Author Guidelines
C&RL News Instructions for Authors
Editorial Purpose
College & Research Libraries News (C&RL News) publishes articles, reports, and essays written by practitioners addressing philosophy and techniques of day-to-day management of academic library services and collections. C&RL News provides current information relating to issues, activities, and personalities of the higher education and academic and research library field. Information literacy, scholarly communication, technology, professional education, preservation, government actions that affect libraries, acquisitions, grants to libraries, product updates, and the business of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) are covered in C&RL News.
Established in 1966, C&RL News is the official newsmagazine and publication of record for ACRL. It maintains a record of selected actions and policy statements of the association and publishes timely reports on the activities of ACRL and its units. It is published 11 times per year.
Content
The editor-in-chief bears all responsibility for the content of each issue of C&RL News and selects material for publication. The editor-in-chief also reserves the right to make appropriate revisions in material selected for publication to standardize style or improve clarity (except official ACRL documents). The editor-in-chief may refer articles on high-profile topics to editorial board members with appropriate subject expertise for comment. Note: Formal, theoretical, or research-oriented articles inappropriate for C&RL News will be forwarded to the editor of College & Research Libraries for consideration.
Material selected should fall into one of the following categories:
- Articles on a project, program, or service dealing with a topic relevant to academic librarianship.
- The Way I See It essays related to issues of academic librarianship and higher education.
- Articles for the ACRL TechConnect column that cover technology-related topics, including advances in tech tools and innovative projects to enhance libraries.
- Articles for the Scholarly Communication column. ACRL's Research and Scholarly Environment Committee has editorial responsibility for this column. Contact the column editors at crlnscholcomm@gmail.com for more information.
- Articles for the Perspectives on the Framework column. ACRL's Student Learning and Information Literacy Committee has editorial responsibility for this column. Contact the column editors at crlnframework@gmail.com for more information.
- Press releases and other items for consideration for the News From the Field, Grants & Acquisitions, and People in the News departments may be sent to dfree@ala.org.
Cover Art
C&RL News is always interested in receiving interesting artwork from academic and research libraries to consider as cover art.
Submission
Images may be submitted to the editor for review as a digital image. Low resolution images are acceptable for review purposes. Send attachment via email or supply URL.
All cover submissions should be sent via email to dfree@ala.org. Arrangements for other transfer methods including FTP or mailing print materials including photographs and brochures, can be made by contacting the editor.
Guidelines for images
The size and format of the magazine require that images used on its cover meet certain criteria, provided below.
- high-resolution digital image (at least 300 DPI) must be vertically oriented or it must be possible to crop the image to show a detail in vertical format
- items that originate as a standard size (e.g., 8 x 10, 5 x 7) reproduce better for the size and orientation of the cover (vertical, 6" wide x 7 3/4" high)
- items that have a distinct subject are preferred over those that are strictly decorative (e.g., a design)
- highly detailed items (e.g., maps) are difficult to reproduce well and are generally avoided
- color images are preferred, but not required
- the submitting institution must have the right to allow the image to be reproduced, or the image must be in the public domain
Instructions to authors
- Style. Articles should be practical; written in an informal, accurate, and informative manner; and follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. Manuscripts should be original and not published elsewhere. (Exceptions may be made for items previously published in institutional newsletters.) Footnotes, charts, and tables should be kept to a minimum. Endnotes, rather than footnotes, are the preferred format for citations of books, articles, websites, and other reference materials. Each reference should be numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript using superscript characters.
- Length. Feature articles, including the Scholarly Communication, ACRL TechConnect, and Perspectives on the Framework columns, should be no more than 2,000 words. The Way I See It essays should be no more than 1,000 words.
- Titles. Article titles should be submitted with a Title:Subtitle format for consistency.
- Graphics. Whenever possible, photographs, illustrations, images from websites, etc., should accompany article submissions. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use graphic materials. Digital files should be 300 DPI. A brief caption and credit (if appropriate) should be provided for all images submitted. Provide clear TIFs of all graphs and tables.
- Submitting manuscripts. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically to the editor at dfree@ala.org as either document files or links to downloadable online documents. (Note: An email note of inquiry may precede submission of the article.)
- Author agreement. Authors of accepted articles should submit a copy of the author agreement after accptance. Details about ACRL author agreements are available in the ACRL Publications Agreement FAQ and accepted authors will be contacted information on submitting agreements.
Privacy Statement
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