Speech Technology magazine welcomes manuscripts that describe practical applications of speech technology, present an overview of applications, deployments and technological developments, or discuss issues with a direct effect on speech technology developers, users and potential users.

Speech Technology magazine’s articles cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to different industry sectors, management functions, and geographic locations. They focus on such areas as research and development, software and hardware advances, VoiceXML, speech deployments including text-to-speech, automatic speech recognition, biometrics and others. Regardless of the subject, Speech Technology Magazine articles share certain characteristics. They are written for senior executives by experts whose authority comes from careful analysis, study, and experience, and who demonstrate a mastery of the material presented. Their ideas have been tested in the real world of business and can be translated into action.

Speech Technology magazine is distributed to approximately 20,000 readers, including corporate decision makers looking for the latest in cost-saving and efficiency-increasing technologies, researchers and engineers keeping abreast of the latest developments and trends, and investors seeking funding opportunities. Their interests — in improving their performance, in learning and benefiting from the thinking and experience of experts — shape what Speech Technology magazine editors look for when reviewing submissions. Proposals for articles that demonstrate unbiased and complete reporting, fresh and useful ideas, clear expression, and unambiguous authority and expertise are most likely to meet our readers' needs.

Speech Technology magazine includes three venues of publishing: the print version, which is published nine times a year (January/February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, and November/December; Speech Technology Magazine Online, located at www.speechtechmag.com; and STM eWeekly, a free electronic newsletter distributed weekly to qualified subscribers who have indicated they wish to receive the material.

Each issue of Speech Technology magazine has a structure that includes approximately six full-length feature stories as well as recurring departments and columnists:

• Each feature is an in-depth, rigorous presentation of stories covering technological advances and implementations, case studies, deployment procedures, white papers and financial information. Sidebar stories supply companion information on topics related to the main thrust of the feature.
• The FYI department presents information about speech technology companies and trends, including but not limited to research and development news, financial information, partnerships and judicial rulings.
• The Deployments department is a showcase for new speech technology product announcements.
• Columns are written by leading industry experts to impart the latest ideas in biometrics, dictation, microphones and headsets, assistive technology, market research, academic organization updates and instructional techniques.

Writers for Speech Technology magazine include researchers, application developers, integrators and end users who wish to convey their knowledge and experiences to peers in the industry. We also receive submissions from technical and financial analysts. Please note that suppliers of speech technology products or services are asked to avoid the appearance of attempting to sell those products or services when submitting editorial pieces to Speech Technology magazine.

Speech Technology magazine does not generally pay for articles, but writers may receive other potential forms of compensation. An article in Speech Technology magazine may enhance a writer’s professional recognition and career advancement, and indicates that the writer’s affiliated agency supports the dissemination of information that will benefit the speech technology industry. Writers who contribute to Speech Technology Magazine often realize the benefit of reaching an audience of potential end users and developers.

Applications Articles discuss a specific project or development, why and how speech technology was applied to it, and the results obtained. They may be presented as features or as technical treatises, but two main questions should be answered by the story: what role speech technology played in the project and what problems were faced and overcome. Writers of these stories come from all aspects of the industry, from the technical to sales and from product managers to senior management. Examples of this type of story in Speech Technology Magazine have included an overview of the use of speech in the mobile market or how speech is changing the home appliance industry.

System analyses discuss current issues and trends that affect Speech Technology magazine readers. Authors should have a demonstrable understanding or expertise in the issues they discuss. The most important element of these articles, however, is how an issue or trend and its possible resolution or impact affect speech technology users. Examples of topics covered in this type of story in Speech Technology magazine have included step-by-step articles on how to implement VoiceXML and verification standardization overviews.

Case studies provide real-world examples and guidelines for our readers about actual deployments of speech technology. Stories providing details of deployment obstacles and how they were overcome, Return on Investment (ROI), requirements of the customer, etc. provide an educational reference for our readers. We accept contributed case studies, and will also work with writers to develop case studies. Please supply us with a short abstract presenting your idea for the case study, as well as the identities of the technical people involved in the project from the companies participating in the deployment. An example of this type of story in Speech Technology magazine has included an enterprise’s utilization of a speech company’s products to build a voice portal.

Writers wishing to submit an article for consideration by Speech Technology magazine are encouraged to first send the editor an abstract detailing the story topic and focus, its target audience, what the reader should learn after reading the story, the writer’s academic, professional and personal experience as it relates to the topic, and what kind of research has been done to support the story. Complete story submissions will also be considered. After you have answered these questions, please write an introduction to the article, three to four paragraphs long, that lays out your main argument and suggests the structure of the manuscript that will follow.

Mail the proposal to Speech Technology magazine's editorial office (Speech Technology Media, a division of Information Today, Inc., 237 W. 35th St. 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001), or e-mail it to lklie@infotoday.com (Note: if you wish us to return your proposal, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.) If we feel your abstract fits our magazine, we will contact you. This does not mean we accept the article - acceptance is contingent upon approval of the final manuscript.

Speech Technology magazine adheres to the Associated Press Stylebook for its writing guidelines. Spelling should conform to Webster’s Tenth Edition Collegiate Dictionary. Footnotes and reference lists are generally not encouraged except in technical sketches - such material that is necessary to understanding the article should be incorporated into the body copy itself. All numbers above nine should be expressed as numerals, and technical and business acronyms should be spelled out in parentheses on first reference. The editorial staff on a case-by-case basis deals with matters that fall outside these guidelines.

The editorial staff at Speech Technology magazine works in-house with Microsoft Office 2000/2003, specifically MS Word 2000/2003 for document production. Submissions may be made using other programs, however, please consult with the editorial staff before sending documents in another format. Hard copies of the manuscript are encouraged, printed on one side of the paper only and in a common typeface. Pages should be numbered. We encourage submission of documents electronically, either via e-mail lklie@infotoday.com or on a PC-formatted disk. Please note that electronics submissions over two megabytes in size should be delivered via disk and not by e-mail. Please include a short bio of the author with either form of submission.

Photographs, charts and graphs: All artwork, including photographs, charts and graphs, should be submitted in either Photoshop EPS, TIF or JPEG formats. Resolution should be at least 300 dpi, in color, and if artwork is imported into the Word 2000/2003 (or other word processor) document the original art should be supplied along with the document. Lower resolution artwork is not suitable for high-quality magazine print purposes. Hard copies of photographs are also encouraged. PowerPoint or PDF charts and graphs are not acceptable.

All articles accepted for publication are subject to copy editing for clarity and conformity with Speech Technology magazine’s in-house guidelines. Feature materials should be non-commercial in nature, and must be exclusive to Speech Technology magazine in that they may not be published in another publication or venue without permission from the editors of Speech Technology magazine.

The author will be required to sign an exclusive copyright agreement with Speech Technology magazine, granting Speech Technology magazine the sole copyright to the submission. The editors of Speech Technology magazine reserve the right to determine in which of Information Today, Inc.'s properties the submission will be published.

The editors of Speech Technology magazine appreciate the time and energy required to prepare a proposal for our publication, and we are grateful to you for that investment. While we do indeed receive many submissions, we are always looking for new sources of deeply important, imminently useful ideas.