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Writer's guidelines for:

HR Magazine
1800 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
hrmag@shrm.org

Society for Human Resource Management 12-9-97

Mission statement
HR Magazine helps HR professionals perform their jobs more effectively. It offers practical solutions to current workplace
problems, discusses new approaches and innovative best practices in all areas of HR management, and prompts readers to consider
new models or ways of thinking.

Our audience:
HR Magazine is the monthly flagship publication of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is the leading voice
of the human resource profession and represents approximately 90,000 professional and student members from around the world. Our primary
readers are HR generalists who hold positions as executives and managers in private-sector corporations in the United States and Canada.
Our audience includes HR professionals from both large and small organizations. The single largest concentration of readers
(approximately 30 percent) works for firms that employ between 100 and 499 people. The next largest group (25 percent) works for firms
that employ 5,000 or more workers. While most of our readers work in the private sector, many are employed by nonprofit organizations, governments and associations.

What type of articles do we want?
HR Magazine publishes feature articles, case studies, profiles and interviews. Topics include but are not limited to benefits, compensation,
training, career development, employment and labor law, recruitment and hiring practices, and workplace issues. Articles normally run between
1,800 and 2,200 words in length. Articles must be original, unpublished works. Writers are asked to sign copyright forms.

How to get an assignment:
We will review completed manuscripts but prefer that potential authors send us their suggested article outlines before writing. This helps
us focus potential articles to our specific needs, and avoids repetition and wasted effort. Outlines should summarize the main points of the article,
as well as the evidence, potential sources and subtopics to be covered. Outlines can be sent via fax, regular mail or e-mail.
If your article idea is accepted, you will be sent a letter, a copyright form and a deadline. Unsolicited completed manuscripts may be accepted,
rejected or tentatively accepted pending satisfactory alterations and rewrites. Authors or their representatives will be notified if their articles are accepted.

Avoiding promotional materials:
Our readers expect articles that are unbiased, even handed and non-promotional in nature. As a result, HR Magazine does not dedicate full-length
articles to any single, specific product. Doing so would be a disservice to our readers, who want several objective options for solving their
workday problems. Our desire to avoid self-promotional articles does not preclude us from accepting informative manuscripts from experts and
knowledgeable practitioners in the field of human resource management such as consultants, attorneys, vendors and service providers.
We understand that such authors will be naturally inclined to write about the topics they are most familiar with which may include their own
products and services. However, to be accepted in HR Magazine, articles must be objective, offer advice that is broadly applicable and
include information about competing products or services.

Vendors and manufacturers who wish to share news of new products may submit press releases to the editor of What's New, a special
section dedicated exclusively to new products. Software manufacturers may send information about new releases or programs to the attention
of the Software Review Editor. Items for these sections are chosen solely at the discretion of the section editors, whose decisions
are based on what they believe readers value most.

Article criteria:
Articles have the best chance of being accepted for publication when they:

provide new, cutting-edge information. Our readers are savvy, knowledgeable professionals. They already know the basics; they look
to us for advanced information. Good articles give readers information they did not otherwise possess by, for example, making them
aware of a new problem or showing them a new way of dealing with an old problem.

are broadly applicable. Articles that deal with a situation or issue faced by most or many HR professionals stand the best
chance of making it into print. Articles that deal with a narrower aspect of human resource management (such as retirement planning)
or with a particular industry (such as manufacturing or hi-tech) are acceptable if they apply to most readers within those areas.
For example, an article that applies only to specific types of manufacturers is less valuable than one that applies to all manufacturers.

are well focused. The best stories make one or two major points convincingly. Before writing you should be able to clearly describe
your topic in a sentence or two. If you can't, you may need to rethink your topic.
For example, an unfocused description might be:
This article will deal with the legal aspects of sexual harassment. (There are many legal aspects of sexual harassment;
which ones will be discussed in the text?)
A better description would read:
This article will help HR professionals create and manage a program for eliminating retaliation in sexual harassment cases.

provide information from a number of sources. The best stories quote many sources, both experts and HR practitioners,
or discuss how several companies have approached the same problem. Case studies are acceptable, but they must offer information
and insights that will be broadly applicable to other organizations.

quote knowledgeable, credible sources. Quotes can come from experts in the field or from HR professionals who have some special
knowledge of the topic being discussed. Quotes should be concise and should further the discussion of the main points of the story.

offer enough information. Articles must give readers enough information to come to a conclusion, take action or be able
to intelligently conduct further research on the topic. No article will ever answer all of a reader's questions.
Good texts, however, anticipate and answer readers' most important questions and suggest resources for additional guidance.

add significantly to the information already published in HR Magazine.

can be easily illustrated. Articles that are accompanied by charts, graphs or photos are more likely to
be accepted and given favorable placement in the magazine.

Suggestions on writing style:

Write clearly and concisely. Use simple language; make your point in as few words as possible.
Use the active voice, not the passive voice. For example, writing "it was decided" leaves questions in the readers' minds.
(Who decided?) Writing "Mr. Henry decided" is stronger and more informative.
Define terms that may not be well known. Avoid jargon and cliches that may confuse readers or send them running for the dictionary.
On first mention, spell out abbreviations or acronyms. If in doubt, define.
Make sure all direct quotes are accurate and are clearly attributed to a source. Be aware of what constitutes libel.
Follow the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.
Use subheads. Subheads can help you organize an article and can facilitate transitions from one idea to another.
Avoid writing academic-style papers with footnotes and numerous references to other publications. Such articles are not appropriate for HR Magazine.

Payment:
Payment for articles is offered only to professional freelance writers. Experts in the field, such as attorneys and consultants,
are not normally compensated for articles in which they share their expertise. Rates for articles vary. Payment is normally made within 30 days of delivery
and approval of the final manuscript.

Formatting:
Articles must be submitted in IBM-compatible word processing formats via e-mail or floppy disks. Please consult with
a member of the editorial staff before submitting your article to be sure your manuscript will be compatible with our computer systems.
Include one printed double-spaced copy of the article. Charts and illustrations should be included at the end of the article or on a separate file.

Final manuscript checklist:
When writers submit a final manuscript they should also send:

Any sidebars. These are short, stand-alone items that appear in boxes next to the original story. These items offer information
that is relevant and pertinent, but not central, to the main story.
Any relevant charts or graphics that help to illustrate the story. Let us know if photos or photo opportunities exist,
and we will try to acquire the photos or arrange for a photographer to take the appropriate pictures. If interviewed sources
are interested in possibly having a photo taken for the article, pass on this information to us with your manuscript.
The names, addresses and phone numbers of sources interviewed for the story. We will send each source a complimentary copy of the issue in which the article appears.
An invoice, if applicable, that includes your name, phone number, Social Security number, date and a brief description of the article.
Biographical information. Include the name, address and telephone number of the author(s), as well as a short biography (title, organization and city).

Delivery:
Queries and articles may be e-mailed to a specific member of the editorial staff, or to hrmag@shrm.org.
Articles may also be sent by mail on a 3.5-inch diskette to:

HR Magazine
1800 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

1/15/97

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