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Author's Guidelines for the IAEM Bulletin

Download the current IAEM Bulletin Author's Guidelines

General Information

The IAEM Bulletin is published monthly by the International Association of Emergency Managers to keep members abreast of association news, government actions affecting emergency management, research and trends in the EM field. The Bulletin — in its 41st year of continuous publication — is also intended to serve as a way for emergency management colleagues to exchange information on programs and ideas. Issues range from 24-40 pages in the IAEM Bulletin, which became an electronic publication beginning with the June 2014 issue.

Readership

The IAEM Bulletin is distributed to the more than 6,000 members of IAEM, representing all levels of government, industrial, commercial, educational, military, private, non-profit and volunteer organizations in the U.S. and around the world. The newsletter also is sent to allied organizations and legislative representatives with a role in emergency management issues.

Focus

The primary focus of the IAEM Bulletin is local. We are looking for articles that provide information and insights useful to other practitioners, in government and private sectors, who are educated and trained professionals. Appropriate topics include: new research results, unique applications, successful programs, real experiences with disasters and/or exercises, reviews of new publications, and viewpoints on important issues facing emergency management.

Style

  • Tight space means it's important to get to the point quickly, and to stick to the dominant message.
  • Active verbs are more interesting than passive.
  • Strong verbs and nouns make the best use of space.
  • Short anecdotes or examples help explain, and add drama, humor or human interest. Details make your story come alive.
  • Formatting techniques can make your article easier to follow (subheads, charts, bulleted lists).

Photos and Graphics

  • Photos, charts, and other graphics/illustrations are used as space permits. They must be provided as separate high-resolution graphic images.
  • Take care that your photos are focused and sharp.
  • Photos: Photos should be submitted as color images.
  • Charts, Graphs and Illustrations: Charts, graphics and illustrations should be submitted in full color.
  • Photo Captions: You must include the names, titles and companies/agencies of every person shown in a photo, from left to right. The only exception is an action photo, such as one that shows people at an exercise or a disaster response scene.

Approaches

Feature Articles:

  • Share facts and insights readers can use to improve their own emergency management program or advance their individual professionalism. Give details and specifics, plus examples to show how you actually put your concept to work.
  • If you're describing an exercise, event, or project, share the lessons you learned.
  • Go ahead and be personal — this publication is not as formal as some.
  • Please be sure to include an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph. The body paragraphs should all support the dominant message of your article.
  • Provide other resources readers can use to follow up, including your name and contact information.

Deadlines

For each issue, the copy deadline is the 15th of the month before the month of publication. For example, the deadline for the February IAEM Bulletin is Jan. 15.

Length

Feature articles should be 750-1,500 words in length.

Submitting Articles

E-mail articles to IAEM Bulletin Editor John Osborne at John@iaem.com. Proposals for articles or a series of articles are welcome.

Editing

The editor has discretion to edit articles, but if changes are considered substantive, authors will be able to review the changes before publication. The IAEM-Global Editorial Work Group reviews each issue of the IAEM Bulletin.

John Osborne, Editor
E-mail: John@iaem.com 
Effective July 1, 2021