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The Safety and Health
Practitioner
SUBMISSION OF PROSPECTIVE ARTICLES - GUIDANCE FOR AUTHORS
The editorial team of the Safety and Health
Practitioner are happy to receive articles from prospective
authors. All articles are reviewed by the magazine's editorial
team and an editorial panel composed of experts from the Institution
of Occupational Safety and Health. After the article has been
reviewed, a member of the magazine's editorial team will contact
the prospective author and discuss whether or not the article
has been accepted for publication and, if so, whether any
changes need to be made prior to publication.
The SHP editorial team reserves the right
to amend headings, add sub-headings, form 'box items' from
the text, and generally edit for accuracy, readability, style
and length. Any major changes would, of course, be discussed
with the author in advance.
Prospective authors who have not
written for SHP before, or who are not generally considered
as a "recognised expert" in the field, are strongly advised
to submit, in the first instance, a summary, or outline of
the proposed article, on the basis of which the editorial
team can decide whether or not it will be of interest to the
readers. This avoids unnecessary effort and time-wasting on
behalf of the author, should the proposal be turned down.
Basic details
Published articles tend to be around 1500
to 2500 words in length with a title that reflects the direction
and subject matter of the text. Text must be supplied in electronic
format, i.e. sent via e-mail or on disk. SHP can accept Microsoft
Word and Text Only files. Relevant diagrams, drawings, charts,
and photographs, together with captions, should accompany
the article. A short 'About the author' paragraph should also
be supplied, giving details of relevant qualifications, membership
of professional organisations, vocational experience, etc.
SHP does not republish old articles, so submissions should
not be either pending publication, or have been published
elsewhere.
Product manufacturers, service
suppliers and PR/marketing agents should be aware that advertisements
disguised as articles will be treated with the contempt they
deserve! If your company/client is in a position
to write knowledgeably about a health and safety issue owing
to their experience in the market, that is fine - and the
market perspective is a welcome alternative - but the opportunity
to increase knowledge, share experiences and further best
practice should not be abused in order to increase one company's
profits.
Context and chosen topic
SHP publishes a wide range of articles,
ranging from discussions of topical issues and current theoretical
thinking, to specific 'case studies', i.e. how a particular
health/safety situation was managed and resolved. Most importantly,
articles should reflect current thinking and knowledge, with
references to the latest legal and industry standards, where
relevant. Care should be taken to use the correct terminology
and references, particularly with regard to specific legislation.
Texts on specific issues and topic areas
are welcome, but the issue under discussion should be placed
in some kind of context, e.g. if writing an article about
the problems surrounding machinery guarding, it would be useful
to mention either statistics relating to accidents resulting
from inadequate guarding (complete with references to the
source of that material), and/or which industries have a particular
problem with guarding.
The SHP readership includes both novices
and experts who have been in the industry for some years.
They come from a wide range of industries and have many concerns
(from safety at height in construction, through office ergonomics,
to gas detection issues within Local Authority work - to name
but a few). Not all articles are expected to appeal to all
SHP readers but the way an author treats a specific topic
should cause a reader to think more closely about his or her
work, which may or may not be related to the issue discussed.
Texts plainly written for academic purposes
(e.g. university papers, theses, texts aimed at learned journals,
etc.) are generally unwelcome. This is not to discourage those
authors who may have carried out a good deal of relevant and
interesting research in fields of interest to our readers.
Rather, it is to remind those authors not to simply submit
their paper/thesis as is, but to rework it and present it
for publication in a magazine - an altogether different beast
from academic publishing!
Referencing
When a quote is used, or if statistics
are mentioned, the source of that information should be given
a reference at the end of the article (please DO NOT use footnotes
at the end of each page). Details required are: author; title
of source publication; date of source publication; publisher;
ISBN and any other information that would allow a reader to
find the reference.
Conflict of interest
If data, confidential information, references
or specific examples come from sources such as an identifiable
employer or organisation, please ensure that permission to
use this information is given and that acknowledgement is
obtained. SHP does not print product profiles or company profiles.
However, if a new development has taken place, which has official
approval, we will consider the item.
Readability
Please ensure that your article is clear
and concise. Often, asking a colleague to read the article
can help you identify and iron out any weaknesses. Use of
abbreviations, acronyms and specific terminology should be
explained at the point of first reference, whether or not
they are considered to be in common usage.
The editorial team of SHP can be contacted
at:
SHP
UBM Information Ltd
245 Blackfriars Road
London
SE1 9UY
Tel: 020 7921 8047/8046
Fax: 020 7921 8058
Email: shpeditor@ubm.com
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