Submission Guidelines

Writing an article for Valuation, the Appraisal Institute' s quarterly magazine, is an excellent way to gain recognition and share your experiences and expertise with your colleagues and industry peers. Appraisal Institute Professionals and other members of the real estate valuation profession are encouraged to submit ideas for articles that are timely and relevant to the real estate valuation profession.

Getting Started

The process is simple: Start by pitching your idea to the editors.

Send a short proposal (one to two paragraphs; around 150 words) rather than a completed article. The proposal should outline your article idea, including what you want to cover, why it's important to the valuation profession, how it's timely, what sources of information you plan to use and a little about yourself so the editors can determine how you're qualified to write on the matter. Also indicate for which department you're pitching the article. Valuation is mainly interested in articles that fit its Feature, Legal Matters and For What It's Worth sections. For a brief description of each, see the Valuation Departments section.

If the article is already completed, please email your pitch and include the completed article as an attachment. For more information, see the Submission Guidelines below.

Valuation prefers exclusive, original content. If you're pitching your idea to other publications or if you've already published an article on your proposed topic, please indicate where and when it will or did run.

Please note: Valuation receives numerous submissions and does not in any way guarantee publication of submitted ideas or articles. Editors will make decisions based on a variety of factors, including editorial standards as determined by the Appraisal Institute’s professional staff. All decisions made by the editors are final. Additionally, AI reserves the right to edit content and may return an article to a prospective writer for review or further revisions. Accepted articles become the property of Valuation.

Valuation Departments

Submit articles that fit one of the following departments:

Features

• Is there a major issue, trend, concern or market sector that you see as having a major effect on the valuation profession or real estate industry? Feature topics should advance or inform the industry.

For What It's Worth — AI professionals in profile

• This section is a short Q&A with AI professionals. We're interested in talking with appraisers who have something to say that benefits the valuation profession. Let us know about your exceptional or unusual professional experience or your particular specialty area or research you've conducted or book you've authored. If we move ahead with an interview, we will submit the questions and edit answers to fit the column; you will have the chance to review the edited column.

Legal Matters — protecting your business and yourself

• This section provides an opportunity for experts to address legal issues affecting appraisers and the valuation profession.

Prospective writers should review past issues of Valuation to see the types of articles previously included in these sections. See Valuation archives.

What happens if your pitch is accepted?

The editors will review your pitch; if it sounds like a fit for an upcoming issue of Valuation, you'll be contacted to write the piece with offers to help you further define and refine the article. The editors will discuss story angle, word count, photography requirements, due date and other information to help you complete the assignment.

Submission Guidelines

Valuation runs articles of varying lengths and each section has specific requirements, but some general guidelines include:

• Articles must be submitted in electronic form (Microsoft Word or equivalent text program) and sent as an attachment.
• Word lengths vary, but in general:
  • Features run roughly 1,800 to 2,200 words;
  • For What It's Worth runs roughly 750 words; and
  • Legal Matters runs roughly 1,000 words.
• Photographs, charts or accompanying graphics must be a minimum 4 x 5 inches and be high-resolution (300 dpi or higher) in .tif or .jpg formats. Send images as attachments; do NOT embed photos in the Word document. Include captions and photo credits (as necessary); you must have permission and rights to use all photos you submit. Author photos are required — so send your best headshot.
• Include a short biography to run at the end of the article - no more than 50 words.
• Valuation publishes quarterly, so completed articles are due four months before publication. See below: