Editorial Guidelines for Vendor-Submitted and Product-Specific Articles

The American Institute of Architects publishes some 20 eNewsletters for its various constituencies. The eNewsletters provide timely knowledge directly related to the practice of architecture to these constituencies.

Vendor-Submitted Articles
Vendors are welcome to submit articles to an AIA eNewsletter but should be sure the articles present a systematic approach to understanding and improving architecture practice rather than solely describing the virtues of, for example, a particular product. In other words, articles must be vendor-neutral. Company and product names should not appear in an article (although company names may appear in the author bios).

The AIA will not publish articles that demonstrate a vendor’s product or service or that present the vendor’s specific commercial solution as the best way to address an architect’s problem or challenge. Instead, articles must contribute to the continuing professional education needs of architects, be relevant to changing architecture practice, and contribute to the body of knowledge of architecture.

Any article written by a vendor must adhere to the following guidelines and avoid any mention of

• Trademarked, copyrighted, or otherwise proprietary products or services
• Any specific vendor of a product or service
• A single solution or viewpoint

Within these restrictions an author may

• Describe characteristics of a product or service that an architect may find useful
• Compare and contrast such product or service attributes to provide knowledge
• Provide background on the development of products or services in general

An AIA eNewsletter may include only one vendor-submitted feature per issue. In addition, articles submitted by vendors will be clearly labeled as such.

AIA Editorial Services reserves the right to accept articles based on the content, quality of the writing, and relevance to the architecture profession. Press releases, product announcements, advertisements disguised as articles, or long narratives about a specific product’s advantages will not be accepted for publication.

Product-Specific Articles
Authors not affiliated with a vendor or product are welcome to submit articles mentioning a product to an AIA eNewsletter but should be sure the articles are accurate, free from bias and in context, and fair in conformance with standards of editorial integrity.

Authors of such articles should in no way be affiliated with the manufacturer or provider of the product mentioned. A short author bio should accompany such articles and include the author’s name, title, company, city and state, and e-mail address.

Although authors may indicate the advantages or limitations of a particular product or service, they must refrain from derogatory or defamatory comments about any product, vendor, service, and/or person. Any article mentioning a product, vendor, or service must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Be objective, factual, and based on the author’s personal experience with the product
• Be based on new or unique technology and/or practice
• Include information relevant to the architecture profession and contributing to the continuing professional education needs of architects
• Make no disparaging remarks about a competing product or vendor
• Avoid excessive praise of a particular product, vendor, or service

Unacceptable:
HotSTUFF™ brand insulation in R19 and R22 is the easiest to install and most cost-effective brand of insulation on the market because of its multitude of widths and recycled content.

Acceptable:
Today’s building code requires insulation at R19 level throughout residential structures. However, many builders and new homebuyers are interested in installing higher-rated insulations to reduce energy costs. The builder or architect must consider several factors when making decisions about insulation: cost, ease of installation, and, increasingly, the environmental impact of the insulation itself.