Sharing your experience and insights in a written technical paper helps archive manufacturing knowledge for use by practitioners and researchers. The SME archive contains more than 18,000 fully searchable research and case-study papers, which are available as free downloads to SME members and are distributed worldwide through databases and content licenses.
Authoring a written technical paper is a personal point of pride and gains recognition for your organization's technology advancements. Five (5) certification credits are available for authoring a published technical paper, with three (3) additional certification credits given for presenting a technical paper.
Your material should be noncommercial, interesting, clear and balanced. Originality is expected; courtesy to your audience requires a new viewpoint or idea. Borrowed material must, in compliance with copyright laws, be clearly identified as to the source. Papers must be clearly written and delivered. Do not disparage competitive methods, processes or products, and be sure to state any disadvantages or limitations of the process or method you are describing. Being fair and balanced helps prevent misapplication and increases credibility.
You may have one of two structures for your paper. A research-oriented approach reports a subject researched or experienced for the purpose of exchanging technical information, facts or ideas current and important to the field. The subject matter may be general in nature, or it may describe a specific new theoretical concept, a new commercial application, a new discovery or a change in existing conditions. The elements should include: an introduction, a discussion, an analysis, references and possibly a bibliography. A case-study approach reports a problem or experience in a company, the steps taken to solve the problem and the solution. This style is best used for the discussion of administrative or production problems. Case studies should include: statement of the issue, steps taken to address the problem and conclusions.
The text of the paper should be single spaced in one or two columns, with double spacing between paragraphs. Citations of other written materials, referred to in the text and numbered, should be listed in numerical order at the end of the paper. A bibliography of related work may be included at the end of the paper.
Illustrations for technical papers may be placed at the end of the paper following the text or inserted within the text. Include only those photographs, line drawings and charts that will really add to the value of your paper or clarify its technical content. When proofreading your paper, be sure that any numerical references to an illustration correspond to the correct figure.
Your paper will not be edited, proofread or rewritten by SME. Any errors in your original manuscript will appear in the published paper, so proofreading is essential.
The following pages include the Author Reprint Permission and Abstract Form. The abstract and keywords are included with other database identifying information for your paper. An abstract is a 100-150 word summary that tells what the research was about, how it was undertaken and what was discovered, but not how the paper is organized. An abstract should cover the purpose and scope of the study; what was done (methods used); what was found (results); and what was concluded.
The
reprint form (MS Word) as well as Word
and PDF versions of your paper can be sent via email to
Ellen Kehoe, senior editor,
Manufacturing Engineering Media.
Questions? Please contact
Ellen Kehoe.
SME makes no claim to the copyright of your paper. All copyrights can be maintained by the author or the author's company.