Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Our assistance for authors

• If you are planning to contribute a specialist article, please send us an e-mail at bwp@bibb .de with the following information: name of the author(s), (working) title, summary of content (no more than half a page).
  We will then coordinate the central idea and possible length of the article with you. 
• BWP only accepts original articles not previously published in other print or online media.
  Please notify us immediately if you intend to publish an article similar to the one submitted to BWP elsewhere, or if such an article is presently under consideration elsewhere.
• Keep the BWP deadline for the particular issue in mind [listed in the preview of upcoming issues] and comply with the agreed article length when planning your article.
• The BWP editorial panel assesses the submissions on the basis of the assessment criteria for BWP articles. It then votes on whether to publish the individual article and usually concomitantly issues suggestions or tips for revising it (to ensure that the article fulfils BWP quality standards). 
• We then send you a reply, with advice and suggestions for revising the article as necessary, with the request that you incorporate them and prepare a finished manuscript.
• You will receive galley proofs prior to publication for your clearance. Please use the customary proof-reading symbols (Duden) to indicate any errors. "Cosmetic improvements" cannot be incorporated at this stage. 
• The author bears responsibility for the final text.
  

The manuscript

• Manuscripts should be submitted as an MS-Word file: 
• As a rule, specialist articles should run from 15,000 to a maximum of 18,000 characters (Including spaces and footnotes. Graphics, photos and similar items are not counted. Such articles cover four to five printed BWP pages.).
  Informational articles should not exceed 9,000 characters (two printed BWP pages). Reviews should not exceed 4,000 characters.
• Photos, illustrations, charts and tables may generally be incorporated into the text. We do however additionally require them in a separate file (XLS, PPT; image formats: GIF, TIFF, JPG). Screenshots and photos should have a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
• The new orthography (as outlined in the 24th edition of the Duden) must be used. 
• Please provide the following supplementary information about yourself, using the following outline: name, academic title, position, institution, address, e-mail address for the information about the author. In the case of specialist articles, please also include a photo of yourself (in the form of a printable digital file as explained above or as a reflective original).
  

Structuring your article

• Use a concise title and, if necessary, an explanatory sub-title.
• Start your article with a lead-in of approximately 750 characters (approx. 400 characters for short articles) that summarizes the most important information or spells out the issues discussed in the article. 
• Use paragraphs and cross headings to structure your article.
• Choose short, informative cross headings that contain the key message of the following paragraphs. In other words, rather than use "Introduction", "Method" or "Summary" please write cross headings with content. For example: "Social background influences education paths" or "Shortening working hours boosts performance". 
• Write clearly and in a way that is easy to understand so that your article reaches a broad readership.
• Do not use uncommon foreign words or abbreviations.
• Use active verbs rather than passive sentence structures. Active verbs bring your sentences to life. Avoid nominalization. Short, precise sentences are better than a convoluted sentence structure.
• Break up your text with eye-catching elements such as information boxes, diagrams, tables, graphs and photos.
  

Quotations and bibliography

• Document the literal or indirect quotations used in your text by adding a short reference in parentheses with the following order: (author, year, page number where applicable). A comma should precede the page number. For example: (LACHER 2007, p. 83).
• Footnotes are otherwise to be used sparingly. 
• In the case of photos, charts, tables and the like, supplement the information regarding the source.
• At the end of your article, list the literature (including any internet links) you quoted in the article, using the following system:
• • Monographs
    KÄPPLINGER, Bernd: Abschlüsse und Zertifikate, Bielefeld 2007
  • Articles in compilations
    HARTUNG, Silke; SCHÖNGEN, Klaus: Anpassung der betrieblichen Ausbildungsaktivitäten. In: DIETTRICH, Hans; SEVERING, Eckart (Eds.): Zukunft der dualen Berufsausbildung. Bielefeld 2007, pp. 25-29 
  • Articles in periodicals
    ULRICH, Joachim Gerd; KREKEL, Elisabeth M.: Welche Ausbildungschancen haben Altbewerber? In: Berufsbildung in Wissenschaft und Praxis 36 (2007) 2, pp. 11-13

In the case of an internet link, please add the date you last accessed it in parentheses.

Last modified on: June 4, 2008