You have undertaken the considerable task of coordinating a conference. The Research Publishing and Printing Branch (RPPB) is providing this information to assist you as you prepare your Conference Publication (CP).
Manuscript preparation kits are now available online. These kits have been designed by RPPB to assist conference coordinators and authors in preparing CP papers. The kits include instructions for writing, preparing, and submitting papers. Detailed format options and guidelines are specified. As the coordinator, you should choose Format One (a full technical paper with figures integrated in the text or at the end of the paper) or Format Two (a paper with the text at the top of each page and the corresponding figure at the bottom of the page). If you would like to mail kits to the authors, please request them from RPPB (ext. 42504).
1. Specify that authors adhere to the format you have chosen (Format One or Format Two) so that the Conference Publication will have a consistent appearance throughout. Remind authors that they may paste their own reduced figures if they wish, but emphasize that they must follow the guidelines in the kit.
2. Set a deadline for submission of papers and indicate that the camera-ready paper, a copy, and the transmittal form be sent to you. The transmittal forms will be helpful to whomever compiles the Conference Publication and should remain with the paper.
3. Limit the page count per paper to 10 to 15 pages (including figures and tables), especially for large conferences. The maximum number of pages that will fit in one book is about 600, so plan accordingly.
4. Coordinators are responsible for providing final camera-ready Conference Publication to RPPB. The coordinator must obtain or perform any editing of the individual papers in the Conference Publication, must have the text corrected, must obtain the proper-sized figures and halftone photos (either from the author or through the Photographics Section) to allow the most concise layout possible (i.e., multiple reduced figures per page instead of single full-sized figures on each page), must number the pages of the finished Conference Publication consecutively with typed or typeset numbers, and must complete the Contents and the Report Documentation Page. The coordinator then forwards the complete, camera-ready Conference Publication to the Research Publishing and Printing Branch, where an editor verifies its layout.
5. The editor will verify that the Conference Publication is acceptably prepared in regards to items mentioned above. They will contact the coordinator if any deficiencies are found.
6. The forms required to process Conference Publications are Langley Form 99 and Standard Form 298 (Report Documentation Form).
Please contact us if you have any questions. Use of the manuscript preparation kit and enforcement of the guidelines will help you prepare your CP more quickly and easily and will result in shorter time to publication of the document.
For information on preparing your CP, call the RPPB office at (804) 864-2504. For information about possible free-lance support for CP preparation, call the RPPB lead editor at (804) 864-2507.