Sys Admin Author Guidelines

Sys Admin's articles are written by systems administrators who provide hands-on solutions for problems you face every day. Typical articles are around 3000 words and are accompanied by complete source code. If you're interested in submitting an article to Sys Admin, please send us a proposal outlining your idea first. Direct proposals and manuscripts to:

Editors
saeditors@cmp.com

Each issue of Sys Admin contains a "Call for Papers" that describes suggested topics for articles. Although we often accept articles on other topics, please check the Editorial Calendar and Call for Papers first for our immediate story needs.

Proposals

Article proposals should contain an outline of the article idea, a brief description of your background, an estimate of the number of lines of code required, and a complete mailing address with phone and fax numbers. They should be submitted via email.

Manuscripts

Please submit your manuscript electronically. We prefer files in plain text format--single-spaced and flush left. Figures should be submitted as .eps, .jpg, .bmp, or tif format. Please do not submit figures embedded in Word documents.

Please provide a short (2-3 sentence) biography suitable for publication with the article--include your educational background, areas of expertise, etc. Also include your complete mailing address (not P.O. box), email address, phone and fax numbers. Please indicate whether we may publish your email address along with the bio.

Evaluation and Editing

Story proposals will be forwarded to the technical editor for review. If the proposal is accepted, we'll ask to see a completed manuscript. Requesting a manuscript does not constitute acceptance of the story, nor a promise to pay for the story.

If the proposal is targeted for a specific theme, we will set a deadline and strive to provide sufficient time to complete the manuscript after the proposal has been accepted. See the Editorial Calendar for general issue deadlines. Once received, manuscripts will be reviewed by the technical editor. This process may take as much as 3 weeks.

Accepted manuscripts will be edited, then proofs will be sent to authors for review. We will make every effort to correct errors at the proof stage given sufficient notice. Generally, we request that any corrections or changes be made within 48 hours of receipt of proofs. An author's release form (stating what rights we are buying and for how much) will accompany the proofs of the article. Authors will be paid upon publication.

Source