Information for Authors: About AIHA Press

AIHA’s Education and Technical Initiatives (ETI) department aims to provide a full suite of occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) educational resources. We strive to empower professionals who apply scientific knowledge to protect workers from occupational hazards. ETI fulfills its mission through the work of four teams: On-Site Education, e-Learning, Publications, and Technical Initiatives.

But we can’t do it alone! To advance these goals, AIHA relies on the dedicated efforts of volunteers and experts to develop educational content and best-practice guidance for other OEHS professionals.

Works developed and published through AIHA Press and Technical Initiatives (TI) pave the way for continuing education opportunities. Without these foundational materials, many of the courses, webinars, and trainings that you know and love [anticipate/look forward to] might not exist. Our textbooks, guidelines, frameworks, white papers, guidance documents, and other handy resources provide the information you need to stay relevant and excel in your field.

Since 1939, AIHA has been a leading organization serving scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring OEHS in the workplace and community.

There are numerous benefits to publishing with AIHA, starting with the dedicated and personalized support you receive from staff. As a small, nonprofit organization, AIHA ensures that you will work directly with staff members (project managers, editors, specialists, etc.) to bring your project to fruition. We care about the integrity and value of your work, and producing the highest quality publication with the least amount of stress is our utmost priority.

Some other reasons to choose AIHA include, but are not limited to, the following:

Reputation and Influence

• AIHA has a strong and longstanding reputation in the community.
• Our focus is on quality over quantity.
• As a nonprofit association, we have a social purpose and responsibility to uphold the best interests of the OEHS community we serve. So, we focus on developing the best educational materials possible—not churning a profit.

Personal Touch and Collaboration

• You will receive personalized service and support for your project that might not be offered by a larger publisher.
• Our staff members are dedicated to giving your work the time and attention it deserves.
• AIHA staff members understand and respect that your time is valuable, so we work with you to set reasonable expectations and leave room for flexibility.

Dedication and Support

• AIHA editorial teams alleviate the “hassle” of publishing. We handle proofreading, copyediting, formatting, typesetting, and design elements so you don’t have to!
• AIHA is involved from the very beginning of your project. Once the proposal is accepted, we are with you from initiation through to publication and beyond.
• During the project kickoff call, we will help you establish project milestones and develop a strategic plan for success. We can even provide project management and set up status calls/reminders!

Promotion and Reach

• We have a tight-knit but ever-growing community of members and volunteers.
• Our community is not only loyal but also passionate, meaning that your work will be shared, discussed, and celebrated among the profession.
• We have agreements with a variety of distributors, enabling you to reach wider audiences and share your expertise across platforms. Some distributors include Rittenhouse and Knovel, who target libraries, institutions, and students—an often-overlooked demographic.
• Our dedicated communications and marketing team ensures that your work is promoted in all the right places and in the right ways.

Buy-In

• Your involvement gives you a voice in the conversation!
• OEHS is an ever-changing field. Your contribution strengthens the community and enables you to help shape the narrative.

The Information for Authors site is intended to walk you through the steps to publication, whether you’re working on a white paper or a full-length textbook. AIHA created this page to outline the production process, provide guidelines for development, and answer any questions you may have about publication.

These guidelines are meant to take the guesswork out of publishing and help streamline the production process. They are by no means exhaustive or mandatory/exact/unyielding; however, following the specifications to the best of your ability will ease the burden of publishing and expedite the process overall. We encourage you to refer to the guidelines so you can reach the final milestone—publication—in the most efficient way possible.

In addition to the guidance provided, AIHA staff is available to support you through the production process. Through collaboration and project management, we can help author teams develop the best possible manuscript so that, together, we can produce/publish the best possible publication.

Thank you in advance for your contribution to AIHA and our overall mission of preserving and ensuring OEHS safety. We look forward to working with you on your next project!

If you have any questions about the information presented here or not addressed on this page/site, please contact Lisa Lyubomirsky (Publications Editor) at [email protected].

AIHA welcomes submissions of books, guidelines, bodies of work (fact sheets, guidance documents, position statements, white papers), frameworks, and talking points. The process begins with the CPAG Project Proposal application, and, if accepted, the project will proceed through the stages of production until it reaches the final destination: Publication!

There are three phases to the AIHA Publication Process: Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production.

Pre-Production [Overview]:

This is the initial planning and development stage. Volunteers should develop their content proposal, begin recruiting authors, assign chapters, collaborate with AIHA to establish a project plan, write first drafts, conduct peer review, revise drafts, and finalize the manuscript for submission to AIHA.

• CPAG Proposal Submission --> Review --> Proposal Acceptance
• Project Kickoff Call
• Writing --> First Drafts Developed
• Peer Review
• Revision --> Drafts Finalized
• Submission to AIHA Editorial

Production [Overview]:

This is the refinement stage. Lead editors and authors will work with AIHA Editorial to improve the manuscript draft through rounds of editing, review, and clean up. Once the authors and publisher are satisfied with the manuscript, it will be formatted and proofread in preparation for print.

• Editing (Copyediting and Substantive Editing)
• Author Review of AIHA Edits --> Approval
• Typesetting/Layout
• Indexing (If Applicable)
• Proofreading (Proof Review)
• Final Draft Sent to Press
• Publication!

Post-Production [Overview]:

This is the distribution and promotion stage. AIHA staff will release the product and use marketing strategies to promote it for sale. Volunteers can assist by providing product descriptions, identifying key terms, advertising the book on approved platforms (e.g., LinkedIn), and creating derivative products (e.g., webinars).

• Product Creation --> Upload to AIHA Marketplace
• Promotion/Marketing
• Additional Products and Opportunities Discussed
• Complimentary Copies Provided (Where Applicable)

Style:

“Style” refers to the consistent use of an accepted standard for punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, footnotes, reference format, the writing or expression of numbers, units, etc.

AIHA Press and TI apply a modified version of American Psychological Association (APA) format as house style. We do not provide writers with the in-house style guide because it is the editors’ job to apply these standards.

If you would like additional style guidance while writing, refer to the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition (https://apastyle.apa.org/).

Copyright:

AIHA Press and TI require participants to transfer copyright to AIHA. All authors, editors, and contributors will be asked to sign the Copyright Permission Form. Refer to [SECTION] for more information.

Formatting:

• File type: Microsoft Word (.docx)
• Size: 8.5 x 11 (unless otherwise requested)
• Margins: 1 inch
• Spacing: Double-spaced (including references)
• Font: Typed 12-point,

Headings:

Too many headings can clutter a publication’s appearance and confuse the reader. Please limit the number of headings to three or four levels.

Note that AIHA staff will format headings according to house styles; however, please make heading levels clear using consistent styles for each level or labeling each section accordingly. A sample of heading styles is provided:

• Level 1: Muli, bold, size 18 font
• Level 2: Muli, bold, size 12 font
• Level 3: Muli, bold and italic, size 11 font

Artwork:

Artwork (e.g., line drawings, photographs, diagrams, etc.) should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and be saved as TIF, JPG, or EPS files. Submit artwork as separate electronic files and embed them in the manuscript where relevant. Include figure callouts and captions.

Most artwork will be printed in black and white. If there is a reason that any image should be printed in color, please notify AIHA.

Photographs and Photo Releases:

Avoid using photographs of human subjects, when possible. If your photo contains a human subject, obtain a photo release OR obscure the photo so that the individual is not recognizable. Refer to [PHOTO RELEASE] for a sample form.

Tables:

Tables are used to organize and present data that may be too complicated to describe in the text. Tables allow the reader to quickly see results and can be used to highlight trends or patterns, making a manuscript more readable overall.

Organize the table in a way that clearly presents data to readers. Limit the amount of text in the table and avoid the use of color or stylistic text (bold, italics, underline). Leave enough space between entries for data to be easily read and processed. Note that AIHA staff will format tables according to in-house templates

Include a table callout, title, and caption. Define abbreviations and symbols in the caption, treating each table as a separate entity from the text.

Tables should be formatted using Microsoft Word table tools. Do not submit tables as separate Excel files (or other spreadsheets) unless predetermined/agreed upon in advance.

Permissions:

Artwork or tables from other sources will likely require permission to reprint or modify. Assume that anything you find on the internet is copyrighted and will require permission to use.

The process of obtaining permission can be lengthy and costly. Plan accordingly by starting the permissions process early, allocating funds, and using Public Domain Resources whenever possible.

Publications are often held up by the permissions process. Note that it is not the responsibility of AIHA staff to secure or pay for permissions. Manuscripts will be delayed if the proper permissions are not secured/obtained. Refer to the [Sample Letter/Website] for more information on when and how to obtain permissions.

Equations and Formulas:

Number equations and formulas consecutively, both inline (Eq. 1-1) and in parenthesis next to the display (1-1).

Complex equations/formulas should be offset from the text as display equations. Default to mathematical software (e.g., MathType, MS Equation tool) to ensure consistent formatting. Note that AIHA staff will apply preferred styles for numerals, coefficients, and variables (e.g., “t” will be italicized when it refers to time).

Footnotes

Use footnotes sparingly/limit the use of footnotes/Limit footnotes to one or two sentences and avoid overuse. If there are more than two sentences in a footnote, incorporate the information into the text.

Lists

Use bulleted and numbered lists sparingly. If the information in a list cannot be summarized in a few sentences or phrases, consider converting to a full paragraph in the text. Avoid nested lists where possible.

Use numbered lists for items that are steps in a process or itemized conclusions. These are generally written in complete sentences and use proper punctuation.

Bulleted or lettered lists draw attention to items without implying an order of importance or chronology. They can be phrases or full sentences. Apply the appropriate punctuation and capitalization for items that are full sentences.

Appendices:

Limit appendices to material designed to supplement the text. Format appendices like you would the rest of the text. If there is more than one appendix, number each one and provide an appropriate title for cross-referencing purposes.

References:

All sources should be cited in the text using a parenthetical citation Reference all sources using both in-text citations (author, date) and a full reference list. Each work that is cited in the text must appear in the reference list and vice versa.

In-Text Citations

For in-text citations, set the source off from the rest of the text using parenthesis marks. Make sure you clearly indicate where in the text the citation belongs.

Include up to two authors’ last names and the publication year separated by a comma:

• The data were summarized accordingly (Smith and Johnson, 2020).

For three or more authors, include the first author and the term “et al.” before the date:

• This was further demonstrated in the study (Garrison et al., 2018).

When citing multiple references in one line, separate the sources with a semicolon.

• Numerous studies have shown similar results (Marquez et al., 2019; Roberts and Shah, 2017; Billings et al. 2021).

Reference List

We prefer for references to be combined in a single list at the end of each chapter (if your publication has chapters) or at the end of the manuscript. Reference lists should be organized alphabetically by the first author’s last name.

Although AIHA staff will clean up and format references, it is imperative that you provide all the necessary information about a particular source in the reference list. The following elements are required (and will answer the question posed):

• Author(s): Who is responsible for this work?
• Date: When was this work published?
• Title: What is this work called?
• Source: Where can I retrieve this work?

Make sure the authors’ names are spelled consistently in the references and the text. All references should be typed double-spaced.

Please refer to the enclosed sample for our preferred reference style.

[Forms will be linked here]