer manuscript.

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 long. Comments can be regarding anything relating to chapter, newsletter, and national STC activities. If appropriate, we will arrange for a response to be printed along with your note.

Column	Brief Description	Length (Words)
Feature Article	Feature article pertaining to technical communication (e.g. How to, new hardware, software)	<1000
Letters to the Editor	Feedback regarding chapter, newsletter, or Society activities	<200
Book Review	Reviews of books pertinent to technical communication	<500
Software or Equipment Review	Reviews of software or equipment pertinent to technical communication	<500