National Climatic Data Center
Global Climate Monitoring

Annual State of the Climate

Guide for Editors

Overview and Purpose:
This is to give the editorial and graphics team some reminders and guidelines of how to produce the State of the Climate article most efficiently each year. The tight timeline requires organization and planning and this document should assist in that endeavour. The overall goal of the editors is to produce a manuscript summarizing the significant events, extremes and trends for the previous year, placing the annual climate in historical perspective. Editors should look to cut extraneous material (i.e., that which is deemed globally or regionally insignificant in the context of instrumental climate history), and to maintain the manuscript as a snapshot of climatological change and dynamics. Climatological elements of purely human interest need not necessarily be included, but may if deemed appropriate. Editors must ensure that as much of the globe is summarized as possible trying to solicit contributing authors from the regions in question. Editors should also help the authors contribute material which needs as little editing as possible and be available to answer questions from authors and the publisher whenever needed. Editors must also ensure that the process is achieved within the publisher's time frame (see timeline below).

Directory Structure:
The files for the report will be maintained in a directory on the shared [Dc1b] server (i.e., H: drive) in the [Climate Assessment] folder. The directory structure will be as follows:

• YEAR State of the Climate (The main folder)
  • Original Submissions (All submitted text and graphics material)
    • Chapter Number
      • Author Name or Subsection
  • First Round Edits (Chapter editor 1st drafts of sections)
    • Chapter Number
      • Text
      • Graphics
  • Second Round Edits (Chapter/Lead editors 2nd drafts)
  • Graphics Raw
    • Section Number
  • Graphics Edited
    • Section Number
  • Page Layout (Adobe Indesign files of sections)
  • For BAMS (Version ready for BAMS)
    • Linked Graphics
  • BAMS Proofs (Versions returned from BAMS)

Processing:
Step 1: All received submissions, both text and graphics are to be placed by the receiving editor into a folder under Original Submissions. Lead editor receives preliminary cost estimate from BAMS based upon previous year's book specs. This amount is forwarded to accounting. Lead editor also contacts CCDD for possible funding assistance.

Step 2: Chapter editors will edit each text document from Original Submissions and place the edited files into the appropriate section folder of First Round Edits. If a submission required substantial editing, the chapter editor should send the edited submission back to the author(s) for initial review before proceeding.

Step 3: Lead and chapter editors will place all selected graphics into the Graphics Raw folder. Graphics personnel will edit the figures in the Graphics Raw folder according to the graphics protocol below.

Step 4: Chapter editors will compile all edited submissions and construct a completed chapter. This file should be done in MS Word, with graphics and tables embedded. It will be given the file name: Chapter#_1stDraft.doc and placed in the First Round Edits folder. At this point, the chapter editor should attempt to keep the chapter to a length similar to that of the preceding year.

Step 5: Chapter and Lead editors will review and comment on the Chapter 1st drafts (selecting ones they did not compile). Lead editor will determine the number of pages to allocate to each chapter, and comment accordingly.

Step 6a: Chapter editors will revise their chapters based upon the comments from step 5, and place the revised files into the Second Round Edits folder with the file name "Chapter#_2ndDraft.doc".

Step 6b: Lead editor will use information from 1st drafts to write the introduction chapter as well as the executive summary (goes into the BAMS magazine proper).

Step 7: Lead editor will arrange to have various personnel at NCDC provide an internal review of selected sections from each chapter. These reviewers will comment on the 2nd draft version.

Step 8: Chapter editors will revise their chapters based upon the comments from step 7, and place the revised files into the Page Layout folder with the file name "Chapter#_3rdDraft.doc".

Step 9a: Lead editor and graphics personnel will transfer each chapter to InDesign, update any graphics and merge all files into a master layout. Filenames are Chapter#_layout.idd, exec_summaryYYYY.idd, and SOC_YYYY_layout.idd

Step 9b: Lead editor received updated cost estimate from BAMS and forwards on to accounting.

Step 10: Lead editor forwards layout to chapter editors, selected authors who have requested a a final review, and the NCDC director's office for final review and comment.

Step 11: Lead editor makes any necessary revisions based upon final reviews and places the InDesign file into the For BAMS folder. Graphics personnel ensure all graphics and fonts are linked. Folder is zipped and placed on FTP site for BAMS editors to download. Lead editor consults with NCDC director as to number of extra copies the center desires.

Step 12: Lead editor receives page proofs from BAMS, reviews and returns them, and saves copies of each in the folder BAMS Proofs.

Responsibilities:
Lead Editor/Author
Lead Editor/Author should solicit contributions, liaise with authors, assist with major first round editing decisions, and be involved throughout the editorial process. The lead editor also must write the executive summary, the introduction chapter, abstract and all front and endpieces (e.g., table of contents, references). The lead editor compiles all chapters into a coherent document, ready for publication. The lead editor ensures all deadlines are met, formatting is correct, and that the document is essentially free of errors before submitting to BAMS. If a figure is changed or added, the lead editor will notify the chapter editor and graphics of the change. Lead editor will check with Bryan Hanssen at AMS as to which software they are using and if the templates have changed. Lead editor will ensure that all performance measures are appropriately included.

Chapter Editor
Chapter editors are primarily responsible for the editing and compilation of a chapter within the document. They should take the lead in conducting the first round edits of their chapter(s), attempt to maintain a reasonable Chapter size, and choose relevant graphics, in consultation with the lead editor, from those submitted. Chapter editors are responsible for making 2nd and 3rd draft edits based upon reviews, and ensuring the availablity of their chapter(s) by the appropriate deadlines (review and submission). Chapter editors are the first line of communication with section authors and are responsible for obtaining all necessary material, in proper formats, from the authors. If a figure is changed or added, the chapter editor will notify the lead editor of the change and cc graphics.

Internal Reviewers
Internal reviewers at NCDC will be selected based upon their willingness to perform a review in a short turn-around time and their attention to detail (esp. spelling and grammar). A reviewer should not be asked to review more than about 10 pages at most (3-5 is preferred).

Graphics Personnel
Graphics personnel will ensure that all submitted graphics are of appropriate resolution/format to publish. They will notify the lead editor of any graphics not passing muster. Graphics will edit all figures in the Graphics Raw folder according to graphics protocol. Edited figures will be available for the editors by the stated review deadlines.

Content and Quality:
In general, it is important to keep the text on focus, and tight to reduce page size. Editors should remove as much irrelevant information as possible. This can often be done by removing some qualitative adjectives or redundancies. For example, "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." can be shortened to "The fox jumped over the dog." without loss of relevant information. Or, "The months of June, July, and August were very hot, with temperatures up to 10 degrees above normal for those months." can be shortened to: "June-August temperatures were up to 10 degrees above normal." Editors should, however, attempt to avoid a dry, choppy document that will put the reader to sleep with endless facts. The occasional adjective or human intest sentence is essential for maintaining reader interest. For example, in talking about Hurricane Stan, a mention of the +1500 fatalities in associated mudslides is appropriate.

Ask that authors send specific numbers wherever possible. "10^oC above normal" is far more useful and interesting than "warmer than normal". If you must substantially edit a piece, please inform the author and give them a chance to review your edits. Be tactful and use as much of the author's original work as possible. Regardless of how much editing work is done (including a complete rewrite), it is not appropriate for an editor to place his or her name on the author list unless approved by the original authors.

From the initial invitation, authors should be made aware of both the importance of the deadlines for submission, and to expect that their submission will likely be substantially edited (especially reduced in size) if they have not followed the guidelines closely.

Editors should coordinate closely with one another when they suspect a part of a submission may be more appropriate in another chapter or section. For example, a lengthy discussion of hurricanes in the Caribbean may be relevant to the Caribbean regional section, but might more appropriately belong in the Tropical Cyclones section. If an author's submission to one section is moved to another section, the author should be notified and they should be included in the author list for the section to which their material was moved.

All references should be checked, and placed in a master references.doc file under the appropriate chapter heading. Strip out any references that have not been submitted to a journal or any gray literature that has not yet been published. All selected figures should be checked for accuracy and adherence to formatting guidelines. Authors may send many figures. Editors should choose the most relevant one or two (three at most) per section, and be prepared to cut the figures as space is needed.

It is important that editors maintain a scientific style, and avoid colloquial wording the text. However, please make an attempt to avoid undefined "jargon". A lso, please define ANY acronyms upon their first use [e.g., "... in BAMS (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society) ..."]. Any non-SI units should be converted to SI units in the text (the original non-SI units may follow in parentheses). A few exceptions are that figures produced with non-SI units on an axis may remain as is, and certain non-SI units are customary in some cases. For example, Angstroms are used in describing Ocean Currents, and knots are used to describe Tropical Cyclone winds. When in doubt, ask the author for clarification of customary units. When referencing monetary amounts (i.e., damage costs), use the original local currency, followed by U.S. dollar equivalent in parentheses (Oanda Currency Converter). For example, $100 million CAD (Canadian Dollars; $60 million USD). After the first definition of U.S. Dollars, use the abbreviation USD. USD should be used in addition to the $, because many countries use $ to identify their currency.

Please ensure that all base periods for anomalies are identified in the text and figures. Numerous base periods are used, and may differ even within a given section.

Proper references in the AMS style must be included in the text (e.g., Doe and Doe 2005). All submissions must also include a reference list at the end of the submitted text in the AMS style format. Please see the AMS guidelines for authors for complete information.

Example reference (journal article):
Doe, J. J., and J. M. Doe, 2005: Insanity among climatologists: heredity or environment?. J. Imaginary Research, 27, 34-42.

If a reference is to an article that has been submitted to, but not yet accepted by a journal, the citation should be made in the text as follows: (e.g., Doe and Doe 2005, submitted to Imaginary Res.). No corresponding reference will appear in the references list.

Document formatting:
For editing purposes, it is suggested that the chapter editor work with the first draft in the following format:

• Times New Roman or Arial font
• 12 point font
• Left of Full justification with 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins all around.
• Single column of text.
• Figures added IN LINE with text with carriage returns around them.

Once all sections are ready to merge into a full chapter file, it is advisable for the editor to produce a second copy of the chapter in the following format, so that chapter length can be more readily deduced:

• 9 point Arial font
• 2 columns (3 in wide each), full justification
• Images scaled and TEXT ABOVE AND BELOW flowing.

This formatting will approximate the BAMS layout and give a reasonable page count for planning purposes. However, this is a temporary file for page counting only, and edits should continue to be made on the primary version with the formatting as described in the preceeding paragraph.

Graphics Responsibilities:
All figures should be in appropriate format for use by BAMS (EPS, PS, or 300+ dpi TIFF). Graphics should notify editors of any graphics not complying with those formats and resolutions. Editors SHOULD NOT copy graphics from those embedded in a Word document, but rather, request that the authors send those graphics files seperately in one of the formats listed above. In a few instances, the authors will not be able to comply due to software limitations. If a graphic is desired in such a case, the editor should discuss with graphics the possibility of redoing the graphic in house (the author may be requested to provide the data used to create the original graphic).

All image files should reside under their appropriate chapter folder in the Graphics Raw folder (a copy will also be found in the Original Submissions folder.

Once a file has been edited in any way, it should be saved into the Graphics Edited folder under the appropriate chapter folder. Once an editor knows the figure number for a particular figure, they should notify the graphics department of the number, and graphics should rename the file with the prefix Chapter#-Fig#_. For example, a figure in Chapter 4 with the file name atl_storms2005.eps is to be figure 4.25. The file in Graphics Raw and Graphics Edited would be changed to 4-25_atl_storms2005.eps. If the figure is part of a multi-plot figure, the figure number would be appended by the appropriate letter (e.g., 4-25a_atl_storms2005.eps. Graphics personnel should keep a reference file of any file name changes so that the original file may easily be identified.

Work on figures as they become available, rather than waiting until they are all available before starting editing work. The following need to be done to all graphics:

• Any Header or Title text must be stripped out.
• External bounding boxes and colored backgrounds also should be removed.
• Make sure all fonts used in figures are sans serif, with Arial being the preferred font.
• Postscript figures should be converted to CMYK.
• Illustrator EPS files text converted into art.
• Ensure all information on the figure is legible.
• Any axis labels should follow scientific superscripting convention (e.g., change m/s to m s^-1).
• CMYK tif files are fine to use as long as they are at least 300 dpi and are sized within 15% of the actual figure size when placed in the document.
• Place a transparent bounding box around figures (send to back) to help flow the text around the figure.
• All figures will be converted to TIFF prior to linking to the InDesign files.

Once the 3rd draft has been created based on the internal review, graphics personnel should begin the layout of the document in InDesign. Graphics should use accepted practices for positioning figures in the text. For example, figures should weight the page properly. They should not occur before their first citation in the text. They should preferrably occur on the same page as the first citation in the text, but never more than 1 full page further on. Figure placement has been a major problem in the past (especially when working around SIDEBARS), and careful attention should be used at this stage. Lead editor should work with graphics on appropriate layout.

From this stage forward, edits should only be made by graphics or the lead editor to the InDesign layout. If a chapter editor wishes to make an edit, they should forward the edit to graphics, or if it is a major edit, they should work with graphics to make the changes. Whenever a major edit is made, the old file should be first backed up.

When the layout has been completed and approved by the lead editor, graphics should produce 5 bound copies that go to (2 to DO (D and DD), 1 to ScSD Chief, 1 to CMB Chief, and 1 to Lead Editor). A PDF version also should be produced so Chapter editors may continue to review if desired.

Once the executive reviews are returned, corrections/edits made, and the lead editor has approved the final layout, graphics personnel will package the InDesign files for uploading to the NCDC web site for download by AMS. Graphics should have already contacted AMS to determine that the uploaded files will be compatible with the version of InDesign being used by AMS so that access will not be a problem for them.

Deadlines and Timeline:
This timeline is a rough estimates of the dates on which each of the following events should be expected to occur. It will vary from year to year, and has time buffers built in to allow for minor delays and unforseen circumstances.

• Mid-October - Lead author has sent (via e-mail) invitation to participate to authors.

• late-November - Deadline for author responses and commitment to participate e-mail.

• 01 December - All authors should be identified and confirmed.

• 15 January - Reminder that submissions are due in 3 weeks.

• 10 February - Deadline for all submissions (figures and text) to the article. After this date, only certain changes may be made by authors. Editors will begin to copy selected graphics to Graphics Raw folder. Graphics will begin to edit those graphics.

• 24 February - Chapter editors will have first draft ready for review. Other editors will have 3 days to review and comment first draft.

• 27 February - Reviewers will return first draft to chapter editors.

• 01 March - Chapter editors will have second draft ready for review. All figures to be used should be in the graphics folders and edited by graphics personnel by this date. Lead editor will have written Introduction, Abstract and Executive summary.

• First week of March - Internal NCDC reviewers will have this week to review the second draft. Graphics can begin to generate cover pages.

• 10 March - Chapter editors will have 3rd draft ready for review. Draft will be reviewed by Lead Editor to ensure all references match, and no obvious errors exist. Lead editor will complete the table of contents, frontspiece and endpiece. All material will be made available to graphics personnel to begin layout

• 13 March - Graphics will have a preliminary layout ready for review by the DO and Lead editor.

• 13-15 March - DO and lead editor will review layout and executive summary.

• 15-31 March - Layout will be finalized and any errors corrected.

• March 31st - Document sent to AMS for printing.

• April-May - Proofs will be returned from AMS for review. Lead editor will review proofs.

• June - Document appears with the June issue of BAMS.

NOTE: These guidelines are not exhaustive. Issues may arise as the document development progresses. Such issues will be addressed by the editors and graphics personnel on a case by case basis.

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