Indigent Defense's principal function is to serve as a vehicle for the widespread dissemination of the best practices and innovations of indigent defense professionals, and the wealth of expertise and training materials generated through NLADA defender training events. ID also reports useful news, developments, trends and resources for defenders. The emphasis is on practical value to defenders in their daily work.

1. Writing should be objective and reasoned. Opposing viewpoints should be discussed rationally and respectfully. Where there are differing viewpoints on a particular issue within the defender community, they should be referenced within an article. If the issue is significant, separate articles analyzing the issue from the differing perspectives may be appropriate.

2. Generally, avoid footnotes. Case cites should appear in the text, with one exception: an article comprehensively reviewing cases or statutes, where in-text references/citations would be too cumbersome. Most other source references, such as newspapers or congressional speeches, should simply be woven into the text (e.g., "..., as Senator so-and-so told the Associated Press on May 13"). The need for a citation should be judged by 1) practical value to defender readers, and 2) copyright requirements where applicable.

   Note: plagiarism is the copying of more than three words in a row from someone else's copyrighted work without attribution. Do not do this.

3. Never start a sentence or a paragraph with a reference or a source; it s the useful, impactful substantive information that will capture the reader s attention and should come first; where it came from is usually secondary and can be buried later. For example:

   YES: Defenders should do X, according to a recent study/case/statute, which need not be actually cited until later in the description of the substance thereof.

   NO: In [comprehensive cite to case, statute, study] the [comprehensive reference to issuing court, legislature or issuing organization] ruled/directed/found that defenders should do X

4. Though ID is primarily for lawyers, all pieces must be written in plain English. Eschew obfuscation. For longer pieces (generally by outside authors), the style should be more like a magazine than a law review or legal brief. The opening sentence should grab the reader's attention, and the first paragraph or two should fully introduce the basic themes or conflicts to be explored, to facilitate skimming by busy readers. Shorter pieces should be factual reportage: who, what, when, where, maybe a little why, plus, if not obvious, the practical value to defenders. Organization and smooth flow are critical. Use short sentences and clear language. Avoid redundancy.

   First- or second-person references should generally be avoided. "I" or "we" are OK if necessary to identify a relevant first-hand experience, never simply to identify the writer's views (e.g., "I think" or "I believe"). Instead of "you should", the preference is for a third-person reference, such as "defenders should", unless necessary to convey a humorous theme or folksy style.

   References to people are by last name; for high officials and judges, use appropriate titles.

   Authors are welcome to suggest sub-headings throughout articles; they should always be descriptive (e.g., not "Introduction" or " Conclusion") and brief. Authors are encouraged to suggest related material to be presented in a sidebar.

   Do not capitalize public defender, district attorney, judge, legislature or similar terms unless referring by name to a particular person or body. Federal legislators should be identified parenthetically by party and state e.g., "(D-IL)".

   Include a parenthetical bio after the by-line, including current position, important previous positions and specialized degrees if relevant to the article, and acknowledgments of the assistance of others in preparation of the article, if applicable.

   Articles should be single spaced, with no extra space between paragraphs, and the first line of each paragraph with a one-tab indent.

   Put only one space between a period and the first word of the next sentence.

   No exclamation points.

   Avoid unnecessary parentheticals, e.g., "(BJA)" after Bureau of Justice Assistance, or "(2)" after two. It's overly formal and readers don't need it.

5. Length: the approximate range for feature articles should be between 1,000 words (i.e., one page of ID) and 3,000 words. Shorter pieces should simply be as brief as possible to cover the subject well.

6. Articles should be submitted electronically, either by e-mail (to Scott Wallace) or if e-mail is not available, on 3.5-inch computer disc. Preferred format is Microsoft Word, though others such as WordPerfect are usually readable.