What are the Chapter News submission guidelines?

Editorial Policy

Each AFCEA chapter may submit up to three articles for publication in SIGNAL each month. Please submit Chapter News entries by the 20th of the month two months prior to print publication date. (Click here for specific deadlines). Your submission will appear online within 5 business days of you submitting it. The Chapter News editor edits Chapter News submissions according to SIGNAL style for clarity, length and quality.

Chapter News submissions can be up to 500 words for publication online, and our editor will edit the text to 150 words for print. You can have up to 3 photographs per submission. The most successful Chapter News submissions discuss in detail:

• Guest speakers and their presentations
• Innovative chapter activities, such as a chapter’s use of online or Web 2.0 capabilities
• Special chapter focus groups, such as a Web support committee or a Women in Intelligence group.

Focus on events that other chapters can learn from or even adapt into their own plans.

Submissions about sports tournaments and social events can be published if the events benefitted a scholarship fund or a chapter-related committee. Symposia and conferences can receive extended coverage.

Filling out the online submission form

To ensure that your write-up is published, completely fill out the online submission form.

Key details often excluded and can prevent publication include:

• Someone’s military rank and branch of service
• Spelling out acronyms
• Including the names of every individual in all photos and providing directionals (for example, l-r or 2nd from l) to identify the individuals.

These may seem like minor details, but submissions cannot be published without this information.

What kind of photographs can I submit?

You can include up to 3 photographs for each Chapter News submission. A total of 4 photos can be published in the print magazine for all of your submissions. For example, if you submit 1 Chapter News submission, you can also include 3 photographs for that submission. If you turn in 2 submissions, you can include 2 photographs from each submission for a total of 4. You can always submit 3 photographs per submission on the Chapter News website.

Additional guidelines regarding photographs include:

• Submit clear, sharp, high-resolution color digital photos of at least 200 dots per inch. SIGNAL will accept photos in JPEG, GIF, BMP or TIFF format.
• Do not submit photographs featuring the same subject matter. For example, group award winners together for one quality photograph to avoid redundancy.
• Captions must include full name, rank, branch of service or affiliation of the individuals in the photograph. Identify individuals as left or right, center, standing, etc.
• Be as detailed as possible to avoid mix-ups.
• Photographs in which alcoholic drinks are within view will not be published.
• SIGNAL will not run photographs if the quality is poor, if identification is incomplete or if photographs fail to comply with editorial policy and/or publication standards.

How can I advertise my chapter's events?

Complimentary Chapter Advertising Program:
Chapters can run free print and online advertisements or AFCEA Digest notices to promote a major chapter-related event or a fundraiser for chapter scholarship efforts.

Monthly meetings and other activities are not included in the complimentary advertising program, but if the monthly dates have been entered into the AFCEA International Calendar, chapter activities are automatically included in the AFCEA International Online Calendar and in the AFCEA Weekly Digest’s upcoming events list.

Advertising Details:
Print: Chapters can place a 1/3-page ad in one issue of SIGNAL Magazine. The ad may run in up to three issues if space is available. Chapters can create their own print advertisements, or email the information to the Chapter News editor, and SIGNAL's art director will design a print advertisement for the chapter.

Online: Chapters can place one online advertisement on the AFCEA Website (300 x 200 pixels) for a period of up to one calendar month before the event. The ad may be in rotation with other chapter ads. If a chapter does not have online advertising material in the appropriate size, we can use our standard chapter online template. For online requests, contact Sandra Jontz.

AFCEA Weekly Digest Newsletter: Chapters can submit event details to run in one issue of the AFCEA Digest one time for each event. Submit requests to Sandra Jontz.

If more space is desired, chapters can purchase advertisements at a discounted rate. Contact advertising@afcea.org for paid chapter advertising.

How can my chapter's event receive more coverage?

You can receive more coverage—250 words and 5 photos—for major events. This applies to events that fall outside the realm of regularly scheduled chapter meetings and social functions. Qualifying events include large conferences and symposia that attract attendees outside of the chapter membership and feature guest speakers, exhibits, panels, etc.

Extended coverage for major events is considered separately and does not count toward the four-picture limit for regular Chapter News. However, no chapter may exceed nine pictures in any one issue of SIGNAL.

This extended coverage depends on space availability and editorial discretion.