A basic goal of the Florida Sea Grant College Program (FSG) is to place information produced by research, education and extension activities into the hands of those who use Florida’s coastal and marine resources. This is achieved in several ways using different types of published material, both traditional and electronic, and the mass media. The communications staff is responsible for all FSG information services and is the primary point of contact for assistance in these areas.

This guide is intended to advise Sea Grant-sponsored faculty and others involved in FSG of the policies, procedures, and opportunities available for publication and dissemination of information derived from their work. It explains the procedures for preparation of manuscripts to be published or materials to be produced through FSG.

FSG publications are designed to reach specific audiences. It is often a good communication strategy to use the same information in several types of publications. For example, results of one research project might be published for a more scientific audience in a Sea Grant Report or a Technical Paper. At the same time, brief, pertinent extracts from these publications might be appropriate for publication as a Sea Grant Extension Bulletin or Fact Sheet for a lay audience.

Additionally, authors are encouraged to publish their findings in scientific journals. Florida Sea Grant recommends that graduate students publish their results beyond the thesis and dissertation level.

The production of videos is an option if the information has a broad enough appeal to the general audience. Contact the communications staff to discuss your needs and interests.

3. Types of Publications

When planning a publication, the prospective research author should contact the Associate Director, FSG, or in the case of Sea Grant extension faculty including agents or specialists, the FSG Assistant Director for Extension, to explore its feasibility. Initiate this process by completing and submitting a Publication Production Request form (see Appendix).

After receiving tentative approval to proceed, the author needs to prepare the manuscript according to the guidelines listed below. Manuscripts for Sea Grant Reports, Extension Bulletins and Fact Sheets are subject to peer review and the author may be asked to modify the manuscript in response to comments. In addition, the communications staff will edit the document. Technical Papers are not peer reviewed. Some academic departments have their own review process which authors are encouraged to use. This process contributes to the quality control of the work, and in some cases might eliminate the need for further Sea Grant review. For university faculty and for Sea Grant extension faculty, there is usually a built-in review process expected by the department or unit, or in some cases, county administration. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that this process is followed and that their manuscript is cleared for publication through the appropriate channels (e.g., dean, department chair, department publications review committee).

Regardless of any review process external to FSG Communications, all submissions will be reviewed by the director of communications for technical (grammar and writing) merit and through the design and production process.

Manuscripts submitted for review should be double spaced and typed with wide margins to provide space for comments. After the review and editing process, a publication number will be assigned to the manuscript and it will be sent to the author together with reviewers’ comments. The author will incorporate the necessary changes and return the manuscript complete with a disk containing the electronic version of the publication using a standard word processing program (e.g., WordPerfect, MicroSoft Word). The costs of preparing the manuscript are borne by the author.

Camera-ready pages are provided by the author of Technical Papers following the guidelines found in the section Preparation of Technical Papers. The communications staff produces camera-ready pages for Sea Grant Reports, Extension Bulletins and Fact Sheets from the materials provided by the author(s).

5.1.2 Illustrations and Photographs: Originals of illustrations (including graphs, charts, tables, drawings, and photographs or slides) provide the best reproduction. Copies digitized in high resolution (300dpi) also reproduce well. Original color slides and photographs can be digitized by the communications staff. Duplicates are not suitable for reproduction. Either format can be converted for use in black-and-white or one-color publications. All illustrations, slides and photographs should be clean and in sharp-focus. Send illustrations and photographs in a separate envelope attached to the manuscript. Tape an identifying label on the back of each item rather than writing on it. Include with captions the designated page numbers and placement information.

For images from digital cameras, take photos at your camera's highest setting (e.g., 1024x768 or 1240x960). As with scanned images (300dpi), these can be sent as attachments to e-mail, or submitted on a disk or zip disk.

Cover design suggestions are welcome.

5.1.5 Logos: The communications staff will include the Florida Sea Grant logo in the publication or production, generally on the front or back cover, or inside the front or back cover. The FSG logo is used alone, or in conjunction with other logos, depending on the nature of the work, collaborators and sources of support of the work. These include, as appropriate, the State University System (SUS) logo, the NOAA logo (sometimes used together with a NOAA statement), and affiliates such as the University of Florida, or other collaborating university or institution, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), IFAS Communication Services, and Cooperative Extension.

If there are specific logo requirements for a publication, it is the author's responsibility to secure a high resolution version of the graphic for reproduction (see 5.1.2 Illustrations and Photographs).

FSG Communications arranges for, and provides funds to print or produce, reasonable quantities of approved FSG productions. These costs should not normally be included as part of the research project grant. Exceptions exist, such as when a grant is specifically for the production and distribution of information materials.

Authors normally receive 25 complimentary copies of the final product. If more copies are needed, advise the communications staff prior to printing.

Publications are distributed by Sea Grant unless prior arrangements are made. Publications are distributed in one of three ways: free of charge on a single copy basis, in bulk quantities, and as "For Sale" publications. The selling price for publications is determined by the actual cost of production, printing and distribution, and in some cases, marketing.

Mandatory distribution of new publications includes the National Sea Grant Office, The National Sea Grant Library at the University of Rhode Island Pell Marine Science Library, and Florida University libraries. Certain productions and publications are also required by the Sea Grant National Media Relations Project and the NOAA Central Library. In addition, abstracts are routinely deposited with the National Technical Information Service.

6.1 Publication Preparation

Information submitted for publication must include a disk containing the electronic version of the publication using a standard word processing program (e.g., WordPerfect, Microsoft Word). The FSG communications staff will typeset and design the layout. Available photographs and illustrations are also submitted at this time.

An abstract or executive summary of 150 to 250 words is required for journal articles, Sea Grant Reports, Technical Papers, and, when warranted, for Internet productions.

The author will have final approval at the camera-ready stage. Final revisions must be made at this time. Galley proofs will not be submitted to the author.

The guidelines for printing and distributing Technical Papers (see above) apply to Sea Grant Reports, Extension Bulletins and Fact Sheets.

7.1.1 Sponsorship Credit: Articles resulting all or in part from Sea Grant funding should acknowledge all sources of support. The statement below must appear in the published work acknowledging the project as part of the Florida Sea Grant College Program with support from the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, and the Office of Sea Grant. The grant number should also be cited. The statement is to be used solely or in combination with any other acknowledgement statement, such as those required by a host university or other institutional collaborator.

This article was developed under the auspices of the Florida Sea Grant College Program with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Sea Grant, U.S. Department of Commerce, Grant No. ___________.

7.1.2 Copyright: The following statement must be provided to the journal editor, as in a cover letter, whether it appears in print or not. The journal retains the right to delete the statement from the actual published article.

This publication (video, film, etc.) was supported by the National Sea Grant College Program of the United States Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under NOAA Grant # ________. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of any of these organizations.

Grant numbers are indicated on all project award-of-contracts letters, or can be obtained from FSG staff.

When issuing a news release independent of FSG communications, or when being interviewed by the press, researchers and Sea Grant extension faculty are expected to indicate that the research is funded by or affiliated with the Florida Sea Grant College Program, as appropriate. Please provide a copy of each printed news release or video clip to the FSG communication staff.

As with other Sea Grant publications, manuscripts and camera-ready copy prepared for the Internet should be submitted to the Sea Grant communications staff accompanied by either an e-mail attachment or a disk containing the electronic version of the publication using a standard word processing program (e.g., WordPerfect, Microsoft Word). Web-ready materials prepared with any computer software program using html (hyper-text markup language), must be cleared in advance: consult with the Communications staff to ensure compatibility of style and format, and to ensure that the FSG Web capabilities are not exceeded.

Links to other pages are listed on subject related pages. If a homepage is created using information generated from Sea Grant sponsored research, please e-mail the URL (Web address) to skearl@ufl.edu. In most cases a reciprocal link to the FSG Web site, www.FLSeaGrant.org, can be established.

James C. Cato,Director
Bill Seaman, Jr., Associate Director
Florida Sea Grant College Program
University of Florida
Building 803
P O Box 110400
Gainesville, FL 32611-0400
Phone - 352/392-5870
SUNCOM - 622-5870
Fax - 352/392-5113

Micheal S. Spranger, Assistant Director for Extension
Florida Sea Grant Extension Program
University of Florida
Building 803
P O Box 110405
Gainesville, FL 32611-0405
Phone - 352/392-1837
SUNCOM - 622-1837
Fax - 352/392-5113

Requested by __________________________________________________________

Sea Grant Project Number ___________________________ Date _________________

Design Team ______________________________________

Proposed Title __________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Type of publication _______________________________________________________

Estimated number of pages __________________ Size _________________________

Text Black only ________ 2-color ________ 4-color ________

Quantity __________________________________

Date needed ______________________________

Account Number ____________________________

Deliver to ________________________________ Distribution ___________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

Comments ____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________