Web Writing: Why and How for Liberal Arts Teaching and Learning (archived site)

Essay submission instructions (June-Aug 2013)

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Timeline: Authors must submit full drafts of proposed essays by August 15th, 2013, using the form at the bottom of this page. Late submissions that delay our workflow will not be accepted. All essays that meet the standards of the editorial team will appear in draft format (not public) on this website for authors to make minor modifications (such as line editing, adding links, images, etc.) during a two-week period, around August 30th to September 14th. During the open peer review, from September 15th to October 30th, essays will be made public to receive comments by commissioned expert reviewers, other authors, and general readers, all of whom must use their full names. Revisions to essays are not permitted during the open review period, because doing so could break links to paragraph-level feedback in our CommentPress platform. After the open review, the editorial team will invite selected essays to be revised and resubmitted for the final manuscript in early 2014. Authors who do not advance will be notified by private email. See our editorial process for more details about our policies and timeline.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 Focus: Each essay must address teaching and learning with web-based writing in the liberal arts, on topics suggested by our guiding questions or ideas & proposals page. This born-digital volume integrates why questions with online examples and tutorials to illustrate how faculty and students are engaging in this type of work. We welcome essays with first-person perspectives, or co-authored by educators and/or learners, or those that include student-authored content, either anonymous or credited (with permission). Innovative essays that build on collaboration and/or contrasting points of view are encouraged, and contributors may submit co-authored essays or individual pieces written in coordination with other authors. We expect insightful and imaginative writing, supported with rich examples, in a clear and compelling style that makes readers want to learn more. The open-access final publication is primarily intended for liberal arts educators, with online resources that may be shared with student writers.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 Two options for composing and submitting essays:
Option A: The author writes the essay in any word processor, saves in an accepted format (MS Word .docx or OpenDocument .odt), and submits to the editors by August 15th (using the form at the bottom of this page). The editors will upload approved essays to draft pages on the Web Writing site and convert footnotes into our preferred WordPress format by August 30th. Authors will have a two-week period to make minor modifications and add additional links, images, captions, etc. before the open peer review begins on September 15th.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 Option B: The author requests early access to a draft page on the Web Writing site (using the form at the bottom of this page) and creates the essay in WordPress format, with or without a word processor, by August 15th. Once approved by the editorial team, the author will have a similar two-week period (or longer) to make modifications and digital enhancements before the open peer review. This option works best for contributors who already are familiar with the WordPress dashboard and/or who wish to create essays with sub-pages (request via email) or other special features. See also our WordPress guidelines for contributors. If you choose this option, submit the form NOW to receive access to begin work on your draft page.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 For either option, we encourage authors to continue exchanging comments on the Web Writing essay idea discussion page before August 15th. Furthermore, if you are collaborating on an essay with co-authors, be sure to explore Google Documents (which offers simultaneous editing and downloading to Word/OpenDocument formats) or file-sharing services (such as DropBox). Finally, for authors who use the free Zotero reference management software, we encourage you to join the Web Writing public group library and upload your citations in this easy-to-share format. (Learn more about Zotero groups and how to join one.)

¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 2 Length, notes, and links: Essays may range between 1,000 and 4,000 words (including notes), plus additional web links and digital media (such as images, screenshots, screencasts, video, etc.). When citing sources (such as books, articles, and websites), use full Chicago-style footnotes, and when possible, include the web address to help readers locate items, as shown in these examples. ¹ Also, authors have the option to embed selected links directly in the main text for emphasis and convenience of online readers (such as this Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide), as long as the full citation and web address appear in the footnote, to assure that links are visible to readers of print editions, like this. ² Prior to the open review, the editors will convert all footnote web addresses into live links in our preferred WordPress style. (If you are creating your own draft page, see our WordPress guide for contributors.) Do not include “accessed on” dates in footnotes, since all web links will be re-checked before the final publication. In unusual cases, when a digital source has been removed from the web and is no longer available to readers, explain in a footnote with the full citation, and provide the former web address or link from the Internet Archive Way-Back Machine.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on paragraph 7 0 Intellectual property policy: The editors of this open-access publication seek to protect the rights of individual contributors (who retain copyright over their works) and to maximize free readership and redistribution by the public. Authors must agree to the following statement before submitting the form below and full essay by August 15, 2013:

¶ 8 Leave a comment on paragraph 8 0 As the first author, I am the original creator (or co-creator) of the work submitted and agree to share it under the same Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States (BY-NC) license used by the Web Writing site. I acknowledge that the Creative Commons license allows me (or us) as author (or co-authors) to retain the copyright of the work while making a non-exclusive agreement for it to be freely shared with others, as long as the original source is cited.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on paragraph 9 0 I will clearly state whether any portion of this essay is under review or has been previously published elsewhere. If any material in this essay has been copyrighted by others, I will obtain written permission from the copyright proprietor and include it with this submission, or clearly explain if and how it falls within fair use guidelines. Also, I warrant that the essay contains no matter that is defamatory or otherwise in violation of the rights of others.

¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 0 By submitting this essay, I understand that the editors may accept or decline it for inclusion in the Web Writing site. If accepted for the website, I will receive at least two weeks to review the digital draft and make revisions and enhancements prior to Fall 2013 open review and public commentary period. At any time during the open review, an author may request that the editors “close comments” on an essay and remove it from active discussion on the website, which also would eliminate it from further consideration for publication. However, the Creative Commons license for this work cannot be revoked, and a static copy of the essay (with comments prior to closing) will be digitally archived by the editors and will continue to be accessible by the public.

¶ 11 Leave a comment on paragraph 11 0 After the open review period, I understand that the editors may accept or decline my essay for inclusion in the final manuscript for publication by the Center for Teaching and Learning at Trinity College. If accepted for the final manuscript, I will receive at least four weeks to revise the essay in response in editorial feedback. I also grant CTL the right to publish my contribution in all languages and for all future print and electronic editions, under same Creative Commons license for this site (BY-NC).

¶ 12 Leave a comment on paragraph 12 0 Post questions or comments on this page, or email Web Writing editor Jack Dougherty. The form appears below: