By Rebecca Reitmeyer

Last November, we introduced the first annual Pub Week dedicated to increasing awareness of what it means to be a SLAC author.

At the second annual Pub Week beginning November 15, members of the TechPubs staff will again be on hand in the Panofsky Auditorium lobby between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each day. We will be happy to answer any questions you have about SLAC documents or to hear your suggestions for improving the registration and submission process. And once again, you will be able to register for prizes and nibble on some goodies!

You’ve Written a Lot This Year!

TechPubs reported 855 preprints to the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) for FY2004, an increase of 16 percent over FY2003. Part of the increase in author-submitted preprints can be attributed to outreach efforts during this past year.

"The past year has been one of extraordinary productivity here at SLAC," said Persis Drell, associate director of the Research Division. "The most significant, long-term impact SLAC can make is through the intellectual productivity of our authors. The increase of 16 percent over last year’s publication rate is a contribution in which we can all take pride."

The number of preprints reported also represents a 39 percent increase in author-submitted preprints—those that you registered yourselves before publication elsewhere rather than those that we registered after the fact. Thanks to all SLAC authors for helping us give your paper—and the Lab—the attention it deserves.

Making the Process Easier

This year’s Pub Week theme focuses on ways that TechPubs continues to make it easier for you to register and submit your papers. To compliment idoc, our user-friendly online document registration system, we’re working on a comprehensive publications matrix—a set of business rules concerning SLAC publications. While we’re constructing this matrix, we’re talking with SLAC-based collaborators to determine when their publications are SLAC documents and when they aren’t. For current progress, check out the agreements we have so far at http://www-group.slac.stanford.edu/techpubs/help/matrix/ 

Remember that fulfilling your author responsibilities is already easier than it used to be. Log on to idoc at http://idoc.slac.stanford.edu to obtain a document number and then follow the posted submission instructions to either FTP or e-mail an electronic version of your paper to us; we’ll do the rest. Log on to idoc during Pub Week to enter a drawing for your choice of posters or other prizes.