Michigan Municipal Review Writer's Guidelines

Mission of the Michigan Municipal League:
Advocate, Educate, Assist

The mission of the MML is to advocate on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington and the Courts; provide traditional and unique forums and formats to educate local elected and appointed officials; and, to assist local government leaders in administering services through League conceived programs and products.

Guidelines for Submitting Articles for
Publication in the Michigan Municipal Review

The League can make no commitment to publish an article until the editor of the Michigan Municipal Review has examined a completed manuscript. Articles submitted for publication are reviewed by League staff. If the subject matter is of a technical nature the manuscript may be sent to outside experts for evaluation. The League makes the final decision for or against publishing an article and reserves the right to copyedit accepted articles to conform to the League's style and usage.

In keeping with the MML mission, all material submitted for publication should provide information on local government issues that will be of assistance to local government officials.

Content
The Michigan Municipal Review does not use "new product" or "personnel changes" press releases, except for some Michigan Municipal League affiliate organizations and some state agencies. Articles should be relevant to Michigan local governments and preferably should feature a project or official in a Michigan city or village. The editor prefers articles written by or co-authored by a Michigan local government official. While vendors and suppliers are encouraged to submit relevant articles, the Michigan Municipal Review will not print "free advertising" disguised as editorial material.

Formatting

• Articles should be emailed as an attachment to the editor at jlintott@mml.org. The preferred word processing program is MS Word 98.
• Use one-inch margins.
• Font should be 11-12 point.
• Indent (do not tab in) the first line of each paragraph.
• Do not divide and hyphenate words at the end of lines.
• Do not use right-margin justification.
• Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of titles and subheads, proper words and the first letter of the first word following a colon(:) or long dash (-). Do not use all CAPS. For example: Michigan wins again - Economic development surges in small municipalities

Length

• Short articles should be one magazine page. (650 words)
• Long articles should be two to three magazine pages. (1,200-2,000 words)
• Sidebars for articles should be 200-350 words
• Regular columns should be 650 words)

TIP: To get an accurate word count using MS Word - on the main toolbar at the top of the screen, click on "Tools." In that pull-down menu you will see an option for "Word Count . . . ." Click on that.

Style

• The style of all articles submitted to the Michigan Municipal Review should conform to the Associated Press Style Book and Libel Manual.
• Use plain English rather than jargon or unidentified technical terms.
• All acronyms should be written out in full the first time they are used, followed by the acronym in parentheses. For example: National League of Cities (NLC)
• Use active voice rather than passive voice.
• Avoid lengthy direct quotations and one-sentence paragraphs.
• Use subheadings to introduce new sections of text.

Artwork, graphs, charts

• Graphs and charts should be submitted as digital files in a PC platform (See guidelines) and accompanied by a hard copy printed in black and white on a 8 1/2" x 11" sheet.
• All graphs and charts should have a caption that clarifies or adds to the information presented in the graph or chart.

Photographs

• Photographs should be 5" x 7" or larger black and white or color prints.
• Photographs should add visual interest. Unposed photographs that show action are preferred.
• Put your name, address and an identifying caption on the back of each photograph. Print the information on a white adhesive label and stick it to the back of the photograph. Do not write directly on the surface of the back of the photo, as the ink can bleed through and ruin the photo.

Author recognition

• Authors are recognized by a byline giving the person's full name and professional certification initials. (For example: by Kathy Dornan, CMC)
• Each article is concluded with a brief biographical statement of the author's professional credentials and affiliations. (For example: Patsy S. Clark is president of Patsy S. Clark and Associates, and is chairman of the Michigan Municipal Communicators, an affiliate organization of the Michigan Municipal League. You may contact Patsy at (phone) or by email at (address).) Please include appropriate biographical and credentialing information with proposed articles. Also include your phone number and email address.

Copyright

• The League has an agreement with other state municipal leagues that articles published in the Michigan Municipal Review may be reprinted in other state municipal league magazines provided that the source and author are credited.
• The League works cooperatively with other municipal publications and generally gives permission for articles to be reprinted provided that the source and author are credited.

The editor prefers query phone calls (to 734-662-3246) or letters before manuscripts are submitted.

An editorial calendar is available at www.mml.org. Magazine issues focus on themes specific to local government. Articles to be included are scheduled up to eight months in advance of publication.

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