1.        Either a Sub-editor, the Editor-in-Chief or the Producer proposes a topic for a Combustion File (CF). Alternatively, an Author may define a topic of his/her own.

2.       In the case of a Sub-editor, the Editor-in-Chief or the Producer proposing the topic, the status of the Combustion File becomes “Planned”. In the case of the Author defining a topic, the Author contacts handbook@ifrf.net to be allocated a Sub-editor, and his/her topic becomes “Planned” if accepted.

3.       When the Combustion File becomes planned, it is allocated a unique, identifying, Combustion File number by the Handbook Producer.

4.       The Sub-editor approaches a potential Author and makes an informal agreement for the Author to draft the CF.

5.       The Sub-editor confirms his/her intention to referee the CF, or proposes an alternative referee if necessary. The Sub-editor also passes this information on to handbook@ifrf.net. By this stage, the Title/Topic, Author(s), referee(s), and target publication dates should be established and known to the Handbook production team.

6.       The Handbook Producer makes a formal agreement with the Author (including sponsorship – usually the author’s employer) to write the Combustion File, and sends an MSWord template including the title, CF number, commissioning date, author, referee, sub-editor, status and sponsor, to the Author. At this stage, the CF is “Commissioned”.

7.       The Author prepares a Draft Combustion File according to the guidelines and instructions contained in Combustion File 33 – What instructions are available for Combustion File Authors? and Combustion File 122 – How do I acquire and use a template for the preparation of a Combustion File?.

8.       The Sub-editor (or alternative referee) referees the Draft Combustion File according to Combustion File 34 – What guidelines are available to Sub-Editors and Referees. This will normally be done in consultation with the Author.

9.       The comments on the “Authored” Combustion File are returned to the Author by the Sub-Editor for implementation of the proposed modifications – this may be an iterative process.

10.      The refereed CF in an MSWord format (following the template) is then reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and Producer, and in agreement with the Sub-editor, the CF is designated as “Agreed”.

11.      The Producer at the IFRF Communications Centre produces two documents as follows:

a.       An [GLOSS]html[/GLOSS] file (with associated files) which presents the information contained in the Refereed Combustion File to a reasonable degree of similarity – this applies to display only. All other information should be identical.

b.       A [GLOSS]pdf[/GLOSS] file, which presents the information contained in the Refereed Combustion File to a good degree of similarity – this applies to display only. All other information should be identical.

12.     Both of the aforementioned documents are placed on www.handbook.ifrf.net in the ‘Backroom’ and the Editorial Board is informed with a request to check the documents and to propose corrections if any.

13.     The Producer should inform the Author by email with a copy to handbook@ifrf.net that the CF status is ‘Agreed’. A pdf copy of the completed combustion file will be sent to the Author and Referee for comment in the same timescale as the Editorial Board receives.

14.     If there are comments on the technical content these should be referred to the Author/Referee. If these agree that further modifications are required, they should be proposed to the Producer – go back to 9.

15.     When there is no further comment seven calendar days after the implementation of action 12, the Combustion Files are given the ‘Approved’ status by the Editor-in-Chief, also taking into account any comments by the author(s) and referee. They are now available to the Producer for publication.

16.     The Producer publishes Combustion Files from the ‘Approved’ category according to his publication plan, often when a suitable cluster of related material is available. The actual date for publication is agreed between the Producer, Editor-in-Chief, Sub-editor and Author. The CF status is then ‘Published’. Newly published CFs are placed in ‘New Combustion Files’ category for two months after publication, and thereafter may be found by standard Handbook searches and links.

17.     Publication is announced in the IFRF Monday Night Mail E Newsletter

Sources

Authors