The Information Management Journal Author Guidelines

The Information Management Journal is the award-winning professional journal published by ARMA International, the authority on managing records and information. ARMA International serves more than 10,000 members in the United States, Canada, and more than 30 other nations. These members include records managers, archivists, corporate librarians, imaging specialists, legal professionals, knowledge managers, consultants, and educators. According to a recent survey, members ranked the Journal as the most valued benefit of membership in ARMA International.

In addition, the Journal was awarded the 2002 and 2003 "Excellence in Association Publications" Award from Association Trends, an association management trade publication headquartered in Washington, D.C. The award specifically recognized the Journal for its "outstanding achievement" as a scholarly journal and for the "superior quality and creativity evident in the preparation and production" of the publication.

Scope of the Journal

The Journal's scope is the management of records, information, and knowledge as corporate assets and as contributors to organizational success. Increasingly, this scope is best expressed by the term information management. Information management is an interdisciplinary field focusing on the application of management principles and appropriate technologies to the production, coordination, acquisition, organization, representation, control, dissemination, use, and ultimate disposition of information, whatever the format, of internal or external origins, leading to the more effective functioning of organizations of all kinds, in all industries.

As a resource management discipline, information management also addresses the value, quality, and security of information in the context of organizational performance. Information management disciplines include, but are not limited to, records management, archives management, corporate librarianship, knowledge management, information systems, document management, and electronic records/imaging systems.

Increasingly, information management issues (e.g., standards, telecommunication, electronic data interchange) have an international significance. High-quality manuscripts that address international perspectives and issues are welcomed. Contributors to the Journal need not be members of ARMA International, and membership does not guarantee publication.

Types of Manuscripts

Many categories of submission are appropriate. These include, but are not limited to, research studies whose findings or methodologies are applicable to other environments, as well as research- and/or interview-based articles addressing information management issues. Also welcome are informed analyses of professional issues (e.g., ethics, certification, standards, status of the field). However, the Journal does not accept and will not publish “advertorials,” company- or product-specific articles or case studies that serve little purpose other than to promote a company and/or its technology and products.

Articles in the Journal offer fresh perspectives on long-term concerns as well as critical examinations of existing assumptions and emerging trends. Topics may be treated in a field-wide perspective or may focus on a vertical sector (e.g., financial services, legal services, government, manufacturing).

The Journal welcomes submissions from practitioners, academics, doctoral students, and others with an interest in the field.

Manuscript Style

Language of publication for the Journal is Standard English. Manuscripts should be 1,500 to 3,000 words maximum, including references. Submissions should include a one-paragraph author biography that includes author’s name, title, company, and e-mail.

The Journal uses the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. (1993) as the basis of its style guide. Although the Journal is not a scholarly publication, we do recommend Kate Turabian’s A Manual of Style for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations as a widely available, abbreviated version of the Chicago manual. However, the Journal’s style includes variations on Chicago’s rules. Examples of citation and reference styles are provided below, under “Source Attribution and Citation” in these guidelines.

Elements of a Submission

A Microsoft Word or Word Perfect file containing the submission should be sent to the editor. The manuscript should include the following:

• A separate title sheet containing the title of the manuscript and author(s) name, work address, work telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address
• Below the title on the first manuscript page, list three to four bulleted items identifying the manuscript’s main points
• The first page (not the title page) of each copy of the manuscript must have the work’s title at the top of the page but no further identification, such as running headers or footers listing author information
• A biographical statement of 25 words or fewer for each author, listing author name, title, company, notable achievements or experience, and e-mail address
• A References section listing sources used in the research of the manuscript. These bibliographic references should follow the citation style (Chicago Manual of Style) exemplified in these "Guidelines." (See “Source Attribution and Citation” for examples.)

A letter of transmittal should accompany the manuscripts only when authors need to call the editor’s attention to something not self-evident in the manuscript.

Source Attribution and Citation

The use of unattributed sources is a serious matter. Authors must acknowledge and document all borrowed ideas, illustrations, or text. Publication of a manuscript may be delayed pending completion of this important step.

The editor also has the right to correct or require correction of errors, undocumented facts, unsupported statistics, or misleading statements. If there are multiple authors, the primary author (first author listed) will be provided with a copy of the proposed substantive changes prior to publication.

Authors are strongly urged to review other writings on the topic being treated in the submitted manuscript. The findings should be incorporated into or accounted for in the present work.

Complete and accurate documentation of research is critical. Formatting examples are provided below. The Journal does not use parenthetical author-date citations or endnotes or footnotes in running text or at the end of a block quotation within the manuscript. Please see “Sample Citations” below for an example of the preferred method for citing references within the manuscript. A bibliographical References list, arranged alphabetically by author’s last name, should be included at the end of the manuscript, listing all sources cited or used by the author in the research or writing of the manuscript.

SAMPLE CITATION
The following is an example of the preferred method for citing paraphrased information or quotations within a manuscript:

According to John D. Stoffels' book Strategic Issues Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Environmental Scanning, environmental scanning allows an organization to address external competitive, social, economic, and technical issues that may be hard to identify and are persistent.

The citation refers to a book, Strategic Issues Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Environmental Scanning, by John D. Stoffels, published in 1994. The full reference for the publication should be included in the References list at the end of the manuscript.

SAMPLE REFERENCES
Journal or Magazine Article Reference:

Baron, Jason R. "Recordkeeping in the 21st Century." The Information Management Journal 33, no. 4. July 1999.

Olsen, Florence. "AUSCS Juggles Data Requests." Government Computer News, 8 February 1999.

Book Reference:

Duffy, Jan. Harvesting Experience: Reaping the Benefits of Knowledge. Prairie Village, KS: ARMA International, 1999.

Robek, Mary F., Gerald F. Brown, and David O. Stephens. Information and Records Management: Document-Based Information Systems, 4th ed. New York: Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 1995.

Internet Reference:

Gates, Bill and Collins Hemingway. Business @ the Speed of Thought. New York: Time-Warner Books, 1999. Available at www.speed-of-thought.com (accessed 21 December 1999).

Questions about formatting may be directed to the executive editor, J. Michael Pemberton, at 865.974.6509 or imainc@mindspring.com, or by e-mail. Authors are responsible for attribution of all sources and the accuracy of citations.

Permissions

Authors must obtain written permission from the original publisher when using illustrations, tables, charts, etc. from another source. No manuscript containing this material will be published until all necessary signed releases are submitted by the author to the executive editor.

Publishing Criteria

Manuscripts should not be submitted to the Journal if under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts should contain principally original material. Revised or rewritten material – or material published or presented elsewhere – should be clearly indicated to the editor by the author(s) in a letter of transmittal.

Manuscripts can be sent to:
J. Michael Pemberton, Ph.D., CRM
Executive Editor
The Information Management Journal
School of Information Sciences
University of Tennessee
1345 Circle Park Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37996-0341
865.974.6509
865.693.8907
imainc@mindspring.com

Manuscripts are selected for publication in the Journal based primarily on the following:

• Suitability of subject to audience
• Originality
• Intellectual merit
• Effective coverage of the subject
• Editor evaluations as to quality and value

The Journal's executive editor is available to discuss with authors their publication projects, whether near completion or at a developmental stage. J. Michael Pemberton, Ph.D., CRM, executive editor, may be reached at 865.974.6509, 865.693.8907 (nights and weekends), or at imainc@mindspring.com.

Evaluation of Manuscripts

Submitted manuscripts will be reviewed for possible publication by at least two Journal editors. Evaluations focus on the following criteria:

• Readership Appeal: Will the subject of the manuscript appeal to the interests of the Journal's readership?
• Organization: Is the manuscript clearly organized and developed, having a definite direction?
• Originality: Does the manuscript present new facts, insights, knowledge, or perspectives to add to the body of professional literature?
• Value: Is the contribution of the manuscript to the field worthwhile? Does it provide a valuable return on the time invested in reading it?
• Methodology: Are the methods used sound and appropriate to the subject?
• Credibility: Is the information presented credible, valid, and accurate?
• Length: Is the manuscript’s length appropriate to the task it undertakes?
• Technical Material: If the content focuses on technical issues, is it sufficiently clear and accessible for a general practitioner in the information management field?
• Compelling Style: Is the writing suitable for its purpose, clear, informative, thoughtful, persuasive, and stimulating?
• Research: Has the material been compared to and weighed against the work of others (as appropriate)?
• Additional Features: Does the manuscript include – as needed or appropriate – features beyond the basic text, such as graphics, tables, charts, references, a list of relevant URLs, access information about groups and associations?
• Title and Core Objectives: Are the manuscript’s title and core objectives clear, specific, and descriptive? Core objectives are bullet points – limited to a maximum of three – are author-supplied and indicate succinctly the main points, issues, findings, benefits of the manuscript.

Authors are typically notified as to the outcome of the evaluation process within eight weeks of initial receipt. The executive editor takes final responsibility for the publication decision.

Style

Style and readability can be greatly improved by following these suggestions:

• Avoid passive voice (e.g., use "the archivist fired the student worker" rather than "the student worker was fired by the archivist")
• Avoid use of the first person narrative (“I” or “my company”).
• Avoid shifts in person, from "you" to "users" – third person is generally preferred.
• Avoid affectations, suggestions of hidden meaning, exaggerated prose, sexist language, and jargon.
• Generally, keep sentences short; as needed, break up long sentences having several independent clauses.
• Keep paragraphs short and focused on one topic.
• Avoid jumping back and forth from one idea to another.
• Break up text at appropriate points with subheads positioned flush left.
• Keep track of all research sources so that full and correct in-text references and reference-list entries can be made easily.

Electronic Submission Upon Acceptance

After the author has reviewed the evaluators’ suggestions and has made the necessary changes in the manuscript, a final and corrected manuscript must be submitted to the executive editor electronically. The file should be submitted as an e-mail attachment in Microsoft Word 6.0 or WordPerfect 5.1 or higher format, double-spaced with 1-inch margins using 10-point Arial or New Times Roman font. If neither of these formats is available, digitized text should be in plain ASCII. The files must be clearly identified in the e-mail. Specialized coding (e.g., HTML, PDF) should not be used. Use of special formatting, such as tabs and full justification, is not necessary and should be avoided.

Graphic elements in the form of charts, tables, and images to help illustrate the article are encouraged and can be included in the document or sent with the manuscript as separate e-mail attachments. Graphic files should be at least 300 dpi and in TIFF or EPS format. We can also accept JPEG files, but prefer TIFF or EPS.
Captions for illustrations, charts, and reproductions should clearly identify all subject matter and each table, figure, or illustration should be numbered in sequence, using Arabic numerals in the order of mention in the text. Indicate in text where each item should be placed (e.g., "insert figure 2 here"). All graphic elements should be gathered in sequence at the end of the manuscript. The graphics should be slightly larger than that expected for reproduction because it is easier to reduce than enlarge graphics.

Compensation

Authors whose manuscripts are chosen for publication receive an honorarium after the article is printed. Additionally, authors receive two complimentary copies of the Journal issue in which their article appears. Each article published automatically becomes a candidate for the Britt Literary Award, an annual award given by ARMA International for the best article appearing in the Journal for the preceding year. Winners are chosen by ARMA International’s Awards Committee.

Additional Information

The Journal’s liaison at ARMA International’s headquarters is Vicki Wiler, Publications Director, 888.298.3239.

Rev. 7-20-2004