Instructions for Authors

From Ocean Teacher Library

Background

We're embarking on a complete re-write of OceanTeacher, using an entirely new paradigm for its construction. Basically, we've taken the old outline and completely re-built it from the ground up using a more comprehensive structure (which you see here in the left-hand margin). We've identified many articles that can temporarily be filled with existing materials, somewhat revised. But there are some entirely new titles that we just don't have, and we don't want to continue authoring everything ourselves. Our new practice is to identify a person or group with special expertise in a desired topic, and ask them to write the article for that specific slot in the outline. If you agree to supply the needed text, then we'd like to invite you onboard as an OceanTeacher author. There are two ways you can contribute articles, described below.

OceanTeacher Outline

Although there is nothing sacred at all about the outline we've set up (and we will certainly be looking at it continuously to improve it), at the present time we need to work within it, in order to make sure that all authors and editors are working in harmony within a single structure. So for the time being, please keep re-structuring requests to an absolute minimum. You've been asked to write one or more articles in that structure, and the empty article pages already exist. Links to these empty pages have already been given to you, so you can see their exact location and context. In many cases the empty article does contain brief notes from the editor about what is expected, in terms of general scope, but the technical content is entirely up to you.

Article Content

There are very general guidelines provided in the subsection to this article, entitled <a href="Generic_Article_Format" title="Generic Article Format">Generic Article Format</a>. To the extent practicable, these should be observed. But they allow enormous flexibility and originality on the part of the authors.

One set of articles in the <a href="Applied_Marine_Data_Analysis" title="Applied Marine Data Analysis">Applied Marine Data Analysis</a> section deals with all sorts of modeling applications. A special set of recommendations, the <a href="Applied Analysis Articles Format">Applied Analysis Articles Format</a>, is provided for authors in this area.

Article Length

Most good articles are about 1-3 standard pages in length, but there are a few larger ones. If you find that your material exceeds, say, 3 pages, then discuss this with your editor. In some cases, if your material is sufficiently complex and lengthy, we can add "subsections" in separate, subsidiary article pages.

Creating New Content Offline

One way to create new content is simply to author the article in any word-processing program and send it to us for insertion. Here are some common article features you may want to use:

External Links </dt>: Please use as many external links as you want in the article, but make sure they are to reasonably stable internet resources with permanent URLs. If you want to link to an external resource that you believe might "disappear," then contact us about uploading the file into OceanTeacher. This latter option is tricky, because it might involved copyright permissions, etc. </dd>
Internal Links </dt>: You can link to any existing or proposed article in OceanTeacher. Just use the article name in your text and we'll convert it to a wiki link. </dd>
Headings </dt>: The article can use any heading style from Heading 2 on down to Heading 5. Just don't use Heading 1, which is reserved for the article title. </dd>
Lists </dt>: Bulleted or numbered lists are fine, but please only use numbering for lists where the order of items is important </dd>
Definitions </dt>: The style of this listing (i.e. what you're reading right now) is called "Definitions," and it can also be used. Just tell your editor that's what you want </dd>
Tables </dt>: Tables can be included, but do not split or merge cells </dd>
Figures </dt>: Please illustrate your articles with all the figures you want. Send us the figure files separately, and use PNG format if it is possible. </dd>

After we receive the draft, the editor of your section will invite you to see how it looks when added. The editor might also add a few internal links, wherever appropriate. This initiates an iterative submittal-and-review dialogue that should be quite informal and quickly completed.

Creating New Content Online

If you have authored in a wiki environment before, then please let us know if you would like to author directly in OceanTeacher, instead of sending the draft to us. In that case, we can approve you for direct authoring permissions within OceanTeacher, which usually takes place within one working day.

To author online, you must first register as a user, using the name format Given_name.Family_name (no spaces; use a DOT as the separator)
After you register, we will assign you author rights to the article in question
Although by no means comprehensive, we recommend these resources:
- Wikepedia Cheatsheet for the best short collection of wiki authoring tips
- ZIMBRA Wikitext Guide

Uploading Files

Following file types are permitted to be uploaded

png, gif, jpg, jpeg, pdf, ppt, pptx, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, txt, dat, asc, bmp, tif, nc, svg, owl

Maximum file-size for upload is 32 Megabytes

Glossary Terms

The glossary page uses the Definition format (see above) to define acronyms and specialized terms. You can easily add a few terms manually, but if you have many terms to add, then a method has been worked out by the DM Editor that will add a list of new terms into the existing list, properly sorted. Just send your list of new terms (ACRONYM and FULL NAME, or TERM and DEFINITION), formatted in two columns separated by TABs to the DM Editor.

Subsections of this Article

	Pagename	Short title	Description
Generic Article Format	Generic Article Format	Generic Article Format	Very simple format that can be used for writing most articles
Marine Modeling Articles Format	Marine Modeling Articles Format	Marine Modeling Articles Format	none
Operational Marine Resources Articles Format	Operational Marine Resources Articles Format	Operational Resources Articles Format	none

Information about this article

Short title: Instructions for Authors

Description: none

Expertise level: beginner

Author: Murray.Brown

Approval status: approved

Approved by: Murray.Brown

Last change: 2010-4-28

Subsection of: General

Contact

If you have any direct comments or suggestions for the author of this page then please feel free to send an email to the author (listed above). For discussions on this page please use the discussions page.

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