SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN welcomes ideas for articles on recent scientific discoveries, technical innovations and overviews of ongoing research. Our preferred authors have extensive first-hand knowledge of the field that they describe, and have usually made significant contributions to it.

If you would like to write for SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, we ask that you first send us a brief proposal for the article you envision. (One or two printed pages is usually sufficient.) It should describe the nature of the article's subject and its impact on practical problems, whether in research, in industry or in everyday life. Sketch out for us how you would best organize the information to explain it to intelligent members of the general public. Ideas for illustrations that would accompany the article are also welcome at this stage, though not essential. Please bear in mind that SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN does not publish theories or accounts of research that have not yet been discussed in the appropriate technical literature.

Your proposal will be acknowledged and considered by the Board of Editors, and answered within about six weeks. If you would like to send us additional materials that might be of assistance in our deliberations, please let us know whether you would like for them to be returned.

Proposals may be addressed to the attention of the Board of Editors at:

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
415 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
e-mail: editors@sciam.com
fax: (212) 754-0813

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
The Editors
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN