Publications Procedure

The Office of Communications & University Relations (OCUR), is charged by PS-10 with supervision of the production of all University publications with the following exceptions:

  • books published by LSU Press
  • scholarly publications by faculty and staff
  • official student publications such as The Daily Reveille and Gumbo publications produced by students for the LSU Union and other student organizations or those produced as "learning experiences" by students
  • established periodicals such as The Southern Review, and the Louisiana Business Review
  • publications produced the the LSU Agricultural Center and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center

OCUR is also charged with assuring that all publications contribute favorably to the image of the University. The staff will guide you step-by-step until the printed piece is completed and delivered.

Where Do I Start?

First, there are some things you must do and some decisions you-perhaps with your department chair-must make.

  1. Write your copy.
    • OCUR editors can rewrite, edit, and put your material in the correct format, but the beginning manuscript must come from you because you know your own field best and know the points you want to make.
    • You must decide upon your audience-the group of people you are trying to reach with your particular publication-in advance. The audience determines the style of writing. For instance, most undergraduate recruiting pieces are written informally (using "you" rather than "the student") since they generally go to a younger group of people. Graduate pieces, on the other hand, are written much more formally because of the difference in age and experience of your audience.
  2. Determine a budget. Before we can begin to work on a design, we must have a general idea of your budget. The OCUR production manager can get you an estimate of the cost of your piece once a design has been agreed upon. We can design to fit your budget while still producing a positive and uniform look for LSU.
  3. Determine a print amount. If you are doing a program for an event, such as the Distinguished Research Master Award presentation, you should plan on one copy for each person who will attend, plus several file copies. If you are producing a recruiting brochure, you should plan on it having about a two-year life span and try to anticipate the number of copies you will need during this time. Keep in mind, it is always more cost efficient to print all the copies you will need at one time rather than having to reprint.
  4. Think about the types of photography you want to use. If you already have photographs or slides, bring them to the office with your manuscript. OCUR has photographers on staff who can provide the necessary photographs if you want general campus scenes. If, however, you want lab photos of your faculty or pictures of your students, you will need to set up these photo sessions for our photographers. Scheduling of these sessions is done after your manuscript is received and an editor/graphic designer has been assigned. The editor/graphic designer and photographer will work with you on all photo assignments.

Should I Format My Word Processing File?

No! When you submit your word processing file, it should be free of codes, the only exceptions being bold and italic. Manuscripts submitted with columns, tabs, etc. take twice as long to edit because the editor has to individually remove each code before your text can be put into a design program. Please do not put any of these in your document.

Each manuscript for a publication is to be submitted in electronic format in Word along with a hard copy of the document, with bold, italics, etc.

Word processing guidelines:

  • Manuscripts should be single-spaced with an extra hard return to add space above and below a heading.
  • Do not indent paragraphs. Simply put a hard return at the end of each paragraph. When your text is pulled into a desktop publishing program, the indents for each paragraph will be set.
  • There should be no other hard returns in the manuscript except as mentioned above - before and after headings and at the end of each paragraph. Do not put a hard return at the end of each line.
  • There should only be one space (not two) after a period at the end of a sentence.
  • The entire manuscript should be typed in caps and lower case. Do not use "all caps" for anything.
  • Do not set any fonts. Use the default font on your computer.

I've Submitted My Manuscript. What Now?

Assuming this is a new publication, your manuscript will be edited. The editor will contact you if there are any questions about your text.

If the manuscript requires heavy editing, the editor will inform you and let you read over the edited version and approve all changes. Occasionally, an editor might suggest that some material be reworked.

Most manuscripts require some sort of administrative approval. If you have not already obtained this approval, OCUR will submit a copy of your manuscript to the appropriate office. If your publication deals with any sort of undergraduate admission or recruiting, it must be reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions; if it contains information about courses, curricula, or if it concerns new programs or institutes offered by the University, it must be reviewed by the Office of Academic Affairs; and if it deals with graduate admission, recruiting, or financial aid, it must be reviewed by the Graduate School. All this review can take place while the manuscript is being edited and your publication is being designed.

How Long Will This Take?

Prepress production by OCUR requires at least two to three weeks and the actual printing process by Printing Services requires two to four weeks-for a total production time of four to six weeks. Complicated pieces will require additional time.

Is There Anything Else I Should Know?

Producing a publication is a fairly simple proposition, and the OCUR staff will expertly guide you through the entire process. However, there are some things you should do. First, have your manuscript approved by all members of your department who might need to see it. Secondly, if you are working with a committee in your department, designate one person to be a liaison between the committee and OCUR.

You may, of course take a proof back to your department. However, you should return it in a timely manner. If you keep a proof for three weeks, be aware that this will delay the completion of your publication. The editors and graphic designers generally have 10-20 jobs in progress at once and yours will have to be worked back in.

The editor or graphic designer will call you each time you need to approve a stage of the production process. If you are going to be out of town for an extended period of time, please assign someone else in the department to act in your behalf.

What About Costs?

Charges for the production of your publication will be discussed at your initial meeting with the production manager.

Proofreading and editorial services are provided by OCUR staff at no charge to your department. You will be charged by OCUR for pre-press production and by Printing Services for printing.

You will be given an estimate of all charges for your publication early in the production process. However, you must remember that this is only an estimate. Additional charges may be incurred if there are significant changes at any stage of the production process. If this happens, you will be advised by a OCUR staff member.

If it should happen that your publication must be printed off campus, it will need to go through the bid process, as established by the Office of Purchasing. OCUR will prepare the specifications for bidding and will guide your publication through this procedure.

Grammar and Style

Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling are essential. Providing quality copy will increase your departments credibility, strengthen your relationship with your audience, and help preserve the reputation of your organization and LSU.

LSU Style Guide:

LSU Communications & University Relations recommends the following reference materials:

  • The Chicago Manual of Style
  • Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
  • Strunk & White’s Elements of Style

Contact Us

If you have any questions, or would like to set up an appointment to discuss your publication with a member of our staff, please contact the production manager, the Director of Communications at 225-578-3873 or the Art Director at 225-578-3878.

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Page last updated: September 24, 2009