AFTE Journal Instructions to Authors

Use the following format for your Articles.

***********

By: Author’s Name, Agency of Employment, City and State (include country if overseas)

Key Words: 10-font. Include any key words that one would search for if they were looking for your paper. List words in alphabetical order.

ABSTRACT

The abstract is 10-font bold. The purpose of the abstract is to give a brief overview of what the article is about. It should be brief and to the point. It should state the problem, give the most important findings and results and briefly describe the conclusions. The abstract should be no longer than 200 words. The length of most abstracts is similar to this sample. Manuscripts without an abstract will not be published. The editor reserves the right to write an abstract on behalf of the author.

Manuscripts
The editor encourages the submission of manuscripts, articles, technical notes, reviews, essays, and materials relating to the field of firearm and tool mark examination. AFTE does not customarily offer payment for articles. Articles should be formatted exactly as demonstrated in this sample. Refer to a recently published article to use as a guide.

What to Submit
A completed Authors’ Publication Checklist and one completed Manuscript Review Form must be submitted with your materials. Manuscripts must be submitted on a computer floppy disc or CD, with a hard copy. The editor uses Microsoft Word, a word processing program and Microsoft Publisher program. Obviously, files stored in one of these for mats are of the greatest advantage, however, WordPerfect or an ASCII file can be used. Only 3 1/2” disks should be used. If computer disks are not submitted publication may be delayed, or the manuscript may be returned to the author. Please used the following margins and font sizes:

• Margins: Left .80”, Right .80”, lop .75”, Bottom 1”

• Font: Times New Roman

• Size of Characters: 10 font

• Leading: Auto

• Width: Normal

Important Tips

• Format all lists like this. Please do not tab text over to make indented columns.

• Please Do keep pictures and charts separate from the body of the text whether as separate items or files on disc. The editor will place all pictures and charts in a logical location.

• Please do not write-protect your computer discs.

• Please do title your paper briefly and professionally. Cute titles or titles not reflective of the manuscript’s content will be changed by the editor.

• Please do keep charts and graphs small and consolidated. Large charts and tables are difficult to work with.

• Please do not write any text in all-caps or underlined.

• Please do not tape or glue photographs, figures, or charts to paper.

• Please do submit actual photographs with any images on disc. Please do not submit printed copies of photos as they will lose clarity during the printing process.

Footnotes and References:*
Authors are asked to utilize the following guidelines when using references or footnotes in the context of their submission. References are to be cited in text by number, in order of mention. Use Arabic numerals with brackets on line, not as superscripts. References are to be published or broadcast (not simply submitted). The reference list must be double spaced and begin on a separate page. Some sample references are given below.

A book: Smith, A.B., Jones, C.D., and Johnson, E.F., An Introduction to Forensic Sciences. General Publications, New York, 1999.

An article: Smith, A.B., Jones, C.D., and Johnson, E.F.,” Crime Scenes,” AFTE Journal, Vol. 33, No. 2, Jan. 1999, pp. 19-23.

A report: Smith, A.B., Jones, C.D., and Johnson, E.F.,” Crime Scenes,” Report 3579, Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 1999.

A presentation: Smith, A.B., Jones, C.D., and Johnson, E.F.,” Crime Scenes,” Presented at the 33rd AFTE Training Seminar, Chicago, IL, May, 1999.

Notes: Give full names of all periodicals; give volume, number, and date of publication (usually month) for all periodicals; give publisher and city and year of publication for all books; give inclusive page numbers; give whatever other in formation is necessary for a reader to locate the reference.

Photographs and Charts
Submit only black and white photographs no larger than four inches by five inches in size. Use only photographs that are absolutely necessary for the article. Black and white photographs will print slightly darker than the photograph sent-- consequently, send photographs that are a little “lighter” than what you would consider ideal. Label photographs lightly on the back with the author’s name, an arrow indicating “up” and a figure/chart number. All figure/charts must be black on white. Each figure/chart and/or photograph must be accompanied by a suitable legend.

Article
Any manuscript that provides an in-depth discussion of a specific topic or subject matter that relates directly to the science of firearms and toolmark identification and/or its application. Articles will present the author’s own observations and research to support any conclusions drawn, events reported, or opinions given. The topics discussed may not necessarily be new, as the editor welcomes revisitation of specific subjects for the benefit of newer examiners. The substance of the manuscript, however, should be based primarily on the work and effort of the author. Authors will have made an effort to expand on important points.

Case Report
Any manuscript that covers the details of an unusual case or any case that warrants discussion in the AFTE Journal. Case re ports, however, may be published as an article if the editor feels that the author has adequately extended the case report into a topic discussion that meets the criteria for an article, or if the case report is used as an example of a point in the authors article.

Technical Report
Any discussion, report, or brief that presents a particular product or technique for the benefit of AFTE members.

Reprints
Copies of articles submitted to the editor for consideration to reprint in the AFTE Journal should be accompanied by the name and address of the original publisher as well as a reference to exactly where the article first appeared. The original publisher will be contacted by the author, and must submit with the reprint request, their authorization prior to reprinting any material. This includes technical information, advertisements, schematic drawings, etc.

Thank you for your cooperation.