LAB Pro publishes articles directed at the professional audience. The articles are based on the author’s expertise and work conducted at LAB University of Applied Sciences and can include project updates, views on recent developments in teaching or discussion on current topics. Articles may be co-written with students or people outside of LAB, as long as the input of LAB personnel is also evident.
Please read the instructions carefully before starting the writing process.
Co-writing with students
A teacher’s input must be evident in articles co-written with a student. This also applies to articles that are based on the student’s thesis: just supervising the thesis is not considered sufficient. Articles based on a thesis can’t be just abstracts, but must bring forward a new perspective and should have at least one third of new or revised material. For more detailed instructions, please see Co-writing: instructions for teachers and students.
Length, structure and references
The structure of the article is free. The length of the article can vary depending on the content of the text, but in general the text should have 5000 – 7000 characters (incl. spaces, excl. bibliography). Using references is not necessary, but any references used must be cited in-text and listed alphabetically at the end of the article. LAB Pro uses the Harvard name-year system of referencing.
All articles must include a short introductory paragraph consisting of two or three sentences, explaining the purpose and content of the article. Do not use references in the introductory paragraph, nor mention if the article is based on a thesis. Please also add author information at the end of the article, including the name(s) of the author(s), their position(s), and affiliation(s).
If you need more tips for writing, please visit the LAB Guide to Publishing.
Figures and tables
Articles can also contain figures and tables. Tables should be sent as separate Excel files. All other figures are sent in as separate picture files (for example jpeg). Tables and figures are marked with running numbers and their place in the text must be clearly indicated. Picture files should be of high quality. The name of the photographer should be always be added. Please make sure you have the right to use the picture(s)!
Images and figures need to be provided with text alternatives in order to make their content available to readers who can’t see them. For more information, please see Accessibility.
Article picture is being added to every article by the editorial staff. Should you want to provide the article picture, please prefer photographs.
You can also use AI-generated images. Always mention if the image has been created using AI, and if you have altered the original AI-generated image in any way. PLEASE NOTE! Always read the terms of service and licensing of the AI service you’re using. For example, if you’re not a paid member of Midjourney, you are only permitted to share your images under the CC-BY-NC -license. Please see Midjourney’s terms of service for more information.
Copyright
LAB Open uses Creative Commons license CC BY-SA by default. This means that anyone can share, copy and edit your publication, as long as they mention the source and share the material with the same license. If you wish to publish under a different license, let us know. You can learn more about CC licenses and choose a suitable one at https://creativecommons.org/choose/.
Publishing process
The authors represent their own views and are responsible for the content and proofreading of their article. LAB Open holds the right to publish all submitted material, but all responsibility regarding the copyright issues of the article content (e.g. plagiarism) remains with the authors.
The publishing decision is made by the editorial board. The editors review all article submissions and send feedback to the authors, if necessary. The editors may ask for changes to be made in the manuscript before publication. In addition the editors hold the right to make minor corrections to the language.
Please submit your manuscript (Word document, .doc or .docxt) to the editorial board via email: julkaisut@lab.fi.
The publishing process takes approximately two weeks.