The Editorial Panel of the Mathematics Teacher invites all readers, especially classroom teachers, to write for the journal.

Finding the time to write is difficult for many of us. Here are some ideas:

• Instead of trying to find the time, schedule your writing like any other responsibility.
  
  
• Writing is a wonderful professional-development activity, and just like some aspects of mathematics itself, the more you work at it, the better you become.
  
  
• You might ask a colleague that shares your interest to consider being a co-author with you.
  
  
• Pick a topic that interests you or an activity that is unusual in some respect, one that you have used with students and that has provided positive results. Use that idea for your first attempt at writing.
  
  
• Remember to keep students' work, since readers are interested in seeing such examples.
  
  
• Take photographs of your students when they are involved in interesting activities. Obtain permission from the students' parents to use these photographs in case your manuscript is published -- tracking down students a year or so later can be difficult.
  
  
• Read past issues of the journal to find examples of articles that have an engaging style and format and that attract and hold your attention. Keep these articles in mind when you begin to write.

Hopefully these ideas, and the ones that follow, will help you begin your journey to becoming an author.

Regular Articles and Departments

The Mathematics Teacher is made up of two parts -- regular articles and departments. Regular articles go out to referees, then to the panel. Articles receive a blind review and the decision is communicated back to the author. Articles submitted for a department, such as "Activities" or "Media Clips," go to an editor. If an idea seems promising, that editor will work with the author to prepare the manuscript for publication. Following are hints for writing a regular article and hints on submission for a department.

General Hints

• Write about one main idea, or two at most. Emphasizing more than two main ideas results in an unfocused paper or one that says many things, but nothing in depth. "Inch deep, mile wide" papers are generally not well received by reviewers.
  
  
• Write with controlled enthusiasm. Be positive, but in a professional way. Provide support for your enthusiasm. Don't use a lot of bold print, italics, or exclamation points to show emotion.
  
  
• Write about something you know very well. Include evidence (photographs, student work, vignettes, etc.) of you using the material with students. Keep the students, not the teacher, as the main focus of the article. Do not try to give a recipe for a perfect lesson.

Specific Hints

• Study the journal before you write. Look at the difference between the departments and the regular articles. Decide which format is the best fit for what you want to describe. Look at the format and writing style for several such selections.
  
  
• Start with an outline of your article. Begin the article in a way that attracts a busy teacher and leaves a clear impression of what the article is about.
  
  
• Make one point in each paragraph. Be sure that there is transition from one paragraph to another. Use headings and subheadings to organize the article and help the readers follow your ideas.
  
  
• Conclude the article with reflections on what you or your students learned, and what you might change in the future.

Looking Back

Let your manuscript sit for a few days, then go back and review and revise it before mailing it to NCTM.

• Does the article have visual appeal? Is there ample evidence of classroom use? If not, try to incorporate some graphics or examples of use in the classroom.
  
  
• Run a spell checker. Review the manuscript, changing passive voice to active voice. Have someone who writes well read the paper critically, and be ready to accept advice -- expect to rewrite!

Submit

• Follow the included guidelines. Again, expect to rewrite at least one time, possibly more. Virtually every article in the journal has been revised at least one time.