Fact Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a fact sheet?

Fact sheets are an important category of Extension publications:

  • They are usually two to four pages long, research-based, and peer reviewed. Longer fact sheets will be considered for electronic-only fact sheets.
  • Fact sheets are formatted in accordance with the CSUE standard format for fact sheets.
  • Written for a lay audience at no more than an 8th-grade reading level.
  • Free on the Extension website.
  • Sold for $1 through the University Resource Center.
  • Available in print if projected use is 1,000 a year or more and if information is valid for a minimum of two years, and if funds are available.
  • Reviewed on a regular cycle (1 to 5 years) by authors. Titles needing yearly review are only available on the Web.

How do I propose a new fact sheet?

If you want to write a new fact sheet:

  • Fill out Step 1 of the Publication Request and Manuscript Approval form(PRAMA) and the part on the form that pertains to fact sheets. Choose three reviewers (see required review form) and forward the PRAMA form to the appropriate work team leader to sign, who will then forward the form to the fact sheet coordinator in the office of Communications and Creative Services.
  • Fact sheets approved for print are funded out of the Extension fact sheet budget. However, an author may pay to print a fact sheet that was not approved for printing. All fact sheets are published in electronic format on the Web.

How do I get my fact sheet reviewed?

Every fact sheet requires a review. The author fills out a Manuscript Review Form , which requires three reviewers on a fact sheet and a deadline for the reviewer to return the manuscript to the author. When reviewer comments come back to author, the author makes changes on the manuscript and sends the final manuscript/file to the fact sheet coordinator in the office of Communications and Creative Services.