Seeking Authors

Become an Author

You can be an author or coordinating editor too! Perhaps you have an idea for publication that would be of interest to professionals involved in information technology and its application in urban and regional environments. Topics of interest may include IT or GIS planning and policy issues, technology or industry trends, specific IT or GIS applications, IT or GIS training, IT or GIS design, etc. We are looking for contributors to the Newsletter, the Journal, and authors of special publications. Special publications, brief or of considerable length, could be in the form of special collections of papers, books, monographs, tutorials guidebooks, annotated Powerpoint presentations, survey compilations, directories or glossaries, etc.

The opportunities to use URISA as a conduit for publishing and wide distribution are great. Authors are eligible to receive honoraria and URISA headquarters is prepared to provide support in production, promotion, and distribution. 

If you would like to know more about publishing opportunities, please contact URISA headquarters 847/824-6300, or info@urisa.org.

URISA Publications Committee

Background Information

The Publications Committee was formed by the URISA Board of Directors through its approval of the 1997-98 Strategic Plan. The Publications Committee is part of the Publications Division which also includes: (1) the Journal of the Urban and Regional Information System Association Editorial Board; (2) the URISA News and Marketplace Editorial Board; and (3) the URISA Web Site Editorial Board.

Committee Purpose

The URISA Publications Committee was created to develop an on-going series of high-quality special publications of value to URISA members and the broader community of information technology managers and users. Special publications are non-periodical in nature and are not directly associated with educational offerings managed by other URISA Committees. The Publications Committee will work in concert with other URISA Committees to develop educational and reference works which provide a comprehensive library of high quality educational and reference works which serve the needs of spatial information management professionals.

Committee Structure

The Publications Committee will operate under the following structure:

1. The Committee shall have a minimum of five members and a maximum of ten members. The Committee members may represent any discipline or vertical sector of URISA membership but will normally include a large proportion of academics.
2. The Committee will include: (1) a Chairperson, (2) an Associate Chairperson, and (3) an immediate Past Chairperson, providing for operational continuity. An Associate Chairpersons shall be appointed annually by the Publications Division Coordinator and approved by the Board of Directors. Each newly appointed Associate Chairperson shall rotate upward through the other two Chair positions, providing a term of service on the Committee of three years.
3. No person shall be a member of the Publications Committee unless that person is a member in good standing of the Association.
4. The term of office for Committee members shall normally begin at the conclusion of the annual conference.
5. The term of appointment for the Committee members shall be one year. However, acceptance of an appointment to serve on the Committee is made with the understanding that a member would normally be re-appointed annually to serve for not more than three consecutive years, dependent on their continued active participation and the Committee's current needs. People who serve in a leadership position on the Committee may serve for more than three years.

Definition of Special Publications

The Publications Committee is responsible for the Association's special publications. Its responsibilities do not include the Association's periodic publications such as Journal of the Urban and Regional Information System Association, the URISA News, Marketplace, the Membership Directory, and the Conference Proceedings.

Publications that are under the purview of the Publications Committee include:

1. Edited Papers: Edited collections of papers from other URISA sources (mainly Conference Proceedings) that follow a specific theme.
2. Monographs/White Papers: Focused publications that address a particular topic or issue and explore it from a research standpoint or as a practical tutorial (e.g., "GIS Database Concepts"). These generally are limited in length to 50 pages in length.
3. Guidebooks: Target a specific topic as a practical guide aimed at a specific practice or profession. The "GIS for Assessors" publication is an example.
4. Published Surveys: Publications of any length that present the results of a survey conducted by URISA or another organization. They contain data summaries and explanatory text.
5. Directories: Provide directory information to people, organizations, other publications (bibliographies), or products/services of value to URISA members and others.
6. Books: These are major, comprehensive, unified works (normally 100 pages or more) on a subject of importance to URISA members.
7. Presentation Materials: Collections of presentation slides, transparencies, etc. on a particular topic. These may be provided in hard copy or electronic form. Workshop workbooks are not included in this category and are the responsibility of the Workshop Development Committee.
8. Any other non-periodic publications that may be produced and distributed in hard copy and/or electronic form, including on-line resources and publications.

Process for Initiating Publications Projects

URISA supports and encourages the preparation of special publications on topics of interest to its membership and which are consistent with its stated mission and objectives. URISA will consider sponsoring and contributing to the preparation, marketing, and distribution of publications which may be proposed by members, bodies in URISA, or by outside organizations. Only written proposals will be entertained.

When a proposal is received, it will be reviewed the Chair of the Publications Committee and distributed to the members of the Publications Committee for their comments. The review of all publication proposals will be done anonymously. All formal communications will be conducted in writing between the originator of the proposal and the Chair of the Publications Committee. The final decision on whether a proposal will be accepted for publication will be made by the Coordinator of the Publications Division.

Review of Proposals

The Publications Committee will conduct a review of the proposal, collecting additional information from the originator of the proposal, or other sources as necessary.

The review shall focus on the following factors:

1. Consistency with URISA's mission and objectives
2. Level of interest by URISA membership and the broader community of potential readers
3. Resource commitment in dollars, staff time, and volunteer time
4. 4. Potential for revenue
5. 5. Other pertinent factors as deemed important by the Committee

All contracting, printing, marketing, storage and distribution will be administered by the URISA Headquarters.

Committee Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Publications Committee are to:

1. Prepare an annual Work Program and Budget for approval by the URISA Board of Directors
2. Review and act on individual proposals for special publications
3. Solicit authors for special publications that will advance the Association's mission
4. Identify topics for special publications that would be of interest to Association's membership
5. Edit and comment on special publications in preparation
6. Provide input to and coordinate with URISA Headquarters on the production and promotion of the Association's special publications
7. Prepare and submit an annual status report to the URISA Board of Directors