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Intent and Purpose of Wing Beats
Wing Beats is an operational trade magazine, published quarterly and is written and produced mainly by operational people. Its main intention is to keep all interested parties informed on matters as they relate to mosquito control and to disseminate information to help educate and raise the level of the mosquito control profession both nationwide and internationally.
Although the vast majority of articles are mosquito related, we do consider articles related to other vectors and their associated diseases (ie. ticks, fleas, sand flies).
General Scope of Articles
Wing Beats magazine accepts for consideration a broad range of article types, including technical and educational information on mosquito control related topics; business advice to assist managers or directors; news of events taking place in the industry; innovations of new equipment and improvements on existing equipment; case histories and problem-solving approaches to difficult or unusual mosquito control situations; operational research, experiences with particular pesticides, equipment and methods; profiles of successful people and companies in the industry; and innovative ways to handle problems common to mosquito control professionals.
If you have any questions about a potential topic, call and discuss it with the one of the editors. You may also consider sending us an outline of your proposed manuscript in advance. If you would like to view a past issue of Wing Beats, members of AMCA can login to the Members Area and click on “Wing Beats”.
Columns
Each issue of Wing Beats includes several columns for which we encourage readers to submit items of interest. The following summarizes acceptable material in each column heading. Inclusion of four-color, black-and-white, or digital photographs or slides depicting the event and/or person(s) involved is strongly encouraged.
News you can use: We encourage news releases on any aspect of the mosquito control industry that might be of interest to our readers. Suggested materials include presentations of awards and scholarships, regional and/or state association events, company mergers, employment postings, equipment for sale, and other mosquito control-related activities.
This section also lists upcoming events, such as conventions, association meetings, training courses, conferences, symposiums, workshops and seminars that are pertinent to the mosquito control industry. Please be sure to include date(s), a description of the event, the location, and the name, address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address of a person to contact for further information.
Letter to the Editor: This column is used as a forum to let readers tell us what's on their mind. In this section we publish letters from readers who wish to discuss further or comment on earlier released material. All letters will be published at the editors' discretion. Letters that disparage or comment negatively on industry competitors' products or marketing strategies will not be published. Thought-provoking discussion is encouraged in this section, but is not meant as a forum to settle differences.
Faces: Focuses on noteworthy personnel involved the mosquito control field. Inclusion of a head-and-shoulder photograph in four-color or black-and-white of the individual(s) is strongly encouraged.
Chemline: For this section we focus on information related to pesticides, pesticide delivery systems, pesticide usage, traps, baits, equipment, pesticide storage systems, etc.
Chip Chat: This column focuses on articles relating to the use of computers. This could include information about hardware, software, electronic media, etc.
Nature’s Way: Focuses on biological control agents used in the mosquito/vector control industry.
Biosynopsis: This column focuses on a chosen mosquito species and describes its importance, geographic distribution, larval and adult habitats and behaviours, host preference, etc.
Leading Edge: For this section we focus on inovative approaches to common problems. This could apply to application techniques or modifications to equipment.
Viewpoint: This column focuses on an individuals opinion which may be unique, or may be commonly accepted.
Vector Bearings: Focuses on articles related to mosquitoes and other vectors and programs targeting their control.
Under Surveillance: The intent of this column is to focus on programs and techniques that are used to monitor mosquito populations, arthropod-borne diseases, etc.
Program Profile: The column focuses on a program that is dedicated to control a particular problem. The focus could be on an individual mosquito control program, a division of the military, of a branch of the CDC.
Field Forum: Focuses on preliminary research, innovations of equipment, or novel approaches to accomplishing tasks performed in field operations.
Lines of Flight: The column focuses on articles related to the use of aircraft. Items often include descriptions of the type of aircraft used, modifications to
aerial application equipment and application techniques, navigational aids, restrictions imposed on flight over certain areas.
On the Books: Focuses on either new information that is important to disseminate to the readers or historical information that informs the reader on the background of the topic.
Flywheels: The column focuses on inventions and innovations to equipment used for mosquito control to improve on the original design. The performance of newly released or currently available equipment is also critically reviewed in this column.
Photos and Other Visuals
Technical concepts and written descriptions of mosquito control processes, case studies and research projects are greatly enhanced by pictorial representations to help readers better understand the subject matter.
We request that you submit a good selection of visuals, such as photographs, charts, drawings or graphs. A full description or caption is absolutely necessary with each one. Please do not write with a ball-point pen or felt-tip marker on the back of a photo. Instead, simply number your photos in the upper, right-hand corner and provide a separate sheet with caption copy for each photo.
The photos that are easiest for us to work with are four-color or black-and-white prints with a glossy finish, in five-inch-by-seven-inch or four-inch-by-six-inch sizes. Do not submit photos taken by instant print cameras or photos having a half-tone screen. We do accept transparencies or slides, but positive images only. We do not accept negatives. If you are sending art digitally on disk or via e-mail, please ensure that it is in PC tiff format.
Writing Your Article
Wing Beats publishes articles of varying lengths. Our manuscripts run from one to four pages (about 700 words per page). Use as much space as you deem necessary to tell your story, and present all the information necessary to tell it. All final editing will be at the discretion of the editorial staff.
Always be sure your article answers the essential questions that must be addressed in any well-written article, including who, what, where, when, why and how. If you or your organization is about to undertake a project, plan to keep brief notes from the beginning to the end of the project. These can then be used to form the basis of your article.
If you need editorial assistance, don’t worry. Our editors will do their best to make sure your article flows well and is acceptable to our readers. Don’t assume your writing style is unsuitable for publication.
It's important to remember that any project encounters problems and rough spots. Do not avoid mentioning difficulties you or the subject encountered in performing the work you or they performed. Those problems and how they were solved is of utmost interest to our readers.
In putting your article together, strictly avoid product comparisons, disparaging remarks about competitive products or manufacturers, or excessive praise of any single product or manufacturer. We are not adverse, though, to the judicious mentioning of specific manufacturers and their products.
The Wing Beats magazine editors reserve the right to reject any manuscript that we believe contains excessive endorsements of a single manufacturer and/or product. The editors also reserve the right to delete excessive references to a single product or manufacturer, and to delete language or sections of text that we believe have been incorporated solely or primarily for the purpose of publicizing a product or company. Additionally, Wing Beats reserves the right to reject and/or remove sections of any manuscript that may be disparaging or libelous to overall industry interests.
If references are necessary, footnote them numerically throughout the text, and then assemble them in order at the end of the article. Do not use footnotes at the bottom of each page. Also, avoid the excessive use of quotations.
Include the article's title and the author's name(s), mailing address(es), e-mail address(es) and phone number(s) on the cover sheet. All pages should be numbered. Drawings, diagrams, tables and other illustrations should be separate from the text. Please do not include them within the body of the typed manuscript.
Article Submission
By Mail: Articles sent by mail should be sent flat in a manila type envelope. Use cardboard stiffeners to protect the manuscript, disks and visuals. Note the inclusion of photos by writing on the outside of the envelope, "Photographs - Do not bend."
By e-mail: If you decide to send your materials electronically via e-mail attachments, the ideal article format is Microsoft Word 97 or WordPerfect 7. Our translating software is able to recognize many, but not all, word processing programs. We prefer photos, slides, transparencies or digital art. Digital art should be saved in a PC tiff or jpeg format with 300 dpi resolution.
Please include the author's name(s), title(s), affiliation(s), address(es) and phone number(s). Photographs, disks and other graphics will not be returned unless specifically requested.
You may submit articles and visuals to:
We will notify you within a reasonable amount of time as to your article's acceptability.
Editorial Staff
Deadlines:
| Deadline for receiving materials |
Monthly Issue |
Targeted Mailing Date |
January 15 |
Spring |
March 31 |
April 15 |
Summer |
June 30 |
July 15 |
Fall |
September 30 |
October 15 |
Winter |
December 31 |
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