Photographs for ANR publications

Finding photos
Photographs are integral elements of ANR publications. ANR authors know the subject best and are responsible for providing useable photos for their publications. The development and selection of the photos is ideally done before or while a manuscript is being written—not afterwards. Lack of photographs can and has delayed ANR peer review and publication production at Communication Services.

How to take publication-quality digital photographs

If authors cannot take photographs for their publication, they may have to do a little more digging in the CS Repository or other ANR books that may have photos that can be used. Communication Services designers can “pick up” images from ANR publications published in the last 5 years. Photos from non-UC books can also be used, but their use requires advance permission from those publishers, which is also the author’s responsibility.

How to obtain permission to use a photo from another source

Photographer/Media Librarian Evett Kilmartin and designer Will Suckow can provide guidance on photography.

Do photos need to be peer reviewed?
When an author's manuscript is ready to be submitted for ANR peer review, all photographs that provide important technical content are considered part of the text and must be peer reviewed with the manuscript. (Aesthetic or seasonal photographs not yet available do not have to be reviewed; authors should describe the missing photographs or provide caption information.)

How to submit photos for peer review
Authors can attach their photos as separate files to their manuscript in the online system. However, it is easiest for reviewers to see photos right in the manuscript they are reviewing, next to the text reference. Because there are limits to the size of the file that can be submitted to the online peer review system, it is best for authors to place low-resolution versions of their photos in their manuscript's Word file. If authors have print-quality, high-resolution photos, they should copy and downsize the copies for review. See these instructions on how to downsize photos.

Color of black and white?
All photos for online ANR publications can be in full color. Photos for printed publications are more restrictive due to the cost of printing; color printing adds tremendous cost to a publication. Color photography will be used on all ANR publication covers and for all insect and disease identification material. Black and white photographs are adequate for most other printed publications. 

Communication Services makes the final decision on whether images appear as color or back and white. If authors believes it is necessary that their photographs must be printed in color to communicate essential information to readers, they need to explain this in an email to Ann Senuta when peer review of the manuscript is complete. 

Preparing photos for publication production
Once peer review is complete, and author are preparing their final manuscript, they need to return to those high resolution photos they had copied for review. High-resolution images hold more pixels—image data—and are only used in printed publications. In many cases low-resolution images can be used in online publications.

How to submit photos for publication production at Communication Services

For peer review, descriptive caption information about missing nontechnical photos can often suffice. But there is no opportunity for substitution with publication production. Communication Services will not begin work on a publication until all photos and required permissions have been received.