Instructions to Authors

Subject Content

Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) publishes material related to all aspects of libraries and information technology, including digital libraries, metadata, authorization and authentication, electronic journals and electronic publishing, telecommunications, distributed systems and networks, computer security and intellectual property rights, technical standards, geographic information systems, desktop applications, online catalogs and bibliographic systems, optical information systems, software engineering, universal access to technology, futuristic forecasting, library consortia, vendor relations, and technology and the arts.

Types of Contributions

ITAL includes feature articles, communications, tutorials, reviews, and letters to the editor:

• Feature articles consist of original research or comprehensive and in-depth analyses. Although longer works may be considered, manuscripts of 3,000 to 5,000 words are most common.
• Communications consist of brief research reports, technical findings, and application notes. Generally communications are 1,000 to 3,000 words in length.
• Tutorials are brief, instructional pieces on topics or issues of relevance.
• Letters to the editor may be submitted to the editor for possible inclusion in the journal.

Instruction for Submissions

1. Submit original, unpublished manuscripts only. Do not submit a manuscript being considered for publication elsewhere. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the information in the manuscript, including references, statistics, and URLs.
2. The editor prefers that manuscripts be submitted electronically, preferably as a Word attachment to an e-mail to the editor. If e-submission is not possible, manuscripts should be machine-printed and double-spaced. Two copies should be provided. In either format, author(s) name(s), title(s), affiliation(s), and full electronic and postal contact information should appear on a separate cover page only. This information should not be repeated in the text of the manuscript or in the abstract. Pages should be numbered. An abstract of one hundred words or less should be provided on a separate sheet.
3. ITAL follows the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), 15th edition for capitalization, punctuation, quotations, tables, captions, and elements of bibliographic style, including references. Spelling will follow Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition, or the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
4. 1. There are two CMOS reference styles. ITAL uses the style with superscript references in the text, followed by corresponding notes at the end. For examples, see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. The format employed by ITAL is shown in the examples preceded by the label “N,” and is referred to there as the humanities style. Please note that we reserve the right to return to the author(s) for correction any manuscript not adhering to the specified reference style.
   2. All references to online sources should include the most recent date the source was accessed by the author(s).
   3. Web-accessible Internet addresses (URLs, URIs, etc.) should be preceded by the protocol for accessing them, e.g., http://www.ala.org/, not www.ala.org/. Also, when a default filename is not specified in a directory URL, the URL should be completed with a trailing slash, e.g., http://www.loc.gov/. If the default filename is specified, do not add a trailing slash: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/divisions.cfm.

4. Figures such as charts, diagrams, screen shots, etc., should be supplied as files (in JPEG or TIFF format, of at least 250 ppi) separate from the manuscript text. Their preferred location in the text should be noted either with a callout (“Figure 3 goes here”) or with an in-line surrogate of the separate image file. Figures originally created in spreadsheet applications such as Excel should be accompanied by the original worksheet file containing the data from which the figures were created.
5. Information on submission copyright forms and other aspects of a final copy will be provided when a manuscript has been accepted for publication.

Review of Manuscripts

ITAL is a refereed journal using double-blind reviewing. The editor assigns manuscripts to reviewers who receive the manuscript with no direct information on the author or author’s affiliation. Reviewers examine the manuscript considering the following questions:

• Is the topic within the scope of ITAL?
• Is it meaningful and relevant to ITAL readers?
• Does it offer a valuable addition to the literature?
• Is it timely?
• Is the presentation that of an article or merely the text of an oral presentation?
• Is it organized well, and does it have a point?
• Are the citations complete and accurate?

Upon completing the review, a recommendation is presented to the editor as to the suitability of the manuscript for publication in ITAL?. Recommendations fall into one of the following categories:

• Publishable in its current condition.
• Significant and sound and should be published with only minor editorial revisions.
• Basically significant and sound but requires some rewriting to make it a solid, publishable contribution.
• Requires major rewriting, and it should be reviewed again after a revised draft has been received.
• Does not warrant publication as a full article but might be published as a Communication.
• Does not warrant further consideration by ITAL.

The author is informed of the recommendation and any comments made by the reviewers. The review process usually takes four to six weeks.

Submissions

Manuscripts for consideration should be sent to: