KnowMap Writer's Guide
See also the following pages for additional information:
- Audience and Purpose for
a description of the target audience.
- Categories for the columns or features
for which we are seeking submissions.
- Home for additional information on KnowMap's
vision, guiding principles and mission.
- Collaborators benefits to our writers
and other contributors.
- Advertisers to add banner, other advertising
and/or see sponsorship opportunities.
KnowMap will follow The Modern Language Association
of America (MLA) Style in general, with modifications for ease of html
formatting and web page appearances. To this end only URL and other
clickable text will be underlined. Titles in citations will be italicized
where MLA or other style guides would normally have underlined.
KnowMap editors maintain the right to edit
and reformat for consistency in presentation.
Contributors can help ease the editorial burden by following the instructions
in this Guide.
Format
Articles should be presented as MS Word or plain text attachments to
e-mail.
Illustrations (such as pictures, maps, graphs) may be included in the
Word document or submitted as separate tif (preferred), gif or jpeg
files. Please ensure all submissions are virus free.
Correspondence with the author will be by e-mail. If no e-mail is available,
please provide a fax and/or phone number. Author will receive articles
as edited for final review before publication whenever possible.
Length
- Roles, Culture, Strategy and Toolkit:
Minimum 1,000 to maximum 1,500 words per article; longer articles
can be split into parts for our audience to easily read each during
one sitting.
- Case Studies
1,200 words; longer cases can split into parts and/or placed under
one of the above Categories.
- Features
To submit Jobs, Events and Links see Categories
and for items to be Featured on the individual issue's cover page,
see Advertising.
Reviews should be no more than 500 words.
Writer's By-line and Rights
The writer (also referred to here as author) retains all rights to
his/her articles but is asked not to reproduce exact text in any other
publication, e-based or print, for 3 years after it appears in KnowMap.
Only texts or graphics to which the author owns rights or for which
he or she has permission will be accepted. If submitting items not owned
by author, include statement of permission from the legitimate owner
with his or her full name and contact information.
By-lines will be included for all authors and links to their biography
will be from the bottom of the page only. A link to the author's web
page or, if no web page is available, inclusion of an e-mail address
will be from the biography page only.
Writer's Biography and Photo
The writer is asked to submit a brief biography of 300 words or less
presenting whatever would establish credibility for his/her authority
on the topic. This may include present or past positions, honours bestowed,
accomplishments in the area, academic qualifications and practical experience.
Please include full name as you wish it to appear in by-line and on
top of biography. Thereafter, reference will be to surname only. If
surname is double, let us know how you wish to abbreviate it. For example,
someone named Mary Smith Jones should specify whether shortened form
should be Jones or Smith Jones or Smith-Jones.
A one or two line mini-biography will be included as part of the by-line.
If writer wishes to supply own, he/she may do so but editors reserve
right to shorten or revise. We will try to respect your wishes as long
as brief and consistent with editorial policies.
Authors are also asked to send a jpeg or gif file of a recent photograph
with their biography. Head and shoulder shots are preferable. Full length
or others will be accepted if no other photo available but will probably
be cropped to head and shoulders. If one is not available, we will substitute
a picture of a dragon (for "unknown").
Abstracts
The editorial staff will write an abstract of the article. Authors
may submit one if they wish but we reserve the right to revise. Abstracts
should be one or two sentences long. No references or figures should
be included in the abstract.
Language and Spelling
We accept articles in English and try to honour the spelling of the
writer's country or convention.
We will accept articles in French with an English translation.
We do not have the capability at this time of accepting articles in
other languages. To inquire about possibilities in the future, contact
Editor, KnowMap
with your suggestions.
Font
Use only one font type and size throughout (recommend Times New Roman,
12).
Spacing
Text should be single-spaced. Paragraphs should not be indented but
one blank line should be left between paragraphs. Double spacing between
sentences is not necessary and as they will not be used in the final
text.
Titles
Recommend using short titles containing an action verb. Titles should
be centred and initial letters of first and all major words capitalized.
Leave extra blank line after title and before body of text. Internal
punctuation should be limited to hyphens to separate concepts and colon
between title and subtitle. No end punctuation should be used unless
the title is a question, in which case a question mark may be used.
Subheadings and Sidebars
Use subheadings and sidebars where possible to add interest and enhance
readability. Recommend one per screen or every three to four paragraphs
of text. Preference is for only one level of subheading and/or one style
of sidebar.
Subheading should be flush with left margin with initial letters of
first and all major words capitalized. Leave a blank line before and
after the subheading. No end punctuation should be used unless the expression
is a question.
If a second subheading is used, indent* it one tab in from left.
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*This is for editorial purposes only. Headings and subheadings
will appear in different colour fonts on the web page.
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Sidebars may be at left or right though editorial staff may change
position.
Visuals
Maps and other visuals, such as graphs, tables, charts and photos,
are also highly recommended. However, word art and pull quotes will
not be used.
If using more than two visuals, regardless of type, number each with
Arabic numerals as Figure 1, Figure 2, and so on. Give each figure a
brief title at the top to show the concept illustrated.
Short captions may also be used as explanatory material at the bottom
of the figure.
If sending visuals separately, indicate in document "insert Figure
# here" to indicate placement. No floating visuals please. Placement
may be above or below text, to right or left of text but not in middle.
Figure Titles
Figure titles should be at the top and outside of the graphics in editable
format with all initial letters of first and all major words capitalized.
These titles should be short with no end punctuation.
Captions
Captions, if used, should be set below figure and outside the graphics
in editable format. Use sentence case with end punctuation. Limit captions
to essential explanatory information only.
Grammar
- Keep paragraphs short and to the point.
- Use active rather than passive sentences.
- Avoid using the following: i.e., e.g., etc. Reword to express the
same idea or concept.
- Use gender-neutral language, such as chair rather than chairman.
- Spell out entire position title for person, organization or work
the first time found in the text. Thereafter, the common short form
may be used. For example:
- Chief executive officer, thereafter may use CEO
- "Some Principles of Knowledge Management", (title
of an article) thereafter may use "Principles"
- Position titles when expressed as chief executive officer of ABC
Company should be in lowercase. If followed by a comma and no preposition,
initial letters should be uppercase.
- Xenia Stanford, chief executive officer of Stanford Solutions
Inc.
- Xenia Stanford, President, Stanford Solutions Inc.
- Spell out entire name of person or organization the first time it
is used. Thereafter, it may be abbreviated to its common form. For
example:
- Xenia Stanford, thereafter use Stanford
- Stanford Solutions Inc. Thereafter, use Stanford Solutions.
(Note in this case do not shorten to Stanford as this would cause
confusion with the surname of individuals or another more famous
organization)
Citations
- Use double quotes only when making direct quotes in the text or
when listing an article or Chapter title when said title is found
within a periodical or book, in other words when it is a subordinate
title of a work.
N.B. To emphasize a word or show it as jargon/unusual use
put the word in italics, bold or a different colour. Do not use either
single or double quote marks for this purpose.
- Links to any commercial products will be limited to the paid advertising
sections. References to any product within the text should be as information
and not commercial intent except in paid advertising. See Advertising.
- URL links to non-commercial sites will be made only from Works
Cited at the end of the article.
- Footnotes and endnotes will not be used. Due to the short length
of the articles all explanatory notes should be included within the
text, within parentheses if necessary.
- All references or citations to works or quotations from text will
use parentheses at the end of the statement rather than numerical
superscript.
- All works and only works cited in the text should be found in Works
Cited section at the end of the article.
In-Text References
Here for brevity's sake we switch to APA (American Psychologists' Association)
rules of author-date, page number rather than author-title, page number.
Below are rules for what should be found in parentheses at the end of
the sentence containing the citation or end of quotation if more than
one sentence is quoted.
End punctuation for the sentence follows the parentheses.
- Cite author's surname if only one work by author, no other works
by another author with same surname are cited in text and if statement
is not a direct quote:
- Maps are of more benefit to knowledge management than models
(Davenport).
- Cite author's surname and date of publication if more than one work
by same author is cited in text. Use only a space between author's
name and date.
- Maps are of more benefit to knowledge management than models
(Davenport 1996).
- Use author's initials for given names if more than one author of
same surname are referred to in text.
- Maps benefit knowledge management more than models (T. Davenport
1996)
- Use page number if a direct quote. Use colon and space after author's
name or year, whichever is used last.
- "Knowledge management benefits from maps more than models..."
(Davenport: 96).
- "Knowledge management benefits from maps more than models..."
(Davenport 1996: 96).
- Omit author's surname if used within text.
- Davenport states: "Knowledge management benefits from maps
more than models..." (1996: 96).
- Omit date if title is mentioned in the citation.
- In his article "Some Principles of Knowledge Management"
Davenport states: "Knowledge management benefits from maps
more than models..." (96).
- If two or three authors are mentioned, use all surnames
- (Carmel and Smelzer).
- (Browne, Curley and Benson).
- If more than 3 authors, use first surname only followed by et al.
- For editorial works or works with no clear authorship, use title
or brief title. Book and magazine titles should be in italics. Articles
or sections of work should be enclosed in quotation marks (including
titles of web pages).
- (Webster's Dictionary)
- ("Webbing Way to Disaster")
- When two works by the same author are cited and both works have
the same publication date, use date followed by sequential letter
of alphabet for each subsequent work following the alphabetical order
found within the Works Cited list:
- (Davenport 1996a) and (Davenport 1996b)
- Personal communication (including e-mail, listserv, newsgroup or
other) should be cited in text with specific date but not included
in Works Cited;
- Fred Jones states: "everyone is mapping in one form or
another" (e-mail to author, June 3, 2000.)
- In a statement by Fran Smith, the press apparently was everywhere
(letter to author, May 10, 1999)
- If referring to a work, which you have not directly read but found
within another work, refer to both works using author from whom quote
or information came followed by source of citation.
- (Carlin 1997 cited in Peters 1997)
N.B. Normally only the work read should be found in Works
Cited but KnowMap prefers both
are given whenever possible.
- When quoting works use italics for book or journal titles. Enclose
titles of journal articles or chapters of books (for collective works
by different authors) in quotation marks.
- Tom Davenport's article "Some Principles of Knowledge Management"
in Strategy, Management, Competition.
- Quoting one or two short sentences can be included within the paragraph.
Longer quotations should be in a separate paragraph indented one inch
from the margins both on left and right side of page (to distinguish
from second level sub-heading indentation which will be half inch
in from left only).
Works Cited
All works cited or referred to in the text should be placed in alphabetical
order by author's surname in the Works Cited section at the
end of the article. Only works actually cited or referred to within
the text should be included.
- For editorial works or those of no clear authorship, use full main
title as initial entry and place in its alphabetical order within
the bibliography.
- Roget's International Thesaurus
- Full citations for books should include: Author's surname, given
name(s). Title of Work. Place of publication: Name of Publisher,
Date.
- Carlin, George. Brain Droppings. New York: Hyperion,
1997.
- References to journal or newspaper articles should include: Article
writer's surname, given name (s). "Title of Article". Title
of Journal. Date of publication or if date obscure or not used,
give volume/issue numbers: Page numbers of entire article (for in-text
citation give only page of quotation).
- Dietrick, Bill. "The Art of Knowledge Mapping: Where to
Begin", Knowledge Management Quarterly Supplement,
December 1997: 1-3
- Jones, Mary. "How to Win". Business Matters
2.2: 29-48. First 2 above is volume number, following period no
space is issue number. Numbers following colon space are page
number(s). Omit issue number if volume numbers pages continuously
regardless of issue. 2: 29-48
- References to more than one author and less than four:
- Burk, Cornelius F., and Forest W. Horton. InfoMaps: A Complete
Guide to Discovering Corporate Information Resources. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1987.
- Browne, Glenn J., Shawn P. Curley, and P. George Benson. "Evoking
Information in Probability Assessment: Knowledge Maps and Reasoning-Based
Directed Questions", Management Science 43 (1):
144-88.
- References to a chapter in a book or part of an anthology should
list author of chapter, followed by title of chapter in quotation
marks, followed by title of book in italics, editor of book preceded
by Ed. Imprint from book.
- Beckman, Thomas J. "The Current State of Knowledge Management",
Knowledge Management Handbook. Ed. J. Liebowitz. Boca
Raton: CRC Press, 1999.
- For material found on the Internet try to document author or site
owner, title of site or page, date of page or date last updated and/or
accessed and URL. (Give full URL to appropriate page starting with
http:// for www sites; ftp:// for
telnet sites and gopher:// for gopher sites.). Webeditor
will provide link to URL from title.
- If an author or company's name cannot be found as site owner, alphabetize
by title of site or page. If date last updated or date of page is
not found, use parentheses to enclose date accessed. Date accessed
is not necessary if date of page is given.
- For a citation showing the same author for several works: follow
the method illustrated as follows:
- Segil, Larraine. Dynamic Leader, Adaptive Organization: Ten
Essential Traits for Managers. New York: John Wiley &
Sons, May 2002.
__________. Fast Alliances -Power your E-business. New
York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001.
__________. One-On-One With Larraine Segil. 3/25/2002.
N.B. If any errors or discrepancies to MLA style guide are found other
than those so noted, please notify Editor,
KnowMap. Also if there any major omissions,
let us know. We do not want to reproduce the entire guide but will consider
including other rules that are difficult to find or decipher in the
MLA guide.
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