Volume 3 Number 1 Copyright 1997
Instructions for Authors
DATA QUALITY is published once a year, in September. Authors should submit manuscripts at least two months in advance of the publication date (i.e., by July 15th). Manuscripts should not have been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Nor should material submitted to DATA QUALITY be a version of work published elsewhere.
Authors must document the data that appear in their manuscripts. If authors submit graphs and tables, they must submit the data upon which the graphs and tables are based. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to produce material quoted from other sources and for copyrighting their published articles.
Authors should submit one typed manuscript, preferably double-spaced, with footnotes at the end of text. An abstract and a brief biographical statement should accompany the article. The author's name and address should appear only on the title page, so that copies may be sent to referees without revealing the author's identity.
The Editor encourages authors also to submit a copy on a 3.5 inch magnetic diskette. DATA QUALITY is edited using MS Word version 7 for Windows 95 and WordPerfect version 3.1 for Macintosh. The Publisher urges authors to contact him before submitting a paper that includes computer-generated graphs and tables.
The Publisher, Editor, Editorial Board, and Editorial Advisory Board are volunteers and are busy people. Therefore, we expect that articles submitted to DATA QUALITY will be well-written. Current state-of-the-art Quality methodology reduces variability during research and development, not by inspect-repair or process-debugging activities after R & D. We expect our communications with authors will focus on improving good writing. The DATA QUALITY style guide is The Chicago Manual of Style, Fourteenth Edition, 1993. Our dictionary is The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, 1994.
The Publisher and Editor recommend writing texts like The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B.White (New York, Macmillan Company, 1959). Dozens of style, usage, and writing texts are available in public libraries, bookstores, and corporate technical support departments. Authors should also consult with technical writers, documentation specialists, graphic designers, and others in their organizations whose primary responsibilities are excellent writing and graphic design.
We are all for the "plain" style of American writing and graphic design. When writing, this means avoiding jargon, writing in the active voice, and making sentences specific, positive, and definite. When drawing, this means avoiding confusing the viewer. There is an abundance of "plain writing" and "plain drawing" in American literature and art, from Thoreau and his contemporary Audubon, to the men and women who write and draw well today. In our experience, good writing and good drawing makes the publications process easier for the author, editor, and publisher. To contact DATA QUALITY's Publisher or Editor, use this electronic form: dqemail@aol.com
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Comments: dqemail@aol.com (10/01/98)