About PBE articles
Powder and Bulk Engineering publishes two types of feature articles — technical
articles and application articles (including case histories and others). For information
about application articles, see the guidelines called “Application articles.” For
article examples, see any PBE issue or click on “Recent Articles” on PBE’s
Web site (www.powderbulk.com).
PBE’s technical articles are written by technical professionals for technical
professionals. However, the articles are a team effort: You provide the content
and expertise; we provide the editorial skills to tailor your article to PBE’s
audience.
This means that you don’t have to be an Ernest Hemingway to become a PBE
author. We look for technical experts who have valuable information to share. Our
editors can shape and polish your manuscript into a well-written article even if
you’ve never written before.
It also means that even if you are an Ernest Hemingway, you can expect your article
to be edited — sometimes in minor ways, sometimes in major ways. PBE has
well-established content and style criteria for the articles we publish. We also
have other publishing constraints to consider, such as available space.
Why should a busy engineer or manager like you take the time and trouble to write
for PBE? While we can’t promise you the fame and fortune of a best-selling
novelist, your published article will bring professional attention to you and your
company. Most important, your experience and know-how can help others learn.
About Powder and Bulk Engineering
Powder and Bulk Engineering is the only monthly technical publication edited
exclusively for readers in the North American powder and bulk solids market.
Our readers are hands-on engineers and managers who evaluate, select, and design
systems for handling, processing, and storing materials in powder and bulk solid
form. The majority of our readers identify themselves as process and production
engineers, design and construction engineers, operations managers, research and
development specialists, and plant managers. These technical decision-makers need
practical information they can use in their daily operations.
PBE readers are involved in the manufacture of a broad range of powder and
bulk solid materials, including industrial and agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
food products, plastics and rubber, lime and cement, explosives and ammunition,
primary metals, pigments and coatings, stone, clay, glass, ceramics, pulp and paper,
and textiles.
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Editorial calendar
For an editorial calendar that shows each issue’s focus, special features, and editorial
deadlines, contact the Editor or
click here.
If you’d like your article considered for a particular issue, contact the Editor
several months before the issue is to appear. Generally, the articles for an issue
are selected about 4 to 5 months before the issue date.
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Technical article content
All PBE technical articles must handle their subject matter objectively and
use a noncommercial approach. Your viewpoint must be impartial. It can’t promote
one manufacturer’s equipment or technologies and can’t feature a type of equipment
offered by only one company. And your article must be relevant to more than one
dry bulk solids industry.
PBE technical articles relate practical information about the equipment and
processes our readers use daily. PBE doesn’t publish general information
articles like those found in news and business publications. PBE technical
articles discuss powder and bulk solids processes, technology, and equipment. Topics
of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Agglomeration
- Bagging and packaging
- Classifying
- Drying
- Dust collection
- Feeding
- Mixing and blending
- Particle analysis
- Pneumatic and mechanical conveying
- Screening, sifting, and sieving
- Size reduction
- Storage and storage vessels
- Weighing and batching
Your article can share facts, ideas, and advice on selecting or troubleshooting
equipment or a process. It can include checklists or other helpful tools. It can
discuss trends in processing, handling, or testing methods. Article ideas include
the following:
Select and apply articles help the reader
select and apply a particular process, technology, or type of equipment. The facts
help the reader make informed decisions. For instance, your article can
- Discuss major facts about a process.
- Compare and contrast equipment.
- Detail important criteria for selecting a process or equipment.
- Provide advice on troubleshooting existing processes or equipment.
Trends articles discuss the current trends
in equipment design, production processes, or testing methods. Your article can
discuss fairly broad changes within a technology or one portion of a particular
technology or process.
Engineering studies describe what you
learned from conducting an engineering study to solve a processing or handling problem
in your plant.
Tips articles let you share your tips
for solving a processing, handling, or equipment problem.
Before preparing your technical article
To save you the time and aggravation of preparing an article that may not be right
for PBE’s audience or may not fit into PBE’s editorial schedule, we
urge you to send us a brief abstract of your proposed article. It should give us
a good idea of what you have in mind — what the article is about, its scope, and
what our readers will learn from it.
If the abstract fits PBE’s upcoming editorial plans, we’ll ask you to submit
the complete article. Please remember that this request doesn’t mean the article
will definitely be published. The final decision about that will be made when we
have the completed article in hand.
Writing your article
The abstract. Technical
articles should start with an abstract of about 25 to 50 words — a concise statement
of what the article is about and what readers will learn from it.
The text. Write in a conversational
manner, as if you were talking to a friend about your work. Remember, you want to
inform, so write as simply and clearly as you can. Use short sentences whenever
possible. Avoid technical jargon. Define all specialized terms. Use examples to
tie difficult or abstract points to the reader’s experience. Don’t worry about grammar,
punctuation, and style — PBE’s editors will polish these as needed.
Tip: Put yourself in the reader’s place.
Never assume your reader knows as much about the subject as you do. Plan the most
logical way to present your material to help your reader understand it.
The length. PBE
is flexible about length, but typical articles run 2,500 to 3,750 words — about
10 to 15 double-spaced typed pages. (Tips articles are often much shorter — 800
to 1,500 words.) Provide as much detail as you think is necessary. We’ll condense
if needed.
Details
Manuscripts may be submitted as hard copies or by e-mail. If you send a diskette,
please send a hard copy as well.
- Manuscripts should be double-spaced with wide
margins on all sides and printed on a letter-quality or better printer or typewriter.
- We use Macintosh computers with MS-Word for
word processing. If you use a different word processing program, please send two
files: one saved in your program and one saved as “plain text.” Please do include
a printed copy of your manuscript as well.
- E-mailed manuscripts should be sent as MS-Word
or plain text files. If you send plain text files, mail us a hard copy of the article
so we can see any formatting (italics, bold type, etc.) that should be included.
- Byline. On the first page of the manuscript,
indicate how you would like your name and company name to appear if the article
is published.
- Mathematical equations. Present formulas
and equations clearly, and double-check them for accuracy. Label symbols that might
be ambiguous. Be sure to define all symbols — even if the meaning is obvious to
you or is generally known. If your manuscript uses several symbols, please supply
a nomenclature table.
- Footnotes and references. Double-space
all footnotes and references. Don’t worry about format — we’ll edit these items
to conform to PBE style. However, make sure each listing contains complete
bibliographical data, including page numbers and place and date of publication.
- Number your footnotes consecutively in order of their appearance in the text.
- Keep in mind that your reference list should be useful rather than exhaustive.
- Biography. Include a short professional
biography that specifies your present position title, your experience in this field,
and your educational background. Also include a mailing address, telephone number,
fax number, and e-mail address, if available.
Photos and illustrations
Magazines are a visual medium. Good pictures will attract readers to your article
and help them understand the information you’re presenting. We encourage authors
to provide several photos, illustrations, tables, graphs, and charts.
Photos
Format. Submit good-quality
photos in either color or black and white. You can send glossy prints, slides or
transparencies, or digital files on a CD-ROM or Zip disk or by e-mail. For technical
articles, digital photos must be at least 300 dpi at a 3.5-inch width. Preferred
formats are eps and tiff. Photocopies, prints from inkjet printers, and half-tone
prints and negatives aren’t acceptable. If you send high-res photos by e-mail, please
send each photo in a separate e-mail.
Content. The best photos
will clearly show the equipment under discussion. A supplier’s nameplate should
not be a prominent part of the photos.
Illustrations, tables, graphs, and charts
All graphics should enhance the reader’s understanding of your text. Please send
the original graphics if at all possible. If that’s not possible, be sure that the
copies you send are crisp and readable.
Submit each item on a separate sheet of paper (or as a separate digital file), not
on your text pages. If you send graphics as digital files, we prefer eps or tiff
format, 300 dpi at a 3.5-inch width. CAD files and certain other file types won’t
work for us.
Make sure each item is cited in the text. Make sure all text, numbers, and symbols
are clearly understandable. Provide a key where needed.
Captions
Every photo or illustration you submit must have an appropriate caption. Give as
much detail as you want. We’ll edit it to fit the article’s space and content needs.
Don’t write captions directly on the front or back of photos or illustrations. Type
the captions separately and masking-tape them to the back. Or very lightly but clearly
mark a number on the back of each item. Then provide a list of captions on a separate
sheet, numbered to correspond with each item.
Copyrights
Photos, illustrations, tables, graphs, and charts can be copyrighted, just like
text. Be sure that if you’ve borrowed any of these from another source — such as
a book, article, or Internet site — you obtain permission to use it. Provide us
with proof of that permission and the credit line that must be used.
Mailing graphics
Protect your photos, illustrations, and other graphics. When you send your photos
and illustrations to us, put the items between cardboard sheets. Don’t use paper
clips or staples. We’ll return all images that you request; however, we can’t be
responsible for any accident that may occur or any loss in the mail.
Clearances
If your work must be cleared by your company, supplier, or regulatory sources, obtain
these clearances prior to submitting your article. While we can discuss manuscript
ideas or review article outlines before you’ve initiated clearance procedures, we’ll
accept your manuscript for publication only after it has been approved. (And be
certain that whoever has to approve the article is aware that changes will be made
during the editing process.) If you need help, check with your public relations
or marketing people. They may know about the standard clearance procedure.
After we receive your article
Editorial review. After
we receive your article, it will go through editorial review. This will include
evaluation by staff editors and possibly by our Editorial Advisory Board members
or other experts. We’ll notify you as quickly as possible (usually within several
weeks) whether your manuscript will be accepted, will need to be revised for further
consideration, or will not be used. If revision is required, we’ll provide guidance.
Here are some of the questions we consider when we evaluate an article:
- Does it cover a topic specific to the powder and bulk industry?
- Will it be useful to a large segment of our audience?
- Does it offer sound, impartial information or advice?
- Does it offer a fresh look at its subject, or is it a rehash of old or commonly
known material?
- Is it written to help the reader who’s not an expert on the topic?
- Will it advance the reader’s professional knowledge?
- Does it have interesting, informative photos or other graphics?
Scheduling and editing.
Once PBE and you jointly agree to proceed, your article will be tentatively
scheduled for a specific issue. We’ll also tentatively schedule a time for your
article to be edited for maximum impact. We may make minor changes, such as sharpening
sentence structure and word choice. We may also make substantial changes, such as
condensing some portions and rewriting or reorganizing others, clarifying content,
and providing a balanced level of detail. We’ll contact you with questions during
this process.
Accuracy check
Prior to publication, we’ll send you the edited article so that you can check it
for technical accuracy and correct any technical errors.
Normally, we allow 24 to 48 hours in our production cycle for the accuracy check.
If you know your company will require more time, please let us know at the beginning
of the editorial process.
After publication
Copyright status. On publication
of the article, copyright is transferred to PBE, including the right to use
the article on our Web site, for promotional purposes, and for possible inclusion
in an anthology. You must obtain PBE’s permission to post the article on
your Web site or to make copies and distribute the article or its figures and tables.You
retain the right to prepare derivative works or to revise, adapt, or orally present
your unedited article.
Complimentary issues. We’ll
send you two complimentary copies of the issue that contains your article. If you
need a few additional copies, please let us know.
Reprints. If you or your
company wants reprints of the article, our production department can quote prices
and work with you on designing the reprint’s format. Contact Chris Myers for information
(651-287-5611, cmyers@cscpub.com).
Thank you!
PBE relies on professionals like you to keep our readers informed about the
latest and best technology and equipment in our industry. Thank you for considering
PBE for placement of your article.
Send articles to the Editor:
Terry O’Neill • 1155 Northland Drive • St. Paul, MN 55120
651-287-5621 • fax 651-287-5650 • toneill@cscpub.com