Guidance for Authors

Guidance for Authors

Guidance for Authors, a note by the Master, January 2014

1. Introduction

I want our Company’s objective of “Promoting the development and advancement of the science, art and practice of water and environmental management” to become alive.  In my statement for consideration as Walbrook Warden I said that I would exploit the know-how that there was in the Company.

The Master’s Committee believes that there is not a sufficiently direct connection between this laudable aim and the activities of the general membership.

I suggested at the banquet that one way for us to become Globally Useful is for the Company to become a unique source of comment on water and environmental management.

I say unique because we are a Livery Company and can be quite different from the institutions, government departments and the like on account of our greatly varied membership as well as our ability to ‘do our own thing’.

Producing comments that are written by individual members seems to be the most direct way in which members can contribute to us achieving our aim.

These comments will not have the status of reports or papers and most certainly will NOT represent the views of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators.  I hope that the title ‘Perspective’ suggests that this is a personal and individual view.

Perspectives WILL be personal views, and because of this I believe that they will be distinct, and all the more valuable and interesting.  This aspect will be important as time goes by since the intention is that these Perspectives will be a permanent record of our thinking and will be stored on our web site.

Authors can introduce a record of developments in our industries, ie where we have come from at the time of writing.  I would like to think that we can capture valuable elements about changes and how they came about, which will be of great assistance to those who have yet to make changes and encourage those who can see that they should introduce changes in their field.

For some contributors who are brave enough, views of current issues that need thinking about and emerging topics that could lead us into interesting areas would be valued and perhaps challenging as well.  It would excellent to my way of thinking if members of could look ahead, leapfrog existing issues, and discuss emerging problems.

I would say that there could nothing else that would be remotely like our eventual collection of Perspectives.  What a nice way for us to record and promote good practice as well as the Water Conservators and the Livery. 

Painting a picture in words along with some diagrams or photographs is what I have in mind; should a topic demand more than one Perspective or have a joint authorship that would be welcome.

 

2. Some details

Please send any suggestions for Perspectives , consisting of a subject, title and a very short synopsis to the Clerk who will pass them on to the current Master; the intention is that this programme will run indefinitely therefore a number of Masters will be involved.

The Master’s Committee is responsible for managing the programme.

Authors will be required to meet a mutually agreed programme.

The intention is that any editing will be with a light touch, opinions will be accepted at face value; this provides the ‘edge’ to the whole enterprise, scripts will be returned to authors for approval of any changes.

Opinions must be carefully worded not to cause offence; this is where the Master’s committee might provide a useful comment.

The preferred programme for scripts is Office 2010 or onwards.  The preferred font is Calibri, Font size 12.

Documents must be proof read by the authors and spelling checked carefully, please.

First person singular will generally suit since these will be personal views.

References and the like are not necessary or appropriate since what we are talking about is our direct experience and perspective on events past, present or future.

If numbering is required then this should be restricted to Sections Heading sand not paragraphs

Length is strictly a matter for the author, a diagram and one paragraph perhaps or 900 words of text are probably the outer limits of what is expected.

Capital letters should only be used for the first word in a title for example.

Reference to other bodies, companies or persons would be best if made only indirectly otherwise approval must be sought, therefore avoid them if possible.

A link between the author and our skills database will be incorporated.  Links to web sites may be helpful in order to make a point.  We need to use the tools that are available to us after all.

A contents list should be unnecessary.

Please enjoy the writing; it comes across in the text.

Ivor

22 01 2014