On Writing Good WellJeff Kart – Managing Editor

Introduction -ME

About me

Writing

Reporting

Blogging

Editing

Social Media

Introduction -EARTHZINE

Originally launched in November 2007 as an activity of the IEEE Committee on Earth Observation (ICEO)

In 2013, Earthzine became a part of the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society (OES) under a reorganization of the ICEO.

Coverage

New focus on the oceans:

expanded coverage of ocean-related issues.

second-quarter Ocean Acidification Theme:

Including - “Pacific Walrus and Coastal Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting”

http://earthzine.org/2015/04/24/pacific-walrus-and-coastal-alaska-native-subsistence-hunting-considering-vulnerabilities-from-ocean-acidification/

Coverage 2

- “Mini-theme” on ocean sensors

Including “How Acoustic Waves Help Us to See the Sea Floor: An Interview with Gerardo Acosta

http://earthzine.org/2015/10/21/how-acoustic-waves-help-us-to-see-the-sea-floor-an-interview-with-gerardo-acosta/

Types of articles

Themes – quarterly http://earthzine.org/themes-page/

Quick Looks

General Submissions

Blogs

Virtual Poster Sessions

Guest Editors

Review process

Writing http://earthzine.org/writers-guidelines/

http://earthzine.org/about/reviewer-guidelines/

Formatting, Plagiarism

Writer’s Guidelines

Earthzine uses Associated Press (AP) style for its articles, and IEEE citation style for references.

Less than $15

Ins and Outs of AP Style

We adhere to AP style, with some variations

We capitalize “Earth”

We spell out names of cities, states, etc. (global publication)

AcronymsAKA Alphabet Soup

Earthzine’s audiences:

‘Every effort should be taken to make an article’s language free of jargon and as accessible as possible to a non-specialized reader.

For instance, use examples to show how a new technology or application would mitigate or solve a real-world problem.

Earthzine serves an international audience. Therefore, articles should be written with a global perspective that does not assume specific regional or national knowledge by the reader.’

Articles are typically between 500 and 2,500 words, depending on topic and scope.

Follow the Stylebook

Examples:

Capitalize titles if they come before a name, not after

Managing Editor Jeff Kart

Jeff Kart, managing editor

Capitalize names of official programs, etc.

Use Webster’s New World College Dictionary for things not in the stylebook

Search online for AP stories to doublecheck questions

Audiences 2

Earthzine primarily serves three sources of readership:

1. Professional and technical readers in the IEEE and GEO communities

2. Users and potential users of Earth information in governments, industry and non-governmental organizations

3. The general public seeking reliable Earth information.

Stylebook examples

Abbreviations and Acronyms

As a general rule, use only commonly recognized abbreviations. The most common, such as NASA, FBI and CIA, can be used on all references. Less well-known but still common ones such as OSHA and NATO can be used after you spell out the full name on first mention. In most cases, however, the stylebook suggests using a generic reference such as the agency or the alliance for all references after the first. We vary on this and spell out first, then initials in ( )s

Use an apostrophe and spell out academic degrees: “She holds a bachelor’s degree.” Use abbreviations for degrees only when you need to include a list of credentials after a name; set them off with commas: “Peter White, LL.D., Ph.D., was the keynote speaker.”

Abbreviate junior or senior directly after a name, with no comma to set it off: Justin Wilson Jr. – Same with Inc. Microsoft Inc., not Microsoft, Inc.

Via Towson U -https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fpages.towson.edu%2Flieb%2FMCOM358%2FAPcheatsheet.doc

Examples 2

* Spell out the name of a month when it is used without a specific date: Abbreviate months with six or more letters if they are used with a specific date: Sept. 28. Always spell out those with five or fewer letters: May 15. Not May 15th

* In writing news stories, never abbreviate:

* The days of the week.

* Percent as %.

* Cents as ¢.

* Don’t use & unless it is an official part of a name.

Examples 3

Capitalization

The AP Stylebook uses what’s known as downstyle; that is, words are lowercased unless a rule says to capitalize them. If you can’t find a rule for capitalizing a word in the stylebook, use it in lowercase.

* Capitalize common nouns such as party, river and street when they are part of a proper name for place, person or thing: the Libertarian Party, the Ohio River. But lowercase these common nouns when they stand alone or in subsequent references

* Lowercase the names of the seasons unless they are used in a proper name: the Summer Olympics.

* Lowercase directional indicators except when they refer to specific geographic regions or popularized names for those regions: the Northeast; the Midwest.

* Never capitalize job descriptions: shortstop, police officer, attorney and so on.

Examples 4

Numbers

* In general, spell out numbers one through nine and use figures for numbers 10 on up. There are exceptions that always take figures. Most involve units of measurement.

* Temperatures: 2 degrees.

* Spell out numbers used at the beginning of a sentence: “Ten thousand people marched on the capital.” Exception: Never spell out years: “1999 was a terrible year for technology companies.”

* Use commas to set off each group of three digits in numerals higher than 999 (except for years and addresses): 12,650.

10 million, not 10,000,000

and $1 million, not 1 million dollars

* Use decimals (up to two places) for amounts in the millions and billions that do not require a precise figure: $3.74 billion.

About not approximately

Use not utilize

More than not over

* Add an s but no apostrophe to a number to make it plural: “She kept rolling 7s.” The same rule applies to decades: the 1980s. Use an apostrophe on a decade only if cutting off the initial figures: the ’80s.

Examples 5

Punctuation and Miscellaneous

* Use a semicolon to clarify a series that includes a number of commas. Include a semicolon before the conjunction: Parts for the carrier are made in Tampa, Fla.; Austin, Texas; and Baton Rouge, La.

* Time should be expressed as a figure followed by a.m. or p.m.: 8:33 p.m. You do not have to add other words (night, morning, and so on) to distinguish between day and night. Use noon or midnight rather than 12 p.m. or 12 a.m.

* Use hyphens to link all the words in a compound adjective: “The five-volume report called for cleaning up the area over a 10-year period.” Do not use a hyphen if the construction includes very or an adverb ending in –ly: a very big project, barely legal procedures.

* Titles of books, movies, recordings, television shows and similar works are set off in quotation marks, with all principal words capitalized: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Memory Almost Full,” “Grey’s Anatomy.” Titles of magazines, newspapers and reference works get no special treatment: Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The Associated Press Stylebook.

Web, but website and Internet

No http://s in web addresses. No wwws if unnecessary.

Follow Instructions

Call for Papers

Marking stories:

* Each article should be classified by the author(s) in the following ways: These items should appear at the top of a submitted article:

- Topic (pick at least one: Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate, Disasters, Ecosystems, Education, Energy, Health, Oceans, People, Policy, Quick Looks, Reviews, Sustainability, Technology, Water, Weather)

- Category (including Original, with additional categories as applicable, such as Water for Agriculture Theme, Op-Ed, Announcements, GEO/GEOSS)

- Region (pick at least one: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Global, India, North America, Out of this World, Pacific Islands, Polar, South America)

- By Interest Level (Generalist or Specialist)

- Tags: More specific tags also should be included, to note additional topics, agencies, etc.

Marking Stories for Earthzine

You want your article to be found …

Cite Sources

IEEE Citation style and/or hyperlinks

http://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf

Hyperlinks

When you refer to an article, study, paper, organization, etc., hyperlink it

Over the words

Not in parentheses next to the words

Look for official, mainstream/verifiable sources (universities, government, associations, respected NGOs, peer-reviewed, etc.)

Opinions

Earthzine publishes columns and reviews, but personal opinions don’t belong in stories

Attribute statements

Blogs are a different animal, you can write in a conversational style and offer ‘news with perspective,’ but it needs to be clear from the start.

Great examples of blogs at TreeHugger.com

Visuals

Earthzine does not use photos, illustrations, etc., without permission of the creators.

Good sources for photos/illustrations include governments, public universities, Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/

Or just ask ‘can we use this photo for this story? We’ll credit it however you like and link back to the source/your page.’

Ice Waves. Image Credit: NASA

Read and reread (and reread)

Your name is on the story …

Tracked Changes

Pay attention to tracked changes in Word

Revise with tracked changes, accept changes, respond to comments

Resave as name-of-article-v2-yourinitials

Ex: saving-the-earth-v2-jk

Closing Thoughts

Via Poynter.org http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/377292/30-cranky-bits-of-wisdom-on-the-craft-of-journalism/

1. Make journalism out of your experience2. Use your moral outrage3. Get a good quote up high4. Follow the buck5. Don’t miss a deadline6. Be a self-starter. Devise your story ideas7. Be counter-phobic: Do what you fear or dislike doing 8. Work seven days a week, 18 hours a day 9. If they like you, you’re doing something wrong 10. Misspell a word and the reader presumes you’re stupid 11. Don’t trust an expert 12. Keep your opinions to yourself 13. Check the numbers 14. Don’t report from the office chair 15. Follow the facts wherever they take you

Closing Thoughts

Via Poynter.org http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/377292/30-cranky-bits-of-wisdom-on-the-craft-of-journalism/

16. Read your copy closely before turning it in17. Know everything18. Put human interest in your copy19. Good writers abound. Be a good reporter20. Don’t fear using the word ‘said’21. Write tightly22. Get the details23. Dig, dig, dig24. Don’t tell us what you can show us25. You can always get a job if you know how to write a lead (lede)26. Do not fear telling the truth27. When in doubt, check it out28. Don’t take the easy way out29. Follow your hunches30. It is immoral not to be excellent in your craft.

Questions … ???