Guidelines for Center-Funded Communication Projects

Mission of the Center

The Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center fosters the development and adoption of IPM, a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that generate economic, environmental, and human health benefits. The Center works in partnership with stakeholders from agricultural, urban, and rural settings to identify and address regional priorities for research, education, and outreach.

These guidelines are designed to help you complete your project efficiently and in concert with similar Northeastern IPM Center–funded projects. They were developed with input from numerous IPM and communication specialists throughout the Northeast. In Part A, you will find a checklist of requirements for developing products funded by the Center. Subsequent sections provide helpful recommendations for use in these and other communications projects. If you have questions, contact the Northeastern IPM Center.

Contents

A. Required steps: A checklist

B. Project planning

C. Building blocks: Who, what, where?

D. Answering your questions

E. Roles in a communication project

A. Required steps: A checklist

Use this checklist to ensure that your final product contains the information required by the Northeastern IPM Center. Place the information in your printed publication on the inside front cover, title page, or first left-hand page; for websites, put it on the home page. If you wish to omit or deviate from any of the required steps listed below, please contact the Center staff for permission to do so.

Contact Information

  • Name and host institution of primary authors and major contributors;
  • For printed matter, the distributor’s name and contact information and how to get more copies; for websites, contact information for the webmaster;
  • An ISBN if you’re creating a book and want to distribute it through libraries or bookstores (see D 2).

Acknowledgments

  • The following acknowledgment should appear on any publications, websites, posters, or slide presentations generated by your Center-funded project: “Funded by the Northeastern IPM Center through Grant #2022-70006-38004, Accession Number: 1017389 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management, Regional Coordination Program.”;
  • The Northeastern IPM Center logo and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) identifier, both of which can be accessed from www.northeastipm.org/logos (include links to the Northeastern IPM Center and other appropriate entities);
  • If space allows, the mission statement of the Northeastern IPM Center, as shown at the top of these guidelines;
  • Names of contributing editors, designers, illustrators, and other individuals.

Copyright, Permissions, and Other Fine Print

  • Type “Copyright ©” followed by the name of the primary author’s institution;
  • List permissions in accordance with the person or institution granting permission. For example, “Cover photograph by C. Bernard, University of Connecticut; used with permission” or “The sampling map on page 2 reprinted with permission from . . .”
  • For printed material: name of the printer (may be abbreviated); number of copies printed; and date of printing (e.g., 8/19).
  • For websites, all pages must include an indication of the date created or the most recent update (whichever is more recent), and the name of a person responsible for maintaining the page.

Product Recommendations

  • Pesticide disclaimer. You should use a disclaimer if you recommend any product for pest control. Unless your institution mandates a particular disclaimer, please use this version: “The recommendations in this publication are not a substitute for pesticide labeling. The label is the law; read it and follow the instructions before applying any pesticide.”
  • Product disclaimer, if you name a product: “No product discrimination is intended by the authors and their institutions. No endorsement of any products mentioned or criticism of unnamed products is implied.”
  • We discourage authors from recommending specific pesticides, pesticide rates, etc., in these publications. If you feel it is appropriate to include such information, verify that all pesticide recommendations are in accordance with the Guidelines or Recommendations of the states for which the document is intended. If you need assistance, check with the pesticide office of the appropriate state(s). Your publication should indicate the date on which this information was verified.

Review

  • Authors must arrange to have a draft of their publication reviewed by at least two peers and one stakeholder. Please provide the names and affiliations of these reviewers to Center staff with this checklist.

Distribution and Final Details

  • If your project is a printed publication, mail two copies to: Northeastern IPM Center, 340 Tower Road, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
  • If your project is a website, email the URL to northeastipm@cornell.edu and link to the Northeastern IPM Center (www.northeastipm.org).
  • Submit a final report as directed by the Center.
  • Create electronic and paper archives of your project, including final files; images; logos; credit, copyright, and permissions information; printing specifications; budget; and anything else that would help you revise or reprint the publication. It is recommended to store archives on two different media (e.g., hard drive, flash drive, cloud service), and keep one copy off-site.

B. Project planning

Sections B, C, and D will help you to plan and complete your project if you have just begun. In brief, we recommend that you follow these steps: work through the project planning questions that follow; assign writing, editorial, and production roles (see Section E); complete the review process (as detailed in Section C 3); design and produce the publication or web page (see tips provided in Section C 4 and 5); and promote and distribute your finished piece (Section C 6 and 7).

For projects in the planning and development stage, asking—and answering—the questions below can save you time and money in the long run. Consider distributing these questions to co-authors and contributors as a way of understanding their expectations.

Hold a meeting to work through these questions, take notes, and ensure that everyone understands the decisions.

Project Planning Questions

  1. Who are the two most important audiences? How do we match the tone, vocabulary, reading level, and style to their needs? (See Section C 1.) Which media appeal to them?
  2. What is the purpose of our project? To raise awareness? Point to other resources? Change behavior? Call to action?
  3. What are our three most important messages?
  4. How will it be used? (Online vs. print; reference vs. quick tip sheet; indoor vs. outside in the sun or rain.)
  5. Are there similar publications? If so, how will ours differ? (Try to share examples with the team.)
  6. Are there controversial issues that require special care?
  7. What level of perfection are we striving for and how will we gauge it? Assigning letter grades can help you discuss what matters most. For example, a simple, clean design might suit the needs of a fact sheet, so the targets might be “B” for design and “A+” for technical writing.
  8. What should run in our “fine print”? (Specific credits, disclaimers, and acknowledgment of funders beyond what the Northeastern IPM Center specifies.)
  9. When is the final project due? Should we set other deadlines, such as for the first text draft and initial design? Creating a timetable or plan of work can help everyone on your team meet deadlines.
  10. What roles will people fulfill? (See Section E.) Who has final approval?
  11. What is the shelf life of this publication? That is, for how long will the information be useful, and is it intended for one-time use, or do we want to revise and reprint? Consider setting a date (e.g., two years from today) to revisit it.
  12. Which resources, such as photographs or databases, might help us during all phases of the project?
  13. What is our budget? Typical line items include writing; editing; illustration and photography; scanning and printing; graphic design; promotion; distribution.
  14. How will our product be promoted and distributed?

C. Building blocks: Who, what, where?

As your project is being launched, ensure that it meets the needs of your audiences by focusing on (1) appropriate reading level; (2) solid editing; (3) useful review; (4) effective design; (5) clear and easy access; (6) promotion (including media outreach); and (7) distribution. The following building blocks should help you to construct your project.

1. Appropriate reading level

Match the reading level to your audience. Helpful information can be found at www.plainlanguage.gov.

2. Solid editing

  • For scientific style and format, consult The CSE Manual: Scientific Style and Format for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. The online version can be accessed at www.csemanual.org.
  • The Chicago Manual of Style is one of the most authoritative style guides in print. You can access the online version of the manual by registering at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org. Other titles published by the University of Chicago Press, such as The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science, may also be of interest.

3. Useful review

It is expected that your manuscript or website will be reviewed by at least two peers and one stakeholder. Some considerations to help you create a review process that is thoughtful and useful:

  • Decide early on who will have reviewer status. Anyone who asks? A select group?
  • Determine who will evaluate the reviewers’ comments and let the reviewers know beforehand.
  • Consider the type of feedback you’d like from each individual or group: just a technical review, or do you welcome reactions on technical content and style? Do you want substantive comments or a copy edit? Will reviewers receive a section or the entire piece?
  • If you ask many people to review a document, you might use a method that makes it easier for you to manage comments, but realize that doing so may reduce the number of responses.
  • Create a “next edition” file with comments that can’t be incorporated into the current version.

4. Effective design

Whether you are hiring a designer or plunging into design on your own, consider:

  • Websites (Section D) that can help you design web pages that work.
  • Books by Robin Williams, such as The Non-Designer’s Design Book: Design and Typographical Principles for the Visual Novice.
  • These suggestions:
    • Keep the main message clear and out in the open. While you’re reviewing your work, ask yourself, who cares? If you can’t answer, revise.
    • Establish a style for text and each subhead level; use these throughout the piece.
    • Allow enough “white space” (margins) around text and images, so the eye has a place to rest. Don’t trap large blank spaces, however; leave them near the edges.
    • Start a design file of samples that will serve as inspiration.

5. Clear and easy access

Accessibility for your website or publication means enabling—through your design—as many people as possible to use your information effectively.

6. Promotion (including media outreach)

As you plan your project, set aside funds and time—before it is printed—to promote it. Many great products gather dust because principal investigators either forget this step or neglect to follow through on distribution plans. Gather a team together and pull out promotion plans and distribution lists from former projects. Brainstorm avenues such as news releases, newsletters, trade shows, complimentary copies, and web links. Make a plan, complete with budget, which will inform your product design, print run, and distribution.

7. Distribution

Partway through your project, look at your communication plan with an eye toward distribution. Develop or borrow mailing lists (electronic and paper label) that include other states’ IPM programs, growers, industry representatives, environmentalists, and your university’s deans, directors, and Extension contacts.

The Northeastern IPM Center will not distribute your printed publications, but it may be able to mention your publication in its electronic newsletter, if you provide the information. If you are producing a website, the Northeastern IPM Center will likely link to your site and mention it in the Center newsletter, but you will be responsible for advertising and maintaining the site.

D. Answering your questions

1. Who holds the copyright to my Center-funded project?

Your institution holds the copyright on the Center-funded publication or website. Nonetheless, by accepting the terms of funding, you grant the Northeastern IPM Center a broad, perpetual, royalty-free license to use, copy, display, sublicense, perform, and create derivative work from your project. For helpful clarification about copyright issues: Copyright Office of the Library of Congress, www.copyright.gov.

2. What’s an ISBN?

International Standard Book Numbers are unique, machine-readable identification numbers, used to ensure proper bibliographic listing. See www.isbn.org/about_ISBN_standard.

3. May I charge for my publication?

Yes, if this is the arrangement stated in your original project proposal. You may charge a reasonable price to allow you to recoup promotion, distribution, and future reprinting costs. Be mindful that if your publication is too expensive, readers for whom it was designed may not be able to afford it. One way to minimize cost is to design the product so that the expensive portion to print (e.g., full-color photographs) is separate from information that changes regularly. The latter can be photocopied or printed inexpensively and inserted into the more permanent publication.

4. Where can I find more information to help with communication projects?

  • The National Park Service – Harpers Ferry Center provides examples and guidelines for working with a variety of communication formats, including print publications, audiovisual media, signs, and exhibits: www.nps.gov/subjects/hfc/index.htm
  • University of California provides best practices for building websites, including accessibility, usability, search engine optimization, and tips for writing for the web: ucanr.edu/sites/sb3help/bestpractices/

E. Roles in a communication project

Below are some of the roles that your team members or other professionals will need to fill. Please note that a single person can fulfill several roles in the publication process.

  • Production manager: Oversees the project, keeping it on track and within budget. May develop the project schedule. Works with subcontractors (such as designers and printers) and authors. Oversees the copy edit, design, proofing, and printing stages.
  • Developmental editor (sometimes called a senior editor, line editor, or substantive editor): Focuses on the “big picture.” Works with project leaders and content advisors to define the overall structure, organization, and contents of the publication. This editor may help the authors develop the idea from an outline or very rough draft, or substantially revise a piece. Although it’s typical for developmental editors to edit line-by-line, they may not be scrupulous about the finest details, leaving that for the copy editor.
  • Content advisors: How deeply will they be involved in the project? Should they be available to answer questions as they arise, or will they be asked to review multiple versions of the publication?
  • Writer: You should clarify whether this person will also be responsible for research, checking facts, and securing permissions for the use of copyrighted information included in the piece.
  • Reviewers (see description in C 3 above).
  • Designer (print and web): Creates the layout in accordance with accessibility standards. May handle some aspects of production, such as working with a printer.
  • Illustrator, photographer: Describe the service you’re requesting, including the amount of revision included in the estimate, the schedule, which rights you’ve bought (legal use of the image now and in the future), and how the final product will be delivered to you (color slides, TIFF file).
  • Copy editor: Checks for errors in grammar and punctuation; inconsistencies in capitalization, spelling, hyphenation, abbreviations and bibliographic style; and deviations from house style. The role of the copy editor is to make the publication easier for the reader to understand while tinkering as minimally as possible with the author’s style.
  • Proofreader: Checks only for typographical errors and actual mistakes in the designed copy.