Compliance Engineering

INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Scope of Magazine

Compliance Engineering is a bimonthly magazine written exclusively for engineers and designers of electronic equipment. The goal of Compliance Engineering is to help industry professionals understand and comply with electronics engineering standards and regulations worldwide.

Readers are professional personnel in high-technology fields involved in electronic product design, product development, quality assurance, test engineering, and manufacturing. Worldwide circulation is more than 35,000.

Subjects covered include:

• Electromagnetic Compatibility
  
• Electrostatic Discharge
  
• Telecommunications and Wireless
  
• Product Safety
  
• Standards Development
  
• Regulations
  
• Design and Engineering Solutions
  
• Testing Practices and Procedures
  
• Product Specification
  
• Test and Measurement Instrumentation
  
• Precompliance Issues
  
• Radio-Frequency and Microwave Radiation

Requirements for Publication

The publishability of a manuscript in Compliance Engineering is determined by a variety of factors. Manuscripts must be clearly directed to Compliance Engineering’s readership, must not repeat recent coverage of the same topic, must be sharply focused on a well-defined thesis, and must meet the standards of peer reviewers. When possible, authors should consult with editorial staff before beginning manuscripts. Query letters, summaries, and outlines are welcome.

Manuscript Format

The appropriate length of submitted manuscripts varies with subject matter and audience. In general, manuscripts addressing topics of broad interest to a wide variety of Compliance Engineering readers range from 2500 to 4000 words long; topics appealing to narrower audiences, such as one specific job category or type of manufacturer, typically do not exceed 3000 words.

Whenever possible, please submit manuscripts electronically in Microsoft Word 2000 (or below) for Windows or in ASCII (text only) format. Files sent via e-mail should not exceed 2 Mbyte. Contact the editor for placing larger files on Canon’s FTP server. Graphics should be contained in files separate from the text file. Acceptable graphics formats include jpg, eps, and tif. Graphics should be 300 dpi at the size they will be printed.

Files can also be submitted on a 3½-in. IBM-compatible disk. Please submit a paper copy along with the disk. Paper manuscripts must be typed double-spaced and should have an unjustified (ragged) right column. References and bibliographies are acceptable (see below for format); abstracts and footnotes to the text are not.

Review Process

All manuscripts are subjected to double-blind peer review to ensure the quality and relevance of the materials. Manuscripts are also subject to copyediting. Authors are given the opportunity to review and approve or alter the edited draft before publication. On average, submissions require four to six weeks for review and one to three months for publication following review.

Conditions

1. Manuscripts are accepted for consideration with the understanding that they are unpublished and are not under review elsewhere. 2. While Compliance Engineering does not discourage vendors or others engaged in the sale of products or services to our readers from submitting articles for publication, we do ask that authors disclose any financial interest in the material presented and strive to discuss it in a balanced, objective way. 3. No promotion of a specific brand or source of products or services is acceptable. Similarly, efforts to steer readers toward products or services offered by authors must be avoided. 4. Canon Communications LLC assumes the copyright to published manuscripts. 5. Canon Communications LLC assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork, although they are accepted for review. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Tables

1. Tables should be typed on separate, standard-size pages and not included in manuscript copy. 2. Tables should contain only words and common mathematical and technical symbols; art (arrows, etc.) should not be included. 3. Tables should be numbered (Roman numerals) in order of mention and clearly identified on the back. 4. Each must have a brief title or legend; additional information may appear as footnotes to the table or as discussion in text. 5. Tables should be limited to one per four manuscript pages.

Figures and Illustrations

1. Artwork must be provided on separate pages, must not be included in the manuscript copy and must correspond exactly to the text explanation. 2. Line art, graphs and photographs should be camera-ready. One set of originals is sufficient. 3. Figures should be numbered (Arabic numerals) in order of mention and clearly identified on the back. 4. Each must have a brief title or legend; additional information should appear as discussion in text. 5. Lettering and symbols should be large enough to remain legible after reduction. 6. Figures or illustrations should be limited to one per four manuscript pages. 7. Artwork will be returned on request.

References and Bibliographies

1. References should be typed double-spaced on a separate page, should be numbered in the order in which they are mentioned, and should be indicated in text by superscript Arabic numerals. 2. Bibliographies (i.e., suggested readings) are unnumbered and should be organized alphabetically. 3. Use the following styles:

Article in journal—

Gary H Wiseman et al., “Navigating the Path to Compliance with the New Edition of UL 1950,” Compliance Engineering 16, no. 6 (1999): 26–36.

Book and book chapter—

OJ McAteer, “Latent ESD Failures,” in Electrostatic Discharge Control, ed. Daniel A. Gonneau and Valerie A. Rothlein (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1990), 257–308.

Standards and reports—

ISO/IEC Guide 25: General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories, 3rd ed., Geneva, International Organization for Standardization, 1990.

Proceedings and meeting abstracts—

Y Shigeta et al., “ Improved EMI Performance by Use of a Three-Terminnal-Capacitor Applied to an IC Power Line,” in 1999 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (Seattle: IEEE EMC Symposium, 1999), 1.

(For unpublished proceedings, give city and date of meeting where presentation was made, not the city of the organization’s office. Do not abbreviate month.)

Legal citations—

Federal Register, 57 FR:10702

21 USC 551(4)

Community Nutrition Institute v. Young, 818 F2d, 943 (DC Cir 1987).

Guidelines for Writing

Thank you for your interest in Compliance Engineering, which is read by more than 35,000 in high-technology fields involved in electronic product design, product development, quality assurance, test engineering, and manufacturing. Before you begin writing, please take a few minutes to read the following guidelines.

When you are writing:

Spend Time on Your Lead or Thesis. A good lead will pull readers into your article. Leads can be witty, surprising, and controversial. Typically one to three paragraphs, leads can be questions (no more than three), case studies, or analogies. Good leads also get to the point of the article quickly. Technical articles should have a solid thesis, which is raised within the first few paragraphs of the story.

Spend Time on Your Conclusion. To quote the editors of the Harvard Business Review: “A good conclusion adds something new, but relevant, to the article—a forecast, a challenge, a clinching bit of evidence, or, ideally, something to do on Monday morning.”

Substantiate What You Write. It’s not enough for you to say so. Support your statements with facts based on your observations and research. Show your logic (and provide a references section as needed).

Offer Practical Solutions and Insights. Try to answer questions the general reader might have about your topic. If possible, use real-life examples—people like to see what the “other guy” is doing.

Keep It Short. Keep articles and sentences short and to the point. Do not use 20 words where 10 will do.

Keep Your Article Focused. A long article may mean your topic is too broad. It’s not necessary to include paragraphs and paragraphs about a technology’s history and evolution. Instead, write about how one particular aspect of the technology will be changing how manufacturers produce product or write about “Three Ways to Reduce Time to Market.”

Other Tips:

• Avoid cliches.
  
• Use active instead of passive voice. (For example, rather than writing “This standard was published by ISO in 1996,” write “ISO published this standard in 1996.”)
  
• Don’t promote a commercial product, service, or company.
  
• Avoid excessive jargon, and define the terms you use.
  
• Ask an objective colleague to read your article and provide feedback.
  
• Before mailing your article, double-check the facts.

Once we receive your article:

Your Article Will Be Reviewed. All CE articles are reviewed by outside experts to ensure that articles are factually correct and relevant to our readers.

Your Article Will Be Edited. Everyone who writes for CE is edited for space, clarity, or style. Typically articles are edited to eliminate wordiness and awkward sentences, to add punch to a lead or part of an article, or to make the organization more logical. You will receive a copy of your edited article to review prior to publication to ensure no factual errors have occurred.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the typical length of an article?

A useful guideline is 2500-3000 words.

How do I submit electronic images?

Figures and graphic images must be minimum 266 dpi at the size they will appear in the printed magazine. Formats must be .jpg, .eps, or .tif.

How much do you pay for articles?

Like most industry publications, we do not pay for articles from industry experts.

Do I get to see the article before it is printed?

Yes. You will be faxed a galley copy of the edited version to review prior to publication.

Thanks again for your interest in CE. We look forward to seeing your article.