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Steps to Successful Publication
Step 1: Plan ahead. Be aware of the Publications deadlines, so you get your project when you are expecting it.
Step 2: Assign a person to be the point of contact for your project. This person should be tasked with ensuring the publication is approved of by all appropriate officials, including department chairs, deans, associate vice presidents, etc. All corrections should be funneled through this individual before forwarding them on to Publications. The point of contact should sort out conflicting changes before they reach the Publications Office. This will help avoid time being wasted fixing the publication over and over before everyone agrees with changes.
Step 3: Fill out Publications Office Checklist. Keep a copy for yourself and provide one for the Publications Office.
Step 4: Consult with your assigned graphic designer about what you expect for your project. For large projects, the Publications Office can provide additional personnel, including the associate vice president for marketing, the senior editor and a photographer, to help with the planning of the project and what kinds of publications may be best suited for you. Call 882-8224 to set up such a meeting.
Step 5: Provide the Publication Office with all text and pictures. If you need help with the arrangement of pictures, please consult your graphic designer. Please note that the arrangement of new pictures can take time, so plan accordingly.
Step 6: If the Publications Office has arranged for outside vendors to bid on your project, please process your purchase order or other form of payment as quickly as possible. This often takes time, so the earlier the better.
Step 7: Provide the Publications Office with approve to print your job. Be sure all appropriate people have signed off on your corrections and the information you provided is accurate. See Step 2.
Standards
The UTB/TSC Publications Office is responsible for the quality and production of university publications. The goal of the publications team is to maintain consistency and accuracy and to provide a positive identity for UTB/TSC. The Publications Office ensures that university publications are seen by the general public:
n represent the responsible use of institutional funds
n are consistent with institutional editorial and graphic standards in content, design and purpose
n contain language and graphics that fairly represent gender, age and ethnicity
n serve the overall goals and objectives of UTB/TSC
Planning and production
Call the Publications Office at 882-8224, early in the planning stages of your publication to discuss your needs. Allow sufficient time for editing, typesetting, designing, bidding and printing of your publication.
Before you request a publication, make sure you have:
n the budget available and budget authority approval
n determined the target audience for your publication
n written your message and have it approved by your director, department chair or dean, or whoever you think needs to review it
n determined your deadline for needing the publication
n decided on a plan for distribution of the publication
Thoughtful consideration of these factors will improve the effectiveness of your publication.
Here’s what is involved:
Time: While the complexity of jobs varies, most publications require one to six weeks from the time we receive the original copy until printed copies are delivered.
Costs: The Publications Office provides planning, editing, designing and typesetting at no charge. However, the office originating the publication request must pay the costs of printing, binding and other production services. Those requesting publications not paid for by the Publications Office must provide budget authority approval before production can begin.
Copy and Content: The office or department seeking a printed piece is responsible for providing the original, accurate content for the publication. Submit it to us in text format, preferably Microsoft Word. It is important that your content has been reviewed by your supervisor, whether it be a department chair, director, dean or other administrative level, before submission to the Publications Office. Review and approval of content after design has started is costly, cause delays and is a waste of our time. Publications staff will edit a draft copy for style. Please proofread the content carefully.
Approval: Publication proofs are attached to all review copies of the manuscript, including the final proof. Final approval of information rests with the department or office initiating the request.
Schedule: As a rule, publications are logged onto the production schedule on a first-come, first-served basis. Items already on the schedule have priority over rush jobs. When several publications with tight deadlines are requested, the priority list is followed. See Publications Office Deadlines.
Photography
When submitting photos for publicity or publications use, here are a few journalistic and artistic criteria to keep in mind:
To set up up appointments for photographs, contact Juan Miguel Gonzalez at 882-8996.
Photos should have a clear center of interest.
They should look natural, i.e., real people doing real things, not gazing blankly into space, lined up against a wall or pretending to be busy.
Photos should be relevant to your program or event.
Focus on individuals, not crowds. Every face should be at least the size of a dime.
Printing
UTB/TSC Printing Services keeps certain paper stocks and sizes on hand and can complete many print jobs. Printing projects done on campus are limited to spot colors. You will be provided the Printing Services request form and will be responsible for obtaining your job when completed. Projects produced by the Publications Office that exceed the capabilities of Printing Services are placed with commercial printing vendors. We follow the bid process established by the state of Texas and the UTB/TSC Purchasing Office.
Mailing
UTB/TSC has bulk mailing and business reply permits which may be used for college-related projects only. When using the bulk mail permit, the 80 Fort Brown. A return address must be used. UTB/TSC maintains a contract with an area firm to provide mail services such as labeling, sorting, inserting, etc. at individual department's expense. Contact Mail Services at 882-5935 for details.
What Is the Proper Writing Style?
To assure the quality and consistency of UTB/TSC’s publications, we follow UTB/TSC Style Guide. |