LIR GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

Contributions

LIR encourages unsolicited submissions. Contributions can be to any of the main LIR sections: Refereed papers, Articles, the Directory of research or Book reviews . Authors need to decide on the criteria outlined below whether they wish to submit a refereed paper or whether their work is more appropriate as a non-refereed article.

REFEREED PAPERS AND ARTICLES

There is a clear distinction between these, but LIR's policy is that both are equally valid in this journal, since they disseminate research in different ways. Papers for refereeing should be reflective, drawing upon the wider literature and research scene rooted in a particular piece of research. Non-refereed articles should be clear descriptions of a piece of research, making the practical application of the work clear. They may still draw wider conclusions and make recommendations, but they will in essence be an account of what happened rather than a reflection on wider research practice or theory.

Refereed papers and Articles are usually between 2,000 and 7,000 words. Authors are asked to submit an Abstract (100-150 words), a description of The Author(s) (up to 25 words per author to a maximum overall of 75 words), and � where appropriate � a section describing The Occasion (prize entry, thesis description, related project, etc.). They should also ensure all authors are included in the author list and add Acknowledgements where these are appropriate for other contributions to the research . LIR's focus is on �research into practice�. Authors are therefore asked to keep contributions as clear and practical as possible, and to explain how the research results should affect practice. Authors are also asked to report any research methodologies thoroughly. As authors retain their copyright in contributions to LIR, they should also supply an e-mail address in order that permission seekers may contact them if necessary. Authors should use the Instructions for writing an article for LIR when laying out their contributions.

A copy of the LIR Licence to Publish Form is available to download from the website at: http://www.lirg.org.uk/lir/licence.rtf .

Text Content in contributions will normally be, in the main, original. Occasionally work that has already been published may be repeated in LIR by agreement with the original publisher. The final version should be submitted to the Editor preferably in electronic format (e.g. as an email attachment). A print version may also be supplied. Please include a word count. This, and instructions for the printer, should be underlined; underlining should only be used for this purpose and will not appear in any final printed text (except for email and web addresses).

References All references are printed at the end of the piece. The preferred reference style is the Harvard system. In this system, references in the text take the following format: (Smith and William, 1992a) and the bibliographic details at the end of the articles are as in these examples:

BOOKS: Fullsome, K. (1994a) In search of the stupendous, Dublin, Strong Publishers, ISBN 135689435x

JOURNALS: Cook, D. and Davies, H. (1997) The importance of modern library canteens, Public Service Catering 13(3), 25-31.

WEB: Harnad, S. (1995) A subversive proposal. Available at: http://cogsci.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/subvert.html [Date accessed]

The Directory of Research is compiled in conjunction with contacts within LIS Departments in the UK and Ireland. It also seeks to publicise the research of practitioners in all sectors and of those in independent research units and consultancies. The Directory provides the name, abstract, URL, contact details, dates and funding source of LIS-related research projects around the country. To contribute to the Directory contact the Associate Editor in the first instance.

Content The purpose of the reviews section of LIR is to offer a critical evaluation of books and reports which are likely to be of interest to the library and information research community. Coverage should normally include the background or context of the book, the intended readership, its content and usefulness. Other criteria such as format and layout may also be included where appropriate.

Length Although there is no standard length for a LIR review, experience suggests that around 500 words strikes the right balance. Reviewers should not feel inhibited if they think the book warrants lengthier treatment (up to 1,000 words), or if they wish to propose adding books on a similar topic or writing a Review Article instead.

Format A paper copy of the review should be sent to the Reviews Editor at the address given inside the front cover accompanied by either an e-mail attachment or a copy on disc (PC-based WORD or alternative).

Presentation At the head of the review please give full bibliographic details in the style shown below (plus anything further you consider important). At the end of the review give your name, brief job title, and organisation or address. Optionally add your e-mail address if you would welcome easy communication from individual readers.

STYLE EXAMPLE (more extensive than most!):

CHAPMAN, Ann and SPILLER, David Trend analysis of monograph acquisitions in public and university libraries in the UK. [LISU Occasional Paper no. 25] Loughborough: Library & Information Statistics Unit (LISU) and UK Office for Library and Information Networking (UKOLN). March, 2000. 66 pages, A4 wire bound. ISBN 1 901786 29 3. Price £17.50 - post paid UK. [also Library & Information Commission Report 47 and British National Bibliography Research Fund Report 100.] Also available at http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/bib-man/surveys/acquis/.ukoln.ac.uk/bib-man/surveys/acquis/.

Short communications to publicise research results (interim or final) will now routinely be included in the LIRG Newsletter � Research into Practice . These will usually be between 300 and 1,000 words in order to report on useful and informative research and surveys that are often carried out on email discussion lists and "in-house" within organisations, the results of which can be easily lost. Most short communications will take the following format:

(1) Name & organisation of investigator(s); (2) Library sectors covered by research; (3) Reasons for carrying out the survey; (4) How the research was carried out (including lists to which any survey was posted); (5) Questions asked; (6) Number of responses; (7) Results & conclusions (100-500 words); (8) How the research affected the practice in the organisation; (8) Is a full report available? (Please give details). Please contact the Editor of Research into Practice , Linda Banwell ([email protected]) about potential items of this kind.