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Author Guidelines: Community Newsletters

Are you looking for a way to gain name recognition, earn CPD credit hours, and establish yourself as an expert? Authoring an article for an SOA Community newsletter can help you accomplish those goals. Generally, the type of article sought is one that provides information an actuary can apply directly to their job and/or career.

Below are guidelines designed to help you produce an article that will be an interesting and lively addition to a Community’s newsletter. If you have any questions after reading the guidelines, please contact communitynewsletters@soa.org.

A List of What Must be Provided at Time of Submission

  • Article text: Microsoft Word document, single column, single space, single paragraph breaks, no indents. Make sure to include the article title (10 words max) and byline. Do not submit a PDF.
  • Article length: Keep the article length to 500–2,500 words, as an article longer than 2,500 words runs the risk of losing the reader's attention.
  • Author bio: Name, credentials, job title, company, and email address of each author. Example: Carolyn Turcot, FSA, is chief insurance officer at Actuaries Business Place. Carolyn can be contacted at cturcot@ABP.com.
  • Article description: A short description of the article that gives readers a hint of what your article covers. The description should not exceed 20 words, as in this example: “Learn ways to master self-management to react quickly and confidently to a difficult situation.”

Article Formatting

  • Lists: Bullet lists or numbered lists are OK.
  • Image placement: Do not insert images into the Word document. Use comments to indicate image placement in the article (i.e., insert chart 1 here). See the “Artwork” section for more information.
  • Subheads: Please use font size to indicate subhead order, e.g., size 14, 12, 11, 10, etc. Do not use different colored fonts.
  • Adding emphasis: Please use bold, not italics, to add emphasis.
  • Charts, tables, and graphics: Create tables in PowerPoint, Word, or Excel. Do not submit tables  and charts as an image placed into Word or submit them as a .jpg file. **You must submit editable files—preferably your original files used to create the charts and tables.
  • Math and Formulas: Equations should be created directly in the article file using the Word equation editor or a Word-compatible equation editor. This will keep all the equations properly aligned, sized, and placed in the text, even when other changes are made during the editing process.
  • Endnotes: Use endnotes instead of an alphabetical reference list. Endnotes should be numbered sequentially in the order in which they appear in text. If a source is used more than once, list it again with a new number—i.e., note numbers are never repeated. The in-text citations should be the endnote number in brackets, such as [1]. For more information, see the “Endnotes” section.
  • Justification: Use only left justification.
  • Headers/Footers: Do not use automated headers/footers.
  • Usability: Ensure your Word document is not locked.
  • Track Changes: Turn off the track-changes function before submitting the article.

AI-Generated Content

Authors are required to take responsibility for all AI-generated content. AI-based tools and technologies, including but not limited to, large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and chatbots (i.e., ChatGPT) cannot be listed as an author. Authors are required to acknowledge where AI tools are used, document the AI-generated content accordingly, and continue to sign Society of Actuaries publishing agreements.

Legalities

Permissions: Authors must secure permission for any material (extended text, charts, tables) taken directly or slightly adapted from an outside source. Authors must send a copy of any reprint permissions you receive to the SOA staff editor. Use reprints only when it is absolutely critical to republish an exact replica of a figure or table from elsewhere. Note: Permission to reprint information from non-SOA publications can take months to secure.

All material on the internet is copyrighted and cannot be reprinted without permission from the copyright holder. Material that has been only slightly adapted and is clearly a derivative of the original source will also need reprint permission from the copyright holder.

The copyright owner can usually be determined by scrolling to the bottom of a webpage. Most websites also post guidelines for securing reprint permission and often indicate the wording that should be used when crafting a permission line to accompany the reprinted material. If the copyright holder does not indicate specific language for the reprint credit line, you may create one using standard bibliographic information. “From B. Thompson, All Great and Not So Great Things, copyright © 2000 Wiley. Reproduced by permission.”

When using data from elsewhere within the text or to create a new table or figure, a credit line to the original source will suffice (i.e., reprint permission is not needed).

Review Process

Before publishing, all articles are reviewed by an SOA staff actuary and the Community’s volunteer articles co-leads. The SOA staff editor is responsible for sending the articles to the SOA staff actuary. The SOA staff editor will copyedit the article for Associated Press and SOA style.

Occasionally, an article is flagged for additional review. (i.e., the topic may be controversial or perhaps put the reputation of the SOA community or profession at risk). The SOA staff actuary, staff editor, or volunteer articles co-leads may recommend some changes and ask the author to modify the article. A counterpoint article may need to accompany the article at the time of posting.

Please remember that a Community newsletter represents the entire SOA and not just the Community.

If your article is accepted for publishing, you will be asked to complete a copyright license agreement and metadata form. Your article cannot be published until the copyright license agreement and metadata forms have been received by the SOA. Links to the forms will be sent to you when your article is accepted for publishing.

  • Copyright license agreement: The SOA requires all authors of articles that are published in a Community newsletter to fill out an SOA Copyright License Agreement. Filling out the form does not transfer ownership of the copyright from the author to the SOA. By filling out the license agreement, the author is confirming that the SOA has the right to publish the article in the Community newsletter. The license agreement must be completed for an article to be published in the Community newsletter.
  • Metadata form: The information you provide on the metadata form will be used to make your article “searchable” by the various internet search engines. Articles cannot be published until the SOA receives the completed metadata form.

Writing Tips

As a rule, you should keep in mind the readability of the content for its intended audience. There are several considerations to keep in mind while writing:

  • Avoid clichés.
  • Avoid inflammatory language.
  • Clarify areas that are your opinion.
  • If using “we,” clarify who “we” is.
  • Clarify that you are not making statements on behalf of the SOA as an organization, if they could be misinterpreted that way.
  • Clarify whether your audience is just actuaries or a broader audience.
  • Avoid suggestions (including implied suggestions) that public policy should change.
  • Avoid suggestions (including implied suggestions) of actions that other actuarial, professional, or governmental organizations should or could take.
  • Avoid bias in presenting the content.
  • Avoid using passive voice.

Consider web writing best practices—Users read content differently on the web than in print. For more information, visit the Writing for Web article found on usabilty.gov.

Potential Article Hold Ups

Public Policy: Article content may be considered to have public policy implications. Determination of public policy implications can occur at any point prior to posting. Articles determined to have public policy implications undergo an additional review process. The review process includes several additional sign-offs beyond the sign-off by the SOA staff actuary. Our public relations and governmental affairs consultants review as well. The purpose of the review is to ensure the article content adheres to the SOA’s objectives to provide unbiased information that informs public policy.

Controversial Topics: A review similar to the public policy review will occur with any topic that may be considered controversial, even if outside the realm of public policy. This may also result in additional review steps. As soon as possible, we will decide on whether an article will need to undergo such a review, with guidance given to you. An example is research on a technique that has dissenting opinions within the actuarial profession; a review would be appropriate to ensure the article is unbiased and objective in its recommendations.

Things that will contribute to an article being excluded from a publication include, but are not limited to profanity; derogatory slang terms; bias in presenting research; political views; and negative statements about a fellow actuary, the profession, or other actuarial organizations.

Rights After Publishing

Authors retain copyright to the content they submit for publication in the Community’s newsletter and may submit the article for publication elsewhere after the article has been published in the newsletter, though the SOA asks authors to give credit to the SOA as the first publisher, as in this example: “First published in the [Name of SOA Community] Newsletter, Society of Actuaries, [Year]. Republished with the author’s permission.” Authors may post a link to their article on their company’s or personal website. Authors may not post the article in full online. If the author wishes to post the article on a personal or company website or share elsewhere, all stock photography provided by the SOA must be removed first.

Artwork

Images

All images submitted with articles will undergo a review process for content and technical specifications. To ensure quality, all images need to be at least 1,600 pixels wide and in color. Author-submitted photos can only be used as secondary images, not main (hero) images. Group photos or interview photos can only be used as secondary images, not main (hero) images, and they must be at least 800 pixels wide, saved in .jpg, .png, or .tif format, and should also be professional subjects/poses. Color pictures are preferred as they create sharper, more vibrant images. Stock images are provided by the SOA professional design staff. No cartoons, drawings or clip art will be used.

Endnote Citation Formats

The following are examples of endnotes for some of the more common types of sources. This list is not exhaustive, so for more detailed information and examples, please refer to the latest edition of the University of Chicago Manual of Style, chapter 14.

Note: URLs alone will not suffice as endnote source and publishing information. More complete source and publishing information is required.

Books

One author

First Name Last Name, Title of Book (City publisher is located: Name of Publisher, copyright year).

[Ex.: Chris Anderson, Free: The Future of a Radical Price. 2nd ed. (New York: Hyperion, 2019).]

More than one author

First name Last Name and First name Last name, Title of Book (City publisher is located: Name of Publisher, copyright year). NOTE: If there are more than three authors, cite only the name of the first-listed author follow by “et al.”).

[Ex.: Guy Cowlishaw and Robin Dunbar, Primate Conservation Biology (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2020).]

Complete chapter from a book

First Name Last Name, “Title of Chapter,” in Title of Book (City of Publisher: Name of Publisher, year of copyright), page number.

[Ex: Brendan Phibbs, “Diary of a Battle," In The Other Side of Time (Boston: Little, Brown, 2017), 117.

Selected pages from a book

First Name Last Name, Title of Book (City publisher is located: Name of Publisher, copyright year), page number–page number.

[Ex: Brendan Phibbs, The Other Side of Time (Boston: Little, Brown, 2017), 212–225.]

Periodicals

Journal articles

Author First Name Last Name [If there is more than one author, follow the format for multiple-authored books], “Title of Article,” Title of Journal volume number, issue number (publication month and year): page numbers.

[Ex: Michel Denuit and Esther Frostig, “Life Insurance Mathematics With Random Life Tables,” North American Actuarial Journal 13, no. 3 (June 2019): 339–355.

Magazine articles

First Name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Magazine Title, Issue Date.

First Name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Magazine Title, Issue Date, page number.

[Ex.: Larry Rubin, Victor Shi, and Nadezhda Roskova, “The Word on Fair Value Accounting,” The Actuary, October/November 2019.]

[Ex.: Larry Rubin, Victor Shi, and Nadezhda Roskova, “The Word on Fair Value Accounting,” The Actuary, October/November 2019, 14.]

Newspapers

With an author:

Full name(s) of author or authors, “Title of article.” Title of Newspaper, issue information (volume, issue number, date, etc.). Page reference (where appropriate). For periodicals consulted online, a url or, in some cases, the name of the database used to consult the resource.

[Ex: Laurie Goodstein, “The Well-Marked Roads to Homicidal Rage.” New York Times, April 10, 2020.]

Without an author:

Title of Newspaper. Year of publication. Title of article. Month and day.

[Ex: New York Times. 2012. Texas Race for Governor Heats Up. July 30.]
[Ex: Editorial, Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 1990.]
[Ex: “Pushcarts Evolve to Trendy Kiosks,” Lake Forester (Lake Forest, IL), March 23, 2000.]

Papers/Lectures Presented at Meetings

Full name(s) of author or authors, “Title of paper.” Paper/lecture presented at Name of Meeting, date of meeting, location of meeting.

[Ex: Robert McCory, “Communicating Risk in Public Pension Plans.” Paper presented at the Public Pension Finance Symposium, May 18–19, 2019, Chicago, Ill.]

Online Sources

Online newspapers, news services, and other news sources:

Author name (if known), “Title of Article,” newspaper or service’s title, date, url.

[Ex: BestWire, “Best’s Special Report: Disclosures Suggest Wide Variation in IFRS 17 Impact on Shareholders’ Equity,” Best’s News & Research Service, May 11, 2023, https://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=249581&altsrc=114.]

Online research reports, white papers and fact sheets from associations, corporations and government organizations:

Author name (if known), “Title of Paper,” name of website, date, url.

[Ex: Juliet Spector, Cory Gusland and Carol Kim. “Insurance Risk and Its Impact on Provider Share Risk Payment Models,” Society of Actuaries, January 2018, https://www.soa.org/49345d/globalassets/assets/files/resources/research-report/2018/insurance-risk-impact.pdf.]

[Ex: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “Medicare Learning Network Fact Sheet: Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital,” CMS, March 2021, https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/Disproportionate_Share_Hospital.pdf.]

Other online sources/webpages:

Author name (if known), “Title of Article/Page,” website where article/page appeared, date posted or updated, url.

[Ex: Amanda Becker, “Test Yourself: Would You Act Unethically on the Job?” BNET INSIGHT, October 19, 2019, http://blog.bnet.com/mba/?p=l 330&tag=nl.e7 13.]

Other Sources

Podcast interviews:

Name of interviewee, interview by [insert interviewer’s name], title of podcast, podcast, date, url.

[Ex: Mike Bishop, interview by Blake Hill, InsureTech Insights, podcast, April 19, 2023, https://www.soa.org/resources/podcasts/.]

TV programs:

Title of Program, “Title of Episode/Report,” reported by/presented by/directed by [insert person’s name], air date, on [insert channel], url (if applicable).

[Ex: Power Lunch, “Mortgage Industry to Factor Climate Risks Before Lending,” reported by Diana Olick, aired March 20, 2023, on CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/03/20/mortgage-industry-to-factor-climate-risks-before-lending.html.]

Professional standards:

Author/organization name, “Title/Number of Standard,” publishing entity, date, url.

[Ex: Actuarial Standards Board, “Actuarial Standard of Practice No. 56: Modeling,” ASB, December 2019, http://www.actuarialstandardsboard.org/asops/modeling-3/?msclkid=ad170057aa2811ecb03761eae6ebbdf6.