Government Technology Editorial Submission Guidelines

GENERAL

Government Technology magazine publishes material from staff writers, freelancers, endusers, government managers and executives and corporate communications writers. We are interested in information technology applications (case studies) for state and local government. How does the government agency provide better service to the public or cut costs with information technology?

We also publish articles about IT policies affecting state and local government. We follow what’s happening in telecommunications, the Internet, privacy concerns versus public access, and more. Here are some things you should consider:

Read a copy of Government Technology before you try to write for us. Our readers are government executives and managers who operate in a knowledge worker environment. This gives a broader understanding of the applications than if articles were highly technical. We want to know the details of hardware, software, networking, etc., but they are usually included in a sidebar.
We cover state and local government only not the federal government. The exception would be if something were happening federally that state and local governments must know. For example, how does federal telecommunications reform affect state and local government’s ability to regulate locally?

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

You are welcome to query the managing editor to see if your idea fits our magazine. The best way is by e-mail or phone. Be sure to leave an e-mail or voicemail clearly describing the proposed article (or submit abstract)* and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Contact information is listed below. (If you have a completed article you wish to submit, don’t bother to query, just send it.)

We receive a tremendous volume of e-mails and phone calls, etc., so briefly describe the story and sell us on your idea. We accept leads with government user contacts or complete stories. Features run about 1,600-2,500 words. We use dateline fillers, short articles, product news items (with photographs) that relate to our editorial focus for that month. View our editorial calendar here. In order for us to assign a writer to an idea, the idea must capture our interest and have a good probability of reaching print. If you propose to write it yourself, we need to be confident in the idea and in you as the writer, so tell us about yourself. We can’t ever promise a story will be published, since there are too many variables as to space available, other articles, etc. However, if we give you the go-ahead on an article, we will make every effort to publish it.

Formatting and Photographs:

Font - Times New Roman or Calibri 12 point.
Paragraph spacing - single-spaced.
The submission should be sent in Microsoft Word.
Photos should be high resolution (300 dpi or higher)

The submission must include:

The story’s headline and applicable subheads
Writer name(s), title, company
Writer’s phone number and e-mail address

Abstract:

The abstract should outline your proposed article and what attendees would learn. Please remember that all the content must be strictly educational and marketing oriented papers will not be accepted.

How to get published

Send us a story about how a specific agency is using software, hardware, a network or some other information technology to improve response time, provide better service and cut costs. We are always looking for good stories that align with our editorial calendar, however, other topics can be introduced as long as it pertains to our audience. If you’re sending a finished manuscript, please submit to the e-mail address below.

We prefer color photographs with submissions. Slides, transparencies or prints are fine. Unless you request the return of photos we’ll dispose of them or put them in our archives. GT is in the mail the first of each month. Unsolicited outside material for editorial consideration should be received by the editors 60-90 days in advance of the distribution month.

Biography

The author’s biography should be about 75 words. These may include present position, titles, areas of professional expertise, experience, research interests, major publications, degrees, etc.

Submission deadline

Thirty days after abstract is submitted to managing editor or topic is agreed upon. Submissions will be evaluated on relevance and interest to our targeted audience. Submissions should be sent in Microsoft Word to Managing Editor Karen Stewartson who will route the piece to the right editor. Due to the high volume of submissions, it might take 30 days for the article to be reviewed. Submission doesn’t guarantee acceptance.

What not to do

Please don’t call to ask if a press release or a product news item has run. We receive hundreds of press releases and articles, and it’s time consuming to track down each one. If you want to know if an article you wrote has run, the best way to reach us is by e-mail.