EDUCATION & SPECIAL FEATURES ARTICLE GUIDELINES

MLO's Education and Special Feature categories provide opportunities for quest writers among medical laboratory technologists and/or medical laboratory industry vendors to contribute information to MLO readers about a variety of topics throughout the year. A good framework for a typical Education or Special Feature article might include:

1. an introductory paragraph that establishes the relevance of the topic at hand and piques the reader’s interest. This can be accomplished by using a case study to “set the stage;” and

2. a detailed discussion of the laboratory’s role in the matter under discussion. Avoid digressions on a particular topic that are not relevant to the category listed on the editorial calendar.

The overall organization of the article should be apparent. Judicious use of headings will help clarify transitions from one topic to another, thus avoiding confusion for the reader. The purpose of the article should be made clear in the introduction.

LENGTH AND STYLE

The ideal length of an Education or Special Feature article is between 600 and 1,200 words. The ideal writing style is unpretentious, easy to understand, and free from jargon and undefined abbreviations and acronyms.

SUBMITTING THE ARTICLE

Manuscripts should be emailed directly to cbersch@nelsonpub.com.

Articles must be original and not published or under consideration by any other publication. Please note that any material submitted to MLO that is used in part or in total by another publication may violate copyright laws.

All authors are asked to sign an agreement transferring ownership of copyright to the MLO publisher, as well as to provide specific information, including name, address, home and business telephone numbers, and place of employment.

PUBLISHING THE ARTICLE

Manuscripts are subject to editing, from a light edit to possible heavy condensing and extensive restructuring. In every instance, the MLO editorial staff will try to preserve the author's ideas.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING MATERIAL TO MLO

Cover Story / CE Test

Clinical Issues / Lab Management

Education / Special Features

New Products / New Technology