1. Always include "TCS Letter: OK to Publish" in the subject line to give your permission for us to publish your letter. This saves us the time of having to request your permission.

2. Always include your first and last name and your telephone number. We cannot acknowledge or publish e-mails with out your first name, a valid e-mail address and a telephone number for possible verification.

Letters may be lightly edited for spelling, style and grammar.

The Citizen Scientist accepts unsolicited material from both professional and amateur contributors.

What We Are Looking For

The Citizen Scientist is primarily interested in articles that help people do their own science. Items that describe hands-on techniques, building your own equipment, suggested avenues of inquiry, reviews of books, equipment, software or videos germane to the citizen scientist are all welcome.

We also welcome articulate writing that explains general principles of science and technology, as well as information about other science-oriented institutions, organizations, educational programs, etc., particularly those with opportunities for participation by amateurs and volunteers.

Submissions can be as short as 500 words, but should not exceed 2500 words unless the subject requires it. Longer articles are usually published as a multi-part series, so longer submissions should be written with that in mind.

Three words to remember: Bibliography is good. Think of your article as a jumping-off point. If you can supply some suggested books, articles, web sites, etc. at the end, your article will be that much more useful

If you have illustrations as part of your article, please send them as separate files (see below) with clear indications in the text giving their proper location.

All submission should be checked for both electronically and manually for spelling and grammar prior to submission. The Citizen Scientist reserves the right to edit all submissions for grammar, style, and clarity.

Please note that the Society for Amateur Scientists is a conservative scientific organization, so papers on paranormal phenomena, UFOs, and "cosmological Grand Unified Theories" will not be accepted.

Style

Please bear in mind that although many of our readers are professional scientists, the majority are not. Assume that your readers are intelligent, reasonably well-educated laypeople who are at most partially science-literate.

Avoid excessive use of jargon or technical terms, or clearly define such terms as you introduce them. Remember, you are trying to teach and inform our readers, not impress or intimidate them.

Strive for brevity, clarity, and precision in your prose. If you haven't written professionally before, we strongly suggest that you consult a writing guide such as Strunk and White, The Elements of Style for some excellent tips on clear writing.

Format

All submissions should be sent electronically. We prefer submission in MS Word, plain text (.txt) or .html files. However, since some .html programs add spurious characters that can cause problems, please consult with us when you send files in html.

Illustrations should be sent in .jpg, .gif, or Photoshop file formats.

Deadlines

All items for an article must be in our hands by 12:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday if it is to appear in the following issue. This is the absolute, no exceptions, drop-dead cutoff, assuming that there are no technical, grammatical or content problems with the submission. Items that do not make the deadline will be held over for the next issue unless the author or other circumstances dictate otherwise.

Unless other arrangements are made, all submissions become the property of the Society for Amateur Scientists. If you have any additional questions, contact our Shawn Carlson.