Please use the following guidelines in preparing and submitting material for publication in Offshore.

The first step

Before you submit anything, please review a copy of the magazine to get an understanding of the content, style, and format of the publication. Prior to writing an article, you may want to consult with the appropriate technical or business editor (see below) or email David Paganie, Managing Editor, at davidp@pennwell.com to discuss your article idea. You can submit an idea, an abstract, or a complete manuscript; however, our suggestions regarding an idea or abstract may save you time in writing a full article.

With all submissions, please include your name, affiliation, and contact information.

Article relevance

We have four general formats for business-to-business and technical interest material. They are:

• Feature length articles (1,000-2,000 words, with accompanying graphics) on the business, operations, or technical aspects of your segment of the industry

• Items for use in columns written by the individual editors

• New Products, and Business Briefs departments for brief announcements

• "Beyond the Horizon" column for personal opinion (700-800 words).

Our first test for any submitted material is whether it benefits the reader. Your article should give the readers something new and useful, something that will inform them or help them in doing their jobs.

In choosing technical articles for publication, we prefer ones that are written by an operator or that are co-authored by an operator and a service/supply company representative. This preference is to emphasize the objectivity of the content. It is perfectly okay for an article to talk about equipment or services, as long as the article is doing more than just that – as in a case history of a real-life situation. Although we accept articles that deal only with a concept or design, we prefer ones that describe an actual field application, case history, or event.

Writing the article

The first sentence of your submission should summarize the thrust of the entire article, and should include your most important conclusion or statement. The most important information should come first, followed by details or elaboration on the secondary points. Most technical articles are written for industry associations and trade groups, with the conclusion at the very end. Magazine readers want to know the point right away, to decide if it is worth their time to read the entire piece (again, the benefit to them). If they can’t determine that immediately, they will turn the page. Plan your article with the conclusion – the reason the reader will want to read the details – as the first thing you present.

Submit the article by emailing it to the appropriate editor. If you are unsure of the appropriate editor, email it to David Paganie, Managing Editor, at davidp@pennwell.com. We recommend that it be in MS Word or an equivalent word processing format. Please submit the illustrations as separate graphic files – jpeg, tiff, or gif format. Do not format them into the text, as we must extract them for processing.

As with the text, we prefer that all photos, art, and illustrations be submitted digitally by email or on a CD.

Please try to help with the following:

• If you use abbreviations or acronyms, provide a full explanation on the first usage

• When using uncommon non-English terms or phrases, please include an explanation

• All graphics, photos, illustrations, art, tables, or graphs should have adequate explanation or captions

Changes

Submitted articles will be edited to conform to Offshore’s style and content standards and to fit within space requirements. Consulting with an editor before writing the article will help to keep these changes to a minimum. If we are forced to make substantive changes (more than grammar or punctuation), we will contact you to ensure technical accuracy.

Thank you for your interest in Offshore.

Editorial contacts:

Eldon Ball
Editor/Associate Publisher
eldonb@pennwell.com  

David Paganie
Managing Editor
davidp@pennwell.com   

Jeremy Beckman
Editor-Europe
jeremyb@pennwell.com  

Gene Kliewer
Technology Editor, Subsea & Seismic
genek@pennwell.com  

John Waggoner
Technology Editor, Drilling & Production
jwaggoner@pennwell.com