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What Are We Looking For?
QST
Despite the common misconception, QST is not a technical or engineering publication. QST is a membership journal that appeals to a broad cross-section of readers. With that in mind, we’re looking for articles that are likely to please the highest percentage of our readership.
A technical article that has the best chance of being accepted for QST is one that…
For general-interest articles . . .
Tell an engaging story. The more you can paint a vivid picture in our minds, the more likely we are to accept your article. For example . . .
Weak: Our boat left the dock at 9 AM and it was raining.
Better: Wind and rain lashed our boat as it struggled away from the dock at 9 AM.
Remember that QST is a national magazine. We want content that is of interest to a national audience. Don’t attempt to use a QST article as a vehicle to promote an event in your area—unless the event is national or global in scope (such as the Dayton Hamvention, for example). We almost always reject such promotional articles. If your goal is promotion, send a press release to qst@arrl.org and we will consider it for use as a “QST Stray” announcement.
QEX
Unlike QST, QEX is a technical, engineering-oriented publication. In fact, we accept only technical articles for QEX. The QEX audience consists of hams with strong technical backgrounds. Many QEX readers are active or retired professional engineers.
We accept a much broader range of technical material for QEX than QST. We’re happy to consider any technical article as long as the subject matter is relevant to Amateur Radio. That said, we still expect good writing for QEX; a conversational style will make your article stand out among the candidates.
National Contest Journal (NCJ)
This is a magazine for hams who love contesting. For NCJ we’re looking for articles that run the gamut from reviews of hardware and software, to antenna designs, to stories about your last contest operation. A friendly writing style is particularly important for NCJ. Remember that you are writing for a tight-knit brotherhood of competitors who deeply enjoy what they do.
ARRLWeb
Many people are astonished to learn that of all ARRL media, the ARRLWeb has the highest readership—far larger than QST on any given month. We’re seeing an increasing demand for ARRLWeb material, so we’re particularly interested in short general-interest or technical articles that our audience can easily read and enjoy online.
What We Do NOT Accept
There are a several taboos that will result in immediate rejection of your article. These apply to all ARRL publications and the ARRLWeb.
Preparing Your Manuscript
You can mail e-mail your manuscript to ARRL HQ as a word processing file attachment. Although our editorial departments work primarily in Microsoft Word, they are capable of reading other word-processing formats as well.
When preparing your electronic manuscript for e-mailing, please observe the following guidelines:
(1) DO NOT attempt to format the document to look like a magazine page. If we accept your article for publication, that’s our job!
(2) DO NOT embed images or illustrations within the manuscript. Send them as separate files.
(3) DO include captions for all images and illustrations within the manuscript file.
(4) DO make sure your name, call sign, postal address and e-mail address are included within the manuscript file.
E-mail your manuscript to: QST@ARRL.ORG
You also have the option to simply send your manuscript to us by postal mail. Write, typewrite or computer-print your manuscript, double-spaced, on one side of each sheet, and use 8-1/2- X 11-inch paper. Leave at least a 1/2-inch margin around all sides of the text on each page. The top of each manuscript page should have a heading. Include the author’s name, a key word or two from the title, and a page number. It’s is a good idea to make a copy of your article before sending it to ARRL HQ. (Material sometimes gets lost in the mail.)
Send your manuscript, including all drawings and photographs, to:
ARRL
ATTN: Editorial Dept
225 Main St
Newington, CT 06111
Important! Send material to only one potential publisher at a time. It is our policy to automatically reject any submissions that have been sent simultaneously to other magazines. Multiple submissions can only lead to copyright infringement problems for publishers.
Photography: 7 Tips For Taking Good Photos for ARRL Publications
Illustrations
Sketches and/or schematic diagrams you supply should be as clear as possible so that our technical illustrator can work directly from them. We do not require professional line drawings from you. Even pencil drawings are acceptable if they are clear and legible.
All illustrations must include the following:
Project Source Codes
In keeping with the spirit of Amateur Radio, the ARRL supports open-source software. If your project includes a microprocessor or other device that functions with instructions that you have written, the source code must be made available at no cost to any reader who requests it. You can supply the code to us for distribution from the ARRLWeb, or you can distribute it from your own site or via e-mail. QST will not accept a project article unless the source codes are freely available to the public.
How Does the Article Selection Process Work?
Send your article to us as described above. You should receive an acknowledgment that your material has been received. Most authors submit their materials via e-mail, but in some instances their Internet Service Providers block our acknowledgment messages. If you continue to send email and receive nothing in return, it is safe to assume this is happening. Call our Production Coordinator at 860-594-0229, or use Postal Mail.
If you’ve submitted a technical article, it will be reviewed by our Technical Editorial Committee, which consists of ARRL in-house editors and a group of volunteers from various engineering disciplines. Articles are evaluated on the following criteria . . .
Every technical article submission is considered not only for QST, but also for QEX, NCJ, the ARRLWeb and even the ARRL Handbook. The committee decides which venue is best for every accepted article. However, if you want your article to be considered for one vehicle only (say, QST), please note this clearly in your submission.
General-interest articles are reviewed in much the same way, except that the General Interest committee is comprised strictly of ARRL Headquarters staff. Quality of writing, photography and editorial need are the major evaluation criteria.
The editorial committees meet only once per month, so please be patient. It may be 4 to 8 weeks before you receive word of their decision.
If Your Article is Accepted…
If your manuscript is accepted, you will receive a notice by mail. Articles accepted for publication become the property of The American Radio Relay League, Inc. In other words, we acquire all rights to your article. We must do this because the ARRL has sharing agreements with our IARU sister societies worldwide. To fulfill these agreements, our articles must be available for publication overseas without copyright encumbrances from the original authors.
That said, it is important to point out that we only acquire rights to your article as it is published in our media. We do not hold rights to your ideas, designs, software, etc.
Before we can prepare a manuscript for publication, we must have your written permission to do so. This is the purpose of the author’s release form, which is sent to you along with the acceptance letter. The release form specifies that the material you have submitted is original, except as noted; has not been submitted or published elsewhere, except as noted; and contains suitable credit for circuits or ideas borrowed from already published material. Please be sure to include your social security number on the release form. If the material falls within our compensation guidelines (later in this Guide), and you are a US citizen or resident alien, we must have your social security number before payment can be made.
We will schedule your article for the next available issue, but please note that schedule changes are often necessary and that it could be up to one year before your article appears in print.
When your article is ready for publication, we will either post, fax or e-mail a copy to you (in Adobe PDF format). This will be your “proof” copy. Check it carefully for errors, and then contact us as soon as possible with any necessary changes.
Compensation
The League compensates authors of certain material published in QST according to these guidelines:
Payment will be made for QST articles and Hints and Kinks items. Payment for articles will be at the rate of $65 per published page, or part thereof, including photographs, drawings and other related material. For QEX the rate is $50 per page. Authors of Hints and Kinks items will be compensated at the rate of $20 per published item. Feature stories for the ARRLWeb are purchased at $25 per story. We do not pay for material published in NCJ.
Payment will be made upon publication. ARRL and IARU officials (officers, directors and vice directors as well as officials of IARU member-societies), and authors of ARRL National Convention articles are not eligible for compensation. For authors who are presently under contract to the League (such as Contributing Editors), the provisions of the contract, and not this policy, apply.
If Your Article is Rejected…
The first thing a budding writer learns is to not take rejections personally. Magazines decline articles for a wide variety of reasons, but they have nothing to do with the personalities of the authors. If we decide not to use your article, you will receive a notice by postal mail. Printed materials, illustrations and photos will be returned.
The best advice in the face of a rejection is to simply re-package the materials and send them to another publication. There are other amateur magazines available, and what may not appeal to one publication may appeal to another.
Attempting to argue your case with the editors will only result in bruised feelings. The decisions of the ARRL Editorial Committees are final.
