ti: ABA Trust & Investment Author Guidelines

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Author Guidelines
ABA Trust & Investments

Appropriate Topics
Article topics include retirement services, securities processing, trust operations, corporate trust, global custody, investment management, private banking, fiduciary law, and tax law. Inquiring authors should submit queries or outlines for articles rather than final manuscripts.

Queries/Story Ideas
If you are interested in submitting story ideas for consideration, please e-mail to jkelly@aba.com a two- to three-paragraph summary or outline of the proposed story. Please allow two months for the review process to take place.

Editorial Advisory Board Oversight
A group of Editorial Advisory Board members review queries for appropriateness, and they provide direction to potential authors. These industry professionals reserve the right to reject any story; they serve as the eyes and ears of the industry for the editor.

Synopsis
Each submission must include at the beginning a one- or two-paragraph summation of main points in the article. This synopsis will be used to enable readers to quickly understand the gist of an article and its appropriateness to their role.

Manuscript Submissions
Author must submit manuscripts via e-mail as MS Word attachments to Senior Editor Joe Kelly at jkelly@aba.com. If you must mail an electronic version of a manuscript, send it in a CD to:

Joe Kelly, Senior Editor
American Bankers Association
1120 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036-3971
(202) 663-5071

Length of Submissions
Feature articles for ABA Trust & Investments may run between 2,000 and 3,000 words (MS Word will count the words for you).

Editorial Deadlines
All materials must be submitted at least two months prior to the publication date, unless otherwise agreed upon by the senior editor. For example, articles slated to run in the January/February issue must be submitted no later than the first business day of November in the previous year. Here are the deadlines:

Issue Due Date
January/February November 1 (of previous calendar year)
March/April January 1
May/June March 1
July/August May 1
September/October July 1
November/December September 1

Illustrations and Footnotes
Authors are encouraged to suggest graphic illustrations to accompany articles. Charts, graphs, and checklists should be clean and complete. A professional artist will design these as exhibits, but format and content should be clearly presented.

Footnotes are to be listed at the conclusion of a manuscript. Do not imbed them in the text. Footnotes, tables, or appendices also may help readers.

Editing
ABA reserves the right to reject any manuscript submitted for publication whether solicited or not. All first-person references and references to the author's organization, products, or clients may be deleted at the editor's sole discretion. The editor will also edit for brevity and clarity and will edit to fit the publication's editorial style and length requirements. The ABA Trust & Investments style guide is based on The Chicago Manual of Style, but also utilizes the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.

Please use the active voice and avoid unnecessary jargon. The clearest writing is writing that communicates in the fewest amount of words. Instead of writing The announcement was made by regulators regarding the new rules at a Sept. 21 meeting on Capitol Hill, write Regulators announced new rules at a Sept. 21 meeting on Capitol Hill. Writers should always strive for brevity and clarity. If you need more detail or instructions, contact Joe Kelly at jkelly@aba.com or call (202) 663-5071.

Author Credits
Authors should provide a brief biographical statement—including current position and contact information—for publication with the article. Photographs do not accompany feature articles but accompany all columns.

Author Agreements
Each author will be required to sign a standard author agreement that acknowledges that the material submitted is authentic, and grants ABA the proper permissions to publish such article. The agreement, however, does not change copyright, which is maintained by the author or authors. Click here to view the author agreement.

Payment
Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, ABA Trust & Investments magazine does not pay authors. However, each author published in the magazine will receive five complimentary copies.

Continuing Education Credit
For Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB) members holding CTFA, CISP, CRSP, CSOP, or CCTS designations, the ICB will award continuing education (CE) credit to members who write articles for ABA Trust & Investments. Credit will be based on the time it takes authors to research and write articles and will be awarded after the story is published. Credit will be awarded based on a 50-minute credit hour and will not exceed 1/3 of the cyclical requirement for the certification. For example, CTFAs who are required to earn 45.0 credits over a three-year period can claim up to 15.0 credits for authorship per cycle. CE credit questions should be directed to ICB's Continuing Education Manager at (202) 663-5377 or at icb@aba.com.

For Additional Information
Contact Joe Kelly at (202) 663-5071 or jkelly@aba.com. All correspondence should be addressed to Joe Kelly, Senior Editor, ABA Trust & Investments magazine, American Bankers Association, 1120 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-3971.

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