Instructions for Authors

See below for Instructions for Book Reviews and Instructions for Journal Reviews

Purpose: ISTL publishes substantive material of interest to science and technology librarians. It serves as a vehicle for sci-tech librarians to share details of successful programs, materials for the delivery of information services, background information and opinions on topics of current interest, to publish research and bibliographies on issues in science and technology libraries, and to communicate in more depth than the STS-L mailing list.

Please contact one of the following people for more information:

Please query the editor (aduda@istl.org) before submitting an article.

1. Length: Because we are a web-based journal, length is very flexible. In general, articles of about 2000 words seem to work well; however, if you need more space to describe your ideas, feel free to write a longer article.

2. Format: Please see the guidelines below for the format for citations and bibliographies.

3. HTML: Please do not mark up your paper in HTML. You can send it either as ASCII text or as an attached e-mail file. We will mark it up and format it in a standard style.

Layout of Article:

Title
Author(s) including title(s) and institution(s)*
Abstract
Body of Paper
References

References:

References should be cited in the text in the following form:

Smith (1982)
Smith (1982a,b)
Smith (1983, 1984)
Smith and Jones (1984)
(Smith & Jones 1984)
(Smith 1984)
(Smith 1984; Jones 1987)
(Smith et al. 1988) for more than 2 authors

At the end of the paper references should be listed alphabetically in the section entitled References in the following standard form, giving journal titles in full. Please italicize or underline titles of books and journals.

Lancaster, F.W. 1972. Vocabulary Control for Information Retrieval. Washington, D.C.: Information Resources Press,

Markham, J.W. & Hagmeier, E. 1982. Observations on the effects of germanium dioxide on the growth of macro-algae and diatoms. Phycologia 21(2):125-131.

Starr, S. 1982. Databases in the marine sciences. Online Review 6(2):109-125.

Webster, J. 1994. Endangered information: searching the grey literature in the Pacific Northwest. In: Preserving the Past, Looking to the Future: Proceedings of the 19th Annual Conference of the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (ed. by J.W. Markham & A.L. Duda), pp. 119-135. Fort Pierce, Fla.: IAMSLIC.

Citing Internet Sources

Scott, D., et al. 1997. Internet Based Collaborative Learning: An Empirical Evaluation. AusWeb97 Conference Program and Papers. [Online]. Available: http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/donscott/index.html [December 6, 1997].

For examples of other formats for citing Internet resources see A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities.

Illustrations

If your paper includes illustrations please provide them on disk or provide a URL or FTP location where they may be retrieved. Copies of the files will be retained on the UCSB Library's web server. Please include written copyright permission for reproduction of the illustrations from copyright holder or other appropriate person(s).

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GUIDELINES FOR ISTL BOOK REVIEWS

Here are some guidelines to follow in doing the book review; these are things to include, if appropriate.

In general these are to be descriptive and evaluative reviews, designed to make readers aware of new books in the field, for use as a selection tool.

Purpose of the book--who is the intended audience, and what is the general scope and subject area. Is it designed as a textbook (generally we're not reviewing those but may be worth mentioning)? Is it a handbook, bibliography, guide to the literature?

Organization--include information about bibliographies, indexes, appendices if available. Any special features should be mentioned.

Comparison to other publications on the same subject and within a similar time frame.

Authority--any information about the author or editor, and previous works by them if known.

Length of review--no specific limits but probably within the range of 350-500 words would be normal. Feel free to use examples from the text to support your evaluation, so this may make it a bit longer.

Review editor will consult on any changes necessary before submitting it to ISTL for final publication. Reviews should be sent (fax, e-mail, or hard copy) to:

Norma Kobzina
Bioscience and Natural Resources Library
2101 VLSB #6500
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6500
Fax: 510-642-8217
e-mail: nkobzina@istl.org

Reminder: be as open as possible about the evaluation--both positive and negative comments are appropriate.

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GUIDELINES FOR ISTL JOURNAL REVIEWS

Here are some basic guidelines of items to cover in a journal review. Not all of them are always applicable and other components can also be included.

1. In general, reviews are to be descriptive and evaluative, designed to make readers aware of new journals or journal services, for use as a selection tool. It is appropriate to be as open as possible about the evaluation -- both positive and negative comments are welcome.

2. Layout of Review:

   Title of Journal or Service
   Publishers name and address
   Body of Review
   Name of reviewer, position, organization, e-mail address.

3. Purpose of the publication -- its intended audience, history, and its general scope and subject area.

4. Organization of the journal or service -- include information about its different sections such as research articles, fast communications, supplements, etc. Special features should be mentioned, for example, formats - paper, electronics-. If it is electronic, a description of special features related to this medium should be included.

5. Comparison to other publications -- its difference or similarity to other journals in the same subject field.

6. Authority of publication -- it might include information about editors, referees, publisher and sponsoring institutions as well as authors and readers.

7. Length of review, -- no specific limits but probably within the range of 350-500 words would be ideal. Feel free to use examples from the text to support your evaluation.

The review editor will consult on any changes necessary before submitting it to ISTL for final publication. Reviews should be sent by fax, e-mail, or hard copy (preference is for either ASCII text or as an attached e-mail file) to:

Nestor Osorio
Northen Illinois University
Founders Library 303
DeKalb, IL 60115
Fax: 815-753-2003
e-mail: nosorio@istl.org