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Coronavirus COVID-19

We at CAHNRS are doing our part to limit the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. View the list of canceled or postponed college events. Visit WSU’s source of updates and information about COVID-19 at wsu.edu/covid-19/

Publications

Please review notes from Rich Koenig, Associate Dean and Director, on our new web publishing model and on citing sources.

CAHNRS Communications provides support to WSU Extension educators and other CAHNRS faculty who wish to publish research-based information as a peer-reviewed publication. We publish materials that respond to public needs and reflect the diversity of expertise within CAHNRS. Some of our most popular products are in gardening, food preservation, and forestry. You can find a complete list of topics and access our entire inventory at the WSU Extension Online Store. All manuscripts going through the Extension publications process will be considered web content under the new publishing model. While there will still be a handful of printed publications, the majority will be treated as web content.

Overview of the Extension Numbered Publication Process

Note: Before writing the manuscript, all authors should review copyright information and their roles within the FastTrack System (online peer-review system).

  1. It is the responsibility of the author to confirm that the manuscript topic is needed and not currently addressed in the WSU Extension system. Failure to do so could result in rejection of the manuscript if it does not add to the body of information within our system. Please review the Publication Categories (and associated criteria) to help decide which type of publication will be written. If in doubt, contact CAHNRS Communications or the appropriate program unit director to discuss the project.
    • If this manuscript is part of a series project, please contact CAHNRS Communications to set up a meeting to discuss the scope and reach of the project.
    • If this manuscript is attached to a grant or funds that provide for printed copies to be stocked for sale to the public, please contact CAHNRS Communications to discuss the details.
  2. The author writes the manuscript, including a brief abstract, following our Author Guidelines and the Style Guide.
  3. When the manuscript is completed, the author submits it into the FastTrack System for pre‐ and peer‐review.
  4. The manuscript will go through an editorial pre‐review before being sent for peer review. (CAHNRS Communications editors conduct these pre‐reviews, and program directors use the information to make their decision about suitability for publications and readiness for peer review.)
    • Note – The FastTrack System (peer‐review) does not replace the publications process. FastTrack is for online peer‐review only. You will still need to complete all of the proper forms for publishing through WSU Extension (and go through editing and design).
  5. The author submits the required forms into the FastTrack System (under the assigned Submission ID# for the manuscript) while the peer review is being completed.
    • If the publication makes any mention of pesticides, the final text must be reviewed and approved by the Washington State Pesticide Coordinator. CAHNRS Communications editors will initiate and facilitate this pesticide review.
    • Once through the FastTrack system, the manuscript will enter the editing queue, where the Publications Coordinator will assign an editor to work with the author on editing the publication.
    • The editor will provide their initial edit to the author. Up to three rounds of edits between the editor and author may be performed.
    • Upon final round of editing, the author will receive a sign-off form stating that all edits have been made to their satisfaction, all co-authors have seen the finalized manuscript and approve of the edits, and that the author agrees that the manuscript is ready to move to the design phase.
      • Any substantial edits (e.g., major changes to text, addition of tables, graphs, or figures, etc.) made to the manuscript after it has been approved for design will require that the manuscript go back into the editing queue to await reassignment to an editor.
    • Once the editing sign-off form has been signed and returned to CAHNRS Communications, the Publications Coordinator will assign the finalized manuscript to a designer.
    • The designer will provide a proof for the author to perform a proofread of content for minor changes and check image/table/graphic placement. Up to three rounds of design reviews between the author and designer may be performed.
      • If the manuscript is to be a printed publication that is to be stocked by CAHNRS Publications for sale to the public, the author will receive a PDF file of the document appearing as it will be printed.
    • Upon final round of design review, the author will receive a sign-off form stating that the content is to their satisfaction.
    • Once the design sign-off form has been signed and returned, the content will be published to the web.
      • If the manuscript is a printed publication that is to be stocked by CAHNRS Publications for sale to the public, all relevant files will be sent to the printer for production.
    • The author will receive email confirmation when their content is live on the web.

Resources

Time Sensitive Materials Extension professionals must be able to produce and post or print digital materials quickly when emergencies occur or when there is a need to get technical information to the public in a very rapid manner. To expedite this process, a MS Word template has been developed for time-sensitive materials. Please review the time-sensitive guidelines before using the template provided.

Getting Started