Timely publication, as far as is practicable, is important, and to that end we regularly review our guidelines and procedures for handling material in order to improve the process of moving a manuscript from submission to the printed page. At present we move manuscripts through peer review, evaluation, revision, and preparation for publication while adhering strictly to high scholarly standards. A key factor in maintaining our schedule is the author's attention to detail and care in the preparation and revision of a manuscript, and in recent years we have noticed that the quality of the digital artwork that is submitted is one of the most time-consuming problems in the preparation of manuscripts for publication.

In the past most illustrations were submitted as line art on paper or prints from photographic negatives, often prepared by professionals with experience in the design and production of archaeological illustrations. The introduction of commercial software for the creation of tables, graphs, maps, and drawings has substantially changed the way in which artwork is prepared. Today's software enables archaeologists to prepare their own illustrations and has largely done away with this professional contribution. This is a good thing for authors with limited budgets, but effective use of the software still demands some knowledge of the elements of graphic design and the requirements of preparing illustrations for reproduction on the printed page. Archaeologists now need to consider file formats and program compatibility, line weights, and the potential effects of enlargement or reduction of the finished piece.

To assist authors with these requirements, we have prepared a set of guidelines entitled ``Digital Graphics for the Journal of Field Archaeology'' ( html and pdf), which also recommends software and file formats for preparing art. These guidelines are available both on our website and in a printed version from our editorial offices. These guidelines have been developed in concert with Puritan Press, our printers, who work closely with us at all stages of production. We believe that attention to these guidelines from the outset when preparing work for submission will go a long way towards eliminating some of these problems and will speed manuscripts toward publication.

The guidelines deal with many of the common technical problems that we have encountered that make artwork difficult to read and unsuitable for reproduction. Computer-generated artwork can be unusable because a low-resolution .jpg file that looks good on a small computer screen will not reproduce well on the printed page. We also encourage authors to give careful thought to what information needs to be conveyed to the reader before they begin drafting a figure.

Many of the maps that we receive are often crowded with unnecessary contours and symbols, indistinct lines, washed-out tints, and fuzzy details. Digital artwork of this sort does not help an author to make a point, and does a disservice to the reader who will not be able to grasp the essence of the data presented in the figures. Strong manuscripts are always made better when well-chosen and well-crafted graphic art is used to illustrate and explain important parts of an argument.

Our intention is to publish excellent fieldwork and archaeological research from around the world and from all time periods, and we welcome submissions from all regions and specialties. Reviewing the submissions from the past three years, however, it is evident that we receive few manuscripts on Classical archaeology, New World historical archaeology, later European prehistory, and the archaeology of Africa and Asia. Our discussions with editors of other journals suggest that this is a widespread phenomenon, and we would like to remind potential authors that we are interested in significant research from all of these areas.

Finally, we would like to thank the outgoing Editor of Book Reviews, Jodi Magness, for her services, and to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Boston University for its continued financial and administrative support.