We particularly seek more information from committees and commissions to share with the broader membership that highlight important initiatives and build more interest in volunteer opportunities for those groups. Articles also should fit into the bigger picture of the association's programs and activities. A call to action from members is one way to accomplish that, or at least a mention of how NAAEE members could find specific relevance to their own work from the article.  

Authors of articles should know that, despite the Communicator's 16-page format, we have several standing articles and planned stories for each issue, so general opinion and commentary are discouraged in favor of stories about the Association's activities and members' accomplishments. We always have more copy than will fit and many articles that we want to include have to be shortened, postponed, consolidated with other information, or eliminated after we get a good idea of what we have for each issue, much to our disappointment. That's always a difficult job for any publication editor.

EE-News

EE-News prefers submissions that have an action-oriented headline (go here, do this), and that are one or two sentences long with a hyperlink for more information. One article that got a lot of hits: "Why Is the Environment So Hot?"

NAAEE Communicator

____The article is a good fit—and an appropriate length— for the publication. For example, the Communicator publishes these types and lengths:

• Members On the Move, 75 words
• Notices about events or committee/commission activities,  100–125  words [Committee and commission articles should be reviewed and approved by the appropriate chair or co-chairs prior to submission.]
• Brief articles on issues like EPA Funding Updates, 200–250 words
• Book reviews, 300–340 words
• Features like sustainability or “Faces of NAAEE” profiles, 500–750 words.

____If the issue has a theme, the proposed article fits that theme.

____The article’s content and purpose are a good match for the needs of the publication’s readers. (Is your article the kind of thing that people who get the Communicator like to read?)

____The article has at least one—but, we hope, many—of the following strengths:

• It offers new ideas or insights about the field and how NAAEE members might incorporate those ideas into their work.
• The purpose of the article is clear and the article stays focused on this topic.
• The structure of the article is appropriate for the topic presented.
• The author uses relevant examples to support the main idea and purpose of the articles and to achieve unity and focus.
• The content is well-organized and uses effective transitions so that it flows well.
• It comes with illustrations or photographs, as needed. Artwork should be submitted in a 300 dpi JPEG format.
• The article is informative (rather than commercial or “promotional”).
• The article is written in a popular rather than academic style. It sounds human.
• The article’s “look” is inviting and easy to read (white space, short paragraphs, bullets, etc.)
• The article uses concrete ideas and examples where appropriate.
• The wording is simple, clear, and precise.
• The beginning gets right to the point. The ending is satisfying.
• The article provides a byline and a closing biographical line in the following format: [author's name] [author's email] is [author's title] at [author's employer] in [author's city and state].

A word about timeliness and deadlines:

Editorial Calendar

• Winter 2008 – NCATE's Adoption of NAAEE's standards for teacher education, NAAEE officer election results, 2008 conference promotion – Kansas location and 2 strands, 2007 conference recap and award winners, EETAP project updates, International study tours, recommitment to diversity

• Spring 2008 – 2008 Conference keynote speaker and 3 strands, 2008 conference sustainability efforts, recap of Tbilisi+30 conference, update on Life Members, EETAP project updates

• Summer/Fall 2008 - 2008 Conference highlights on arts and technology, registration information, Board election announcement, EETAP project updates