This document exists to help you write something that we can turn into a great article. If you have questions about writing for VP1, please contact andrew@vp1online.com.

Introduction

VP1 has a certain style we hope most authors find easy to replicate. Although many of the topics we cover are advanced, we strive to convey these complex topics clearly using a conversational style and exceptional article exhibits. Your focus should be on making your article text as clear as possible, and our designers will worry about massaging your article exhibits into compelling visuals suitable for publication.

General Tips

• Pick a topic you care about.
• Be conversational. Directly address the reader. Use imperatives.
• Use the active voice. Say "I restarted the App Server," not "The App Server was restarted."
• Write as though you were chatting with an intelligent friend who may not be familiar with the specifics of what you are covering.
• Use short sentences.
• Be careful with humor. Sarcasm and irony are misread easily and can be offensive.
• If you realize you cannot meet a deadline, please let us know as soon as possible.
• If possible, have a technically competent colleague look over your work, especially any code, before submitting it.
• While bullet points may work in this document, they do not work in a 3-column magazine format. Do not use bulleted lists unless your line items are very short.

Article Exhibits - Screen Shots, Diagrams, Tables, Code Snippets

VP1 references three types of exhibits in our articles: Figures, Tables, and Listings. Figures are screen shots, images, and diagrams. Tables are, well, tables. And Listings encompass all any pieces of code you want to include.

There are three different ways to reference an exhibit in within your article. The preferred method is to insert a callout after a sentence in parenthesis. (See Table 4) Sometimes an inline method is more appropriate (See Table 5), so use whichever feels more logical. And finally, sometimes it's easier to reference an exhibit directly, "The Peoplecode in Listing 3 calls on...".

Screen Shots

We prefer that you submit screen shots as individual files, not embedded in your Word document.

When possible, please capture your images as high qulaity JPG files.

When capturing a screen shot of a PeopleSoft page, please resize your browser window so the PeopleSoft content fills the window. On many pages, there is a great deal of white space in a maximized browser window.

During layout, we will trim your image down to exclude your desktop. Please err on the side of generosity when trimming your screen shots.

Name your figures ajh_figure1.jpg, ajh_figure2.jpg, etc, substituting ajh with your initials, and include them in your article zip file.

Diagrams

Readers love diagrams. Please use them whenever appropriate, and remember we have designers to professionally rework your diagrams. Once again, please focus on accurate content and we'll take care of the polishing. Here's a before and after example:

Before

After

Your diagrams can be submitted as Visio files or separate images. Be mindful of the fact that diagrams are also referenced as Figures in your article, and should increment in step with your screenshot figures. (ajh_figure1.bmp, ajh_figure2.vzo)

Tables

Including tables in your article? No problem. Make sure you give them a name, and reference them as Table X in the article. We will convert them to the following format:

Every Listing needs a title so readers know what they are looking at. If it's a piece of Peoplecode, tell us which one. Within your article, please callout your code snippets as Listings. (See Listing 1) Also do us the favor of including each one as a separate text file in your article zip file. Please name them ajh_listing1.txt, ajh_listing2.txt, substituting ajh with your initials.

Go ahead, tell the world who you are. Your "About the Author" blurb will be included at the end of your article. Please include this 2-3 setence text blurb at the end of your article. Examples:

John Doe (johndoe@vp1online.com) works as a full-time employee for a global law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been working with PeopleSoft HRMS since 1997 and is a regular contributor to VP1.

Bob Doe (bobdoe@vp1online.com) is a Senior DBA for a large financial services company in Richmond, Virginia. His 15 years of IT experience also includes consulting roles with PeopleSoft Professional Services Group and EDS. Baker is currently the Lead DBA for a very large EPM implementation.

Alternate Titles

If you can't decide on a title, include your best 2-3 attempts. Ultimately your title may be changed, so alternates help us do a better job in the event of a rename.

Sidebars

Consider including short standalone blocks of text that explain useful tools and techniques relevant to the subject of the article. These typically explain a subtle variation in the technology, an alternative method than the one you are presenting, or a tangential subtopic. Please write your sidebar(s) in a separate word doc, and name it yourinitials_sidebar.doc

Teaser or Summary Text

We include a short description of each article in several places. Look at a few existing articles for ideas, and consider sending us some text to help sell your article.

If included, please append this text to the end of your article.

Submitting Your Article

Once you have completed your article, we ask that you submit the final version as a .zip archive via email. This archive will contain your main article file as a Word doc, all figure files, and each Listing as a .txt file. Please adhere to our naming conventions when possible, using the authors initials followed by the item name.

(Thanks to Shannon Whitley for setting this standard.)