Numbered publications
Numbered publications are the official publications of the college. They include Extension guides, circulars and handbooks and Experiment Station research reports and research bulletins. Technical reports and task force reports often are combined Extension and Experiment Station efforts.
The prepress/publishing group tracks the status of nearly 1,500 numbered publications. With administrative approval, some research results, such as those from annual variety trials, may be officially reported in unnumbered Web-only publications.
- Policies for numbered and Web-only publications
- Types of numbered publications
- How to submit a manuscript for publication
- Writing style guide
- Request for Approval of Manuscript form for Extension publications
Frequently asked questions-Numbered publications
Q. Do Extension publications get priority over Experiment Station publications?
A.
All
numbered publications, whether they are Extension of Experiment
Station publications, are handled on a first come, first served basis.
Having said that, sometimes a short guide may be completed before a more complex research bulletin, since the prepress/publishing group employs students trained to layout some of our less complicated projects. However, more complex publications, especially those that include numerous tables and figures, must be laid out by our professional staff.
In addition, at the request of a college administrator or department head, certain publications may be given priority.
To accommodate authors who wish to have their publications out quicker than prepress/publishing can manage, we can arrange to outsource your project to a local design company. The author is responsible for the additional cost.
Q. When do I bring my numbered publication to the prepress/publishing group?
Q. Would it save prepress time if I layout a brochure myself in
Publisher before editing?
A. There is no need to try to layout
your brochure or other project in any desktop publishing program. In
fact, this usually creates more work for you and for the
prepress/publishing staff. All we need is a text file in Word or
WordPerfect. Any artwork should be provided electronically in separate
files. Do not attempt to embed any photos or illustrations in the text
file. Publisher can be particularly troublesome because the program
cannot output the separations necessary for many color print jobs.
Q. Will my digital pictures be good enough for print? For the
Web?
A. Digital pictures need to be high-resolution images to
work well for print. Recent advances in digital cameras have allowed
many of our clients to take high-resolution photos that work very well
for print. However, photos should still be clear, well lit and in focus.
We recommend setting your digital camera at the highest resolution
possible.
If your digital picture is at least 72 dots per inch (dpi) it will work well on the Web and again good photo quality is essential.
Q. Can I use a screen-captured picture from the Web for my print
project?
A. Most photos on the Web are 72 pixels per inch
(ppi)—this is too low a resolution for a print project. Copyright
questions may also arise if a screen-captured picture is used. It is
important to understand that the final printed photo will not be of the
best quality. We recommend high-resolution digital photos, slides or
actual photo prints for use in print publications.
Q. What is resolution and how does it affect print quality?
A. Resolution is the fineness of detail of a digital image.
Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (ppi) on monitors (usually 72
ppi). For print, it is measured in dots per inch (dpi) or the number of
dots that can be placed side by side in a line an inch long. The higher
the resolution—the better quality digital image you will have. What
this means for print quality is that if an image is a high-resolution
image, there literally are more dots in every inch of your image and
your picture will have that much more detail when printed.
Q. When is it necessary for pressmen to order negatives for my
print project?
A. A negative is necessary for a print project
when you want to include photos (color or black and white) or graphics
that contain gray scale (shades of gray).
Q. Where can I find my publications on the Web?
A.
College publications are located at http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs
Q. Do I have to make all of the changes marked when I get my publication back
from the editor?
A. The author has final say
when it comes to a publication's informational content. Therefore, if
the meaning of a sentence has been inadvertently changed by editing, the
author should insist that the information be presented accurately.
However, the prepress/publishing group's editor has final say regarding
issues of writing style in order to maintain a consistent and
professional series of official college publications. For more
information about style, please see writing style for numbered publications.
Q. What style are you following when you edit my publication?
A. When editing college
numbered publications, the prepress/publishing group is mainly
concerned with internal consistency within a manuscript. However, we do
follow some general guidelines as discussed in writing style for numbered publications. We also
often consult The Chicago Manual of Style.
When editing a faculty or staff member's manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, the prepress/publishing group's editor mainly looks for grammatical and spelling errors and inconsistencies in the writing style. The editor is not responsible for knowing each journal's style.
Q. Can I use photos or figures from other sources in my publication?
A. Yes, however, it is the author's responsibility to obtain permission to reprint any material from another publication and to obtain a high-quality electronic file of the material.
Contact Information
Ana Henke
Outreach Educational Publications Supervisor
Regents Row, Roberts Bldg. Room 105
MSC 3K, Box 30001
Phone: 575-646-1174
FAX: 575-646-2702
ahenke@nmsu.edu