Tips for creating a good Arctic Answer Brief

Before deciding to produce a Brief

• Can you state the topic in a clear, simple question?
• Would a decision maker (non-scientist) find the question topical, useful, and interesting?
• Do you have results or information that can provide a satisfying answer to your topic question?
• Once you have answered 1-3 above, contact an Arctic Answers editor (G. Kling, B. Kelly)

Before and during your writing

• Read the Author Guidelines and Instructions, and use the templates provided [Author guidelines]
• Recognize that each Brief has references cited in two forms:
  • Up to six key references cited in the text
  • A comprehensive list of references in a “Knowledge Pyramid,” with layers of general to detailed references
• Re-read the Author Guidelines, and check them off as you proceed
• Copy the style, format, and content of example Briefs (e.g., the figures, graphs, etc. —check with an editor if in doubt)

Common mistakes

• Writing in technical language not accessible to non-scientists
  • Write in plain English with simple words
  • Avoid terms like “uncertainty” that have technical meaning different than every day usage
  • Use easy to interpret graphs and tables, and state results on a graph or in a caption
• Ignoring the instructions, and creating the Knowledge Pyramid at the last minute as an afterthought.

Journal requirements and timeline

• We try to return your brief with reviews within 4 weeks of submission.
• The journal expects you to revise your brief within 3 weeks of receiving the reviews.
• The publication takes another 2 weeks or so at the journal and publisher.