TL;DR—Please contact Joey for sorting out all matters related to publications including, but not limited to, budgeting, setting production schedules, securing referees, booking editors and designers for text and graphics. She acts as the point of contact and ‘clearing house’ for the various work flows.
SIPRI publishes books, reports, papers and fact sheets on ‘questions of conflict and co-operation of importance for international peace and security’. SIPRI publications aim to provide policymakers, researchers, the media and the interested public with reliable, fact-based information, analysis and recommendations. The independence of SIPRI’s research is crucial to this aim. SIPRI publications are peer-reviewed, use only open sources and are transparent about the sources used.
Researchers who wish to publish their work with SIPRI should cooperate with the Editorial and Communication departments to secure their services. More specifically, researchers should not seek funds for work that obligates the Editorial and Communication departments (Outreach) without first seeking general feedback on format, length, budget, timelines and capacity for relevant projects.
At any point, the final decision on whether to proceed with any publication is the Director’s, but in most cases this will be made on the advice of the Director of Studies.
From proposal to production schedule
Before sharing an idea externally that involves a “SIPRI-brand deliverable”, researchers should solicit input (in writing) from Outreach on the feasibility of the proposed deliverables (financial, timeline and capacity etc).
Proposals should include the following:
(a) a description of the contents of the publication and its intended audience,
(b) the format of the publication and its length,
(c) the authors (identifying who is lead)
(d) the budget for the production and distribution of the publication,
(e) a proposed timetable, including any publication deadlines, and
(f) associated post-publication events.
As work moves from idea to reality, researchers should check-in with contact points in Outreach as necessary on significant changes to previous understandings of the deliverables. Checking-in is particularly important when the gap between between notification of funding and delivery is narrow.
Researchers are expected to keep Outreach apprised of changes to applications over the course of the related fundraising effort.
Researchers are responsible for contacting the Editorial and Communication when funding for the proposed work has been secured.
At that time, an initial rough timetable should be agreed, including a review strategy for the work. As the work progresses, this timetable will be refined and mutually agreed. All work is expected to be externally refereed unless explicitly agreed in advance.
All hard deadlines for either print or PDF versions of the work must be agreed early. This includes the aim to complete within time-sensitive funding arrangements.
On drafting and producing a publication
Outline
Draft and distribute an outline of your publication’s contents and structure to interested colleagues and the Managing Editor. This can form part of the proposal (see above). The outline, which will usually be one or two pages long, should give at the minimum chapter or section titles and estimated page lengths. Integrate any comments—which may cover content, structure, logical flow or methodology—into a revised outline.
Together, we will agree a rough timetable for the drafting, reviewing and editing of the publication, taking into account your workload, the editors’ workload and any required deadline (such as a pre-planned launch event).
In practice, this timetable is likely to vary, depending on the timeliness of reviewers’ and referees’ comments, the time you have available for revisions and circumstance.
Drafting
Draft the text, circulating it for comments within your programme and to other colleagues as appropriate. The draft should follow the standards and styles defined in this booklet: in particular, keep a record (paper or electronic) of your sources and references as you write; you may need to produce these later.
When ready, submit the full draft to the Editorial Department.
Reviewing and revising
The publication’s editor will arrange in-house reviewing and, when needed, external refereeing. The reviewers and referee should provide overall comments on the text (including a recommendation on whether publication should proceed) and detailed comments (e.g. on the factual content, the persuasiveness of the argument and the appropriateness of the conclusions).
Revise the text in response to these comments.
Editing
In consultation with the authors, the editor will prepare the text for publication in line with SIPRI’s style, clarifying language, logic and structure and checking facts and references. The editor will highlight all major changes made to the text (but not every small change in grammar, style or wording) and will ask you questions about, for example, the meaning of ambiguous words, phrases and passages, the source of facts, and details of cited references. Since the review and revising process may have resulted in major changes, additions or deletions to the text since the first draft, the editor may suggest structural changes to take account of these.
Once all questions have been addressed, the editor will prepare a typeset version of the publication (i.e. in the form in which it will appear in print or online).
Final approval
You should carefully read the typeset (proof) version of the publication and inform the editor of any final changes.
Final approval for all publications will be given by your line manger and Director of Studies.
The editor will then prepare the final version of the publication and arrange for it to be printed or posted online.
Launch and distribution
You should agree plans for launch events with the Director of Communications and draw up distribution lists well in advance of publication. This stage may involve you in the drafting or reviewing of a press release or other launch material; contact with the media (e.g. media interviews); or giving presentations at any launch events.
HOW TO DRAFT A PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
The table below offers different ‘lego configurations’ to consider when crafting production schedules. They are given as food for thought on how schedules can be crafted. They aren’t sacred templates but are there to you help you construct a process that suits your specific situation. Let me know if you have any questions!
| 14 weeks | 13 weeks | 12 weeks | 10 weeks | 9 weeks | 8 weeks | 5 weeks | |
| 1 | house (wk 1 of 2) |
house (wk 1 of 2) |
house (wk 1 of 2) |
house (wk 1 of 2) |
parallel (wk 1 of 2) |
parallel one week only | parallel one week only |
| 2 | house (wk 2 of 2) |
house (wk 2 of 2) |
house (wk 2 of 2) |
house (wk 2 of 2) |
parallel (wk 2 of 2) |
finalize for copy edit | finalize for copy edit |
| 3 | revise (wk 1 of 2) |
revise (wk 1 of 2) |
revise | external | finalize for copy edit | edit 1 | edit/revise |
| 4 | revise (wk 2 of 2) |
revise (wk 2 of 2) |
external (wk 1 of 2) | finalize for copy edit | edit 1 | revise 1 | edit/revise |
| 5 | external (wk 1 of 2) | external (wk 1 of 2) | external (wk 2 of 2) | edit 1 | revise 1 | edit 2 | layout/proof/publish |
| 6 | external (wk 2 of 2) | external (wk 2 of 2) | finalize for copy edit | revise 1 | edit 2 | revise 2 | |
| 7 | finalize for copy edit | finalize for copy edit | edit 1 | edit 2 | revise 2 | finalize | |
| 8 | edit 1 | edit 1 | revise 1 | revise 2 | finalize | publish | |
| 9 | revise (wk 1 of 2) |
revise 1 | edit 2 | finalize | publish | ||
| 10 | revise (wk 2 of 2) |
edit 2 | revise 2 | publish | |||
| 11 | edit 2 | revise 2 | finalize | ||||
| 12 | revise 2 | finalize | publish | ||||
| 13 | finalize | publish | |||||
| 14 | publish |
Use these blocks to draft schedules that look like this:
24pp Insights
w45 parallel in-house/external review week 1 of 2 w46 parallel in-house/external review week 1 of 2 w47 authors revise for copyeditw48 editing round 1 w49 authors revise w50 editing round 2 w51 authors revise w52 HOLIDAY WEEKw01 HOLIDAY WEEKw02 editing round 3 / move to typeset? w03 proof, polish, publish