iScrap Submission Guidelines

Member content contributions are what make iScrap the ultimate scrapbooking web site! To insure iScrap provides the highest inspirational and instructional content, please follow these submission guidelines. These guidelines may be edited over time to better meet the needs of iScrap users. Please check back regularly for any updates.

Overview:

• Content includes articles, tips, videos, how-to tutorials, projects, layouts, commentaries and more
• Content you submit must be original
• Original content will be attributed to the author
• Content must be well-written and in standard English (remember, you are writing for an international audience)
• Only ISA members may contribute content

Best Practices:

iScrap is an educational site with focus on instruction and inspiration. Please submit content that would be suitable for publication in a magazine or idea book. Try to avoid the more casual writing style frequently found on the Internet. In line with the ISA's mission to expand the passion of scrapbooking, iScrap users are encouraged to share and recommend content. Articles you write may be used by instructors, retailers and newcomers seeking resources and usable content. Submit content you would be proud to put your name to.

Here are some tips to prevent editorial delays, improve the chances of your submission being accepted, and ultimately increase your exposure and credibility.

• Provide a short introductory paragraph that draws the reader into the article
• Avoid starting articles with questions
• Keep paragraphs short and visually readable
• Be as generic as possible unless the topic is about the use of a particular product
• Follow the guidelines for the specific category
• Provide photos that are clear, in focus, well-cropped and properly support the content
• Send supporting photos as separate attachments
• Where possible, include variations and suggested applications for teaching opportunities

Usage and Rights:

By submitting an article, you agree to allow the International Scrapbooking Association (ISA) to use your article on the iScrap web site for editorial purposes only without notice and to remove said article without notice. You also agree to allow iScrap to advertise and distribute your content and name as the author of said content to the public and private for marketing purposes. You retain all rights regarding your article under copyright laws, and no article will be sold without your consent. Full credit will be given to authors.

Criteria:

Each submission must meet specific criteria. The criteria serve to maintain a high level of credibility for iScrap and all its contributors. Contributors should only submit their best work. Articles must be easy to read, well laid out and have structure.

Articles must not infringe upon copyright laws (i.e., plagiarism). For editorial purposes, copyright laws are very different than commercial copyright laws; however, the potential for exposure and purchase of submitted articles we ask that you please abide by copyright laws for both written articles and photographs. A model release must be signed by anyone displayed and recognizable in a photograph, for any clarification or help on this subject please contact us.

Where applicable, articles must include a "Supply List," a "Tool List" and a "Brands Used List"

The Supply List shall list generic supplies, unless the article is dependent on a specific brand

The Tool List shall list all the tools required other than the basic tools (trimmer, journaling pen, scissors, pencil, adhesive)

Please list the product brands used in any photo examples so the proper manufacturer is credited

Format Specifications:

The document must be in one of the following formats:

• Word Document (.doc)
• Text (.txt)
• Rich Text Format (.rtf)

If pictures are to be published in an article, photo files must be separate from the document and named in relation to the submission and in relation to appearance within the document. For example, photos for an article submitted on machine stitching would be named machinestitching_1.jpg, machinestitching_2.jpg ...

The document must clearly indicate where each picture is to appear, either by notes in the document or by embedding the photos in the document and attaching them.

Submissions with no picture files sent separately (i.e. only embedded in a Word document) will not be accepted, and you will be asked to re-submit the article with separate picture files.

Image files for articles and tutorials must meet the following criteria:

• JPG format
• JPG compression 8 – 10
• Photos must be converted to the sRGB color space
• Photos must be sharpened (be careful not to over sharpen)
• No greater than 500 pixels in width
• Photos must be clear, not harsh, not too dark and not too bright (properly exposed)
• Photos must be constant exposure
• Photos must be in focus and sharp with adequate depth of field where applicable
• Photos must be of consistent size and composure and exposure
• No distracting backgrounds
• Photos must be cropped to reduce unnecessary wasted space and for aesthetics
• No photos may infringe upon copyright laws

Images for layout submissions must meet the following criteria:

• Digital or Paper (scanned)
• JPG format
• JPG compression 8 – 10
• Images must be converted to the sRGB color space
• Images must be sharpened (be careful not to over sharpen)
• Minimum resolution of 1000 x 1000 pixels
• Images must be clear, not harsh, not too dark and not too bright (i.e., properly exposed)
• Images must be in focus and sharp with adequate depth of field where applicable
• Layout is properly aligned (squared angles and not rotated)