MEW 342

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I tend to work slightly differently to Hopper as I put the Photo 1,2,3, etc in as I write. I will then go back to the images and number accordingly in most cases. The odd short article I may sort and number the photos first. Last thing is the list of captions at the end. In the case of a model build where I have additional images they get their own number but related to the ones in the article so I can post them on the forum in about the same order, usually an A, B, C suffix.

Hopefully I am fairly consistant with my methods putting Photo # in bold and drawings etc as Fig # again in bold. Video generally gets a mention at the correct point and a link is put in at the end,

Neil may shorten the URL or sometimes add a QR code for a video, even doing both in one article which I suspect is due to space as the QR codes take up more than one line of text. Martin now tends to use just QR Codes for video and other links and will also alter all my Photos to (photos). He has also recently taken to leaving off the title block from my drawings which I need to have words about as there is information there that is not on the drawing such as material if the drawing covers just a single part.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Like Jason, I usually insert the reference to PHOTO * as I type, but on almost every occasion have to change the reference as the text is repeatedly amended. This entails many rereadings, and amendments, but am sure that errors are still missed.

My submissioins usually consist of:

Text (Plenty of chances for SPaG there!)

Photos (Resized to about 1Mb ; which produces acceptable quality for reproduction and enable more images to be transmitted in one message by my system)

A List giving the Caption for each Photograph.

Each of these provides an opportunity for one, or more, errors, and to miss them.

If there is any doubt as to an abbreviation not being understood, I try to expand it, just once.

The articles are read by those with varying degrees of experience, from an absolute beginner, who may not know what a DTI is, to the VASTLY experienced who can tell you that EN 24 would have been a superior material to EN 8 for a component (OR will quote the latest “Metric” designation) because of the chemical composition of the material.

Wherever possible, I use “turn” to mean removing material by moving the tool along the axis of the lathe, and “rotate” to mean that the work is moving about it’s axis with an angular velocity.

(Sorry about that, but you see one of the pitfalls of trying to be as clear as possible in one’s meaning, and neither nagazine has a “Pedant’s Corner”.)

Even that risks a debate about whether the full stop (“Period” to some non UK readers) should be within, or outside the bracket!

And whilst typing this, I hope that most, but probably not all, the typographical errors caused by oversized manual digits, (Fat Fingers) have been eliminated.

If you haven’t written an article, and then eventually, removed all the errors in Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, and the references to supporting illustrations, you are unaware of how much time is spent in that endeavour.

And then, the Editor has to repeat all these actions, especially if he makes any changes, to ensure that the article is as free of faults, and clear in it’s meaning, as humanly possible.

Let him that is without sin, cast the first stone!

Or more colloquially, “If you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it”

Despite several rereadings, and corrections, a typo was still missed!

Howard

[JasonB]

On JasonB Said:

I tend to work slightly differently to Hopper as I put the Photo 1,2,3, etc in as I write. I will then go back to the images and number accordingly in most cases. The odd short article I may sort and number the photos first. Last thing is the list of captions at the end. In the case of a model build where I have additional images they get their own number but related to the ones in the article so I can post them on the forum in about the same order, usually an A, B, C suffix.

Hopefully I am fairly consistant with my methods putting Photo # in bold and drawings etc as Fig # again in bold. Video generally gets a mention at the correct point and a link is put in at the end,

…

Though I don’t write many articles, like Hopper and Jason, I try to make it easy for the editor by spell and grammar checking, identifying photos / figures unambiguously, and positioning them in the text where I think they make sense.   In a previous job, submitting stuff to a house magazine, it was forbidden to mix text and photos in the draft, instead providing links and a cross-reference.    I think almost certainly because the house magazine had to be laid out manually; no word-processors or publishing software back then!

Neil is remarkably unfussy.   Though I’m sure he prefers ready-to-go electronic submissions that will neatly into whatever space is available in the printed magazine, he also takes handwritten drafts and rough pencil drawings.   Necessary because having high-workshop skills does not mean a valuable author is computer trained or good on paper.   The cleverest bloke I know was dyslexic.   I guess the amount of work Neil does to get a draft ready for publication varies enormously.

My latest short effort is illustrated by several photos and a drawing that aren’t referenced in the text because, in my judgement, readers should find it all fairly obvious, leaving Neil to more-or-less free to arrange the layout to suit the magazine.

The draft starts like this:

Neil likes to personalise articles by including a small image of the author at the top.   Mine is in author.jpg, no caption or reference needed, and Neil can put it in at any size or position he chooses.   Or leave it out!

Happens that all the images provided in this simple article are equally flexible, so I’ve only indicated their order and approximate position.  Rarely that simple.   In previous articles, where many Photos/Figs and Tables are referenced in the text, like Hopper and Jason, I’ve gone to much more trouble, taking up to a day getting the non-textual material ship-shape.

The house magazine I wrote for had comprehensive rules that ensured the editor got all he needed in a standard form.  Unfortunately, that put a lot of potential writers off, making the house magazine rather dull.

Always best to get someone else to proofread articles – if you can.   My sister volunteered once, took about 3 hours to find a couple of typos, and said it was the most boring job in the world.   She refuses to help again!   This is typical: spotting a few mistakes in a finished item read for fun is much easier than proof-reading the same material in the raw,  especially if the content is of no interest to the proof-reader.

Dave

 

[simondavies3Participant @simondavies3]

I also follow Jason and Howard’s method for inserting photos, selecting them from the pool of assorted ones that I took over the duration of the project.

However for ease of maintaining the numerical order, I list them in an Excel so that I can re-number with ease, subsequently importing the Excel into my Word doc as a table. I also use Irfanview for viewing and manipulating photos and their titles which allows a simple method of renaming and renumbering photo files in a quasi-automatic process.

I agree 100% with Howard when he says “If you haven’t written an article, and then eventually, removed all the errors in Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, and the references to supporting illustrations, you are unaware of how much time is spent in that endeavour.“.
There is enjoyment (ands some financial benefit), but the effort is non-trivial and anything that makes it easier for the author and for our esteemed editors has to be beneficial.

Simon

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I don’t put the photos in with the text, just the “Photo 1” etc. Images are .jpg and text as a Word .docx any drawings as PDFs.

I also send my images full size which can be upto 5Mb and usually totally unedited. Using something like Wetransfer I can send big files for free and Neil likes the quality if he wants to use them at a large size.

When I sometimes send the article to somebody else to proofread I will insert the images in the gap between paragraphs immediately after where they are mentioned in the text and send as a PDF. This is a similar layout to what I put up on the site such as these. but without the adverts!

 

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I only write  occasionally for submission to MEW and I concur with the majority of the foregoing comments.  However, for the benefit of those readers who have not (yet) contributed articles, I am providing extracts from the “Author’s Guidlines” which are supplied to all contributors, prior to their submissions being accepted.  Whether they read them or not, is a matter for conjecture! (I apologise if they are not current, as they pre-date the takeover by Mortons and are from 2022.)

………………………….

Topics
Model Engineers’ Workshop magazine covers all the processes, activities and tools used
by hobby engineers. This includes almost all aspects of metalworking, but also the use of
any other engineering material including plastics, composites, ceramics and even wood.
We don’t generally cover models, furniture (other than workshop items) kit cars and other
such activities in their own right, but articles about the techniques and tools in the context
of these wider hobbies are welcome – for example fabricating a part for a car restoration,
how to repair an inlay or using a particular technique in making or finishing a model………………………..

……………… We want to keep a balance between new technology and traditional skills, so
contributions on all aspects of home engineering are welcome. Articles about laser
cutting, CNC, CAD, 3-D printing and related subjects are increasingly of interest to
readers.** ……………..

……………
Style
A wide range of people read Model Engineers’ Workshop, they have vastly different
backgrounds, ages and different levels of skill and knowledge. Many of our readers
would not call themselves ‘model engineers’, but what they have in common is an
interest in ‘hobby engineering’. We aim to publish a range of articles in each issue that
run from introductory articles for the beginner to those aimed at the very technical or
specialist.
Whatever level you pitch your writing at, aim to produce something that could be read,
and the fundamental points understood, by the ‘intelligent layman’ with little or no
specialist knowledge of engineering. This doesn’t mean don’t tackle advanced subjects
but don’t write something only a handful of readers can follow. Acronyms, slang and
archaic expressions can have their place, but usually need to be explained.**…….

……..The ideal article has something to interest every reader, while still being focused on its core subject………

……..

Is My Writing Good Enough?
In short, yes!
I’m continually surprised how many people make excellent contributions to the online
forum but don’t think they could write an article. Everyone who has a workshop has
something of interest to tell their fellows. If you aren’t sure, submit something short and to
the point, tackling a subject that really interests or rewards you (the best short articles are
tips for solving problems, getting better results or saving time) and I’ll take a look. Don’t
be put off if you need help or have dyslexia, or English is a second language for you.
Part of my task as an editor is to help all our contributors ‘find their voice’.**

………………………….

** Clauses emboldened and italicised (by me)

 

I offer this information for interest only, I imply no criticism or comment, one way or another.

John

And I STILL had to go back to make a couple of edits!!

[Andrew SkinnerParticipant @andrewskinner94774]

There’s a lot of focus on SPAG/SPaG mistakes, and plenty of reasonable comments, ranging from, “they don’t really matter” to “you can’t expect an army of editors in these modern times”. My criticism was aimed somewhere in the middle, pointing out a quality problem which I think I can help solve.

It’s a broader issue than nitpicking the prose. The tap sharpening article which lacked an introduction could be seen as confusing to new players, for which, read: new subscribers. The old hands on here may not have spotted it, as they probably had a grasp of the subject matter before reading it. As those old hands shuffle off this mortal coil, it’ll be those new subscribers keeping the magazine afloat.

I do sympathise about the time and cost pressures on Neil and others. Thanks to all for the interesting discussion.

 

[Andrew Skinner]

On Andrew Skinner Said:

… My criticism was aimed somewhere in the middle, pointing out a quality problem which I think I can help solve.

It’s a broader issue than nitpicking the prose.

…

Alway pleased to find help on offer, but what exactly does it consist of?

Dave

[Andrew SkinnerParticipant @andrewskinner94774]

Proofreading. It’s been pointed out that there may not be the time or budget for that, though.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Certainly no budget for it, barely enough to fill the mag with new content. I have help out a number of times in the past where drawings were not clear or had errors in them but never expected anything back for doing so.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

In any article, or correspondence, there is a need for accuracy in description, not pedantry for the sake of it.(Just saying “Leadscrew” can confuse the issue. Leadscrew? Cross Slide Feedscrew? or Top Slide Feedscrew?)

The readers cover a wide range of experience and knowledge, so at the risk of boring or upsetting the cognoscenti, descriptions need to be clear, certainly, for the benefit of the newcomers to the hobby.

It has already been said for Beginners Questions, “No question is stupid if you don’t know the answer”

For every one of us there was a time when we did not know how to grind a tool, or to set up a geartrain between chuck and Leadscrew to cut a thread of a given pitch. So the knowing and skillful need to be tolerant of (And helpful to) the less knowledgeable.

So explanations, and photographs, or drawings, of “simple” devices / systems are needed by the newcomer who is learning the trade.

Consequently, it is important to include photos, drawings and explanations in an article, to clarify points. Without such details, a newcomer might decide that the hobby is far too complicated, and give up.  If that happens, we shall all suffer.

We have already lost shows, a magazine, and suppliers. We don’t want the slippery slope to steepen; rather we need to contribute to reverse the trend.

(And CNC does not interest me, but the articles are of great interest to others. Perhaps, one day, I shall buy a 3D printer?)

After all, Stan Bray saw the need, so that we have MEW.  We need to support it.

Howard

[Author]

Posts