LAB Focus publishes articles directed at the general audience. The articles are based on the author’s expertise and work conducted at LAB University of Applied Sciences, f. ex. project updates, views on recent developments in teaching, or discussion on current topics. Articles include new information or bring out new perspectives on the topic covered. Articles may be co-written with students or people outside of LAB as long as the input of LAB personnel is also evident.
Please read the instructions carefully before starting the writing process. If you need more tips for writing, please visit the LAB Guide to Publishing.
Co-writing with students
LAB Staff’s input must be evident in articles co-written with a student. This also applies to articles that are based on the student’s thesis: just supervising the thesis is not considered sufficient. Articles based on a thesis can’t be just abstracts but must bring forward a new perspective and should have at least one third of new or revised material. For more detailed instructions, please see Co-writing: instructions for teachers and students (PDF).
Instructions for the structure and content
Offer the article primarily to at least one of the blog categories. Get acquainted to the blog categories from LAB Focus website.
- Length of the article: 3000 characters (incl. spaces, excl. bibliography).
- Structure: Main heading (H1), article text + at least one subheading (H2)
- Any references used must be cited in-text and listed alphabetically at the end of the article. LAB Focus uses the Harvard name-year system of referencing.
Please include:
- At least one horizontal article image
- Author bio in 1-2 sentences (name, title, project/field of study, organisation)
- 1-3 search engine friendly keywords
Send the article my email as word-document to labfocus@lab.fi
Images, tables, figures, videos and links
In addition to images the articles can contain figures, tables, videos, or links.
- Images, tables, and figures should be sent as separate files (.jpg or .png).
- Videos should be sent as links or separate files.
- Images, tables, figures and videos are marked with running numbers and their place in the text must be clearly indicated.
- The images and videos should be provided with descriptive texts. The name of the photographer should be always mentioned. Please make sure you have the right to use the image/video.
- Images and figures need to be provided with text alternatives in order to make their content accessible.
If you want to link your article with other documents or websites display the wanted text as a hyperlink. Hyperlinks are included in the separate list of link references at the end of the article in the order of their appearance.
Copyright
LAB Focus uses Creative Commons license CC BY-SA by default. This means that anyone can share, copy and edit your publication, as long as they mention the source and share the material with the same license.
Publishing process
The authors represent their own views and are responsible for the content and proofreading of their article. LAB Focus holds the right to publish all submitted material, but all responsibility regarding the copyright issues of the article content (e.g., plagiarism) remains with the authors.
The publishing decision is made by the editorial board. The editors review all article submissions and send feedback to the authors, if necessary. The editors may ask for changes to be made to the manuscript before publication. In addition, the editors hold the right to minor editions to the text / corrections to the language. The editorial board can also direct the author to submit the article to a publication forum that better matches the content or target group of the text.
Please submit your manuscript (Word document, .doc or .docxt) to the editorial board via email: labfocus@lab.fi
Publication fee
In accordance with the LAB University of Applied Sciences publication fee policy, the publication fee is paid to LAB University of Applied Sciences’ degree students and staff for all publications that meet the publication information collection criteria of the Ministry of Education and Sciences, and that have been notified in the Justus Publication Information Reporting Service.
The author is responsible of notifying the publication in the publication information reporting service after the article has been published.