If you are submitting an article to either TechNet Magazine or MSDN Magazine, here is a short checklist of items you should make sure are done before sending your final manuscript. Making sure these details are taken care of saves everyone extra work and frustration.

  • Please send your article as a Word .doc or .docx file.
  • Make sure any figures are clearly labeled and have references in the text.
  • Please also send original art, including screen shots, separately along with your submission (in a .zip file is fine). You may embed screen shots and code figures in the document, but we cannot reliably extract images in a format suitable for publication.
  • Your screen shots must be .bmp or .tif files. Please make sure ClearType is turned off before taking screen shots. See my previous post on Capturing a screen shot in Windows for more information.
  • If your submission includes code, code figures can be embedded in the document. Please include the code files (preferably a compilable Visual Studio project) as a separate .zip file.
  • Include a brief one or two-sentence bio statement. If you don't mind readers contacting you, this can include a blog or e-mail address.
  • If you are referencing external content such as web sites, please make sure we have correct URLs in the document. Embedded hyperlinks aren't good because they get stripped out during our production process.
  • If you need to use names for people or companies, URLs, IP addresses, or similar identifiable information, please contact your editor as soon as possible. Microsoft has strict editorial standards for name usage and we can provide appropriate names early in the process. This may save you the trouble of revising screen shots or code later.
  • We consider the copy you send in for publication to be final. If you need to submit revisions, please contact your editor first.

These are the most important details that are really crucial for making the edit and production processes move forward as smoothly as possible. Following these guidelines also saves you the trouble of having us ask you to redo work later.

If you have any questions, contact us. We're here to work with you.

Our process, and how you're involved

After you send in your article submission, what happens? Glad you asked. Here's a quick rundown of our editorial and production process.

  1. The acquisitions editor makes sure the article is appropriate (and what you'd discussed doing), then passes on to the production department.
  2. Production reformats the document to accommodate the styles used in our magazines and to prepare the copy for editing. Extraneous style information will be removed in this step, so don't go too crazy when formatting your manuscript.
  3. In most cases a developmental editor will do an initial edit pass through the manuscript. This edit can range from simply checking details to rewriting or reorganizing sections of the article.
  4. After the developmental edit, a copy of the article is returned to the author for review. This is the first of two opportunities you have to review and revise the copy during our production process.
  5. Author corrections are incorporated and the manuscript goes through copyediting and a technical review.
  6. The production department places the copy into the layouts with artwork in preparation for printing.
  7. At this point we send authors a .pdf file of the layout so you can get a general idea what it will look like on the printed page. Note that this is a rough layout and will be revised further before publication.
  8. Author corrections are incorporated and the layout goes through proofreading and final production.
  9. We send the completed articles to our partners for printing, binding, and mailing to subscribers. We also prepare the completed copy for posting on the magazine Web sites.

As noted, there are two points in the production process during which you will be asked to review and revise the edited copy before publication: after the initial developmental edit pass, and after the article has been placed into layouts for printing.

Tips and tricks

In addition to the checklist for submissions, here are some tips for putting together your article. Following these tips will make the process smoother for everyone.

  • Our layout style is fairly simple. We use one level of subheading, and one level of bullets or numbered steps.
  • One of our most common problems is having to retake screen shots. Your screen shots must be .bmp or .tif files. I can't stress enough how important it is to read and follow the guidance in my previous post on Capturing a screen shot in Windows.
  • While not required, if source code can be provided in multiple languages (C# and Visual Basic, for example), that would be great.
  • Make sure you clearly label any code figures, screen shots, or other artwork and provide a reference in the text so we know where to put the figure.
  • Please try to bulleted or numbered lists to a minimum. We'll probably ask you to rewrite them into paragraphs.
  • Make sure diagrams or charts are clear and easy to understand. Our art department redraws diagrams in our magazine style, so don't worry about sending finished or fancy artwork. A hand drawing works fine if it clearly indicates what you want to communicate.
  • If you're going to be out of touch (away on business or holiday), let us know so we can schedule copy and layout reviews appropriately.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. We love working with our authors and just want to make the process as smooth and enjoyable as possible for everyone. We want to make you look good. Taking a few minutes to accommodate these few simple requirements helps us do that.

Happy writing!