UGA Extension extends lifelong learning to the people of Georgia through unbiased, research-based education in agriculture, the environment, communities, youth and families.
Numbered UGA Extension publications connect Georgians to the results of university research. Numbered publications are peer reviewed, have enough substance to stand on their own, and are written to be used and understood by the public.
For more information and services on topics covered by Extension publications, contact the listed author or your county Extension agent. For help navigating the publications database, contact Sue Smith, the editor for UGA Extension publications, at extpublications@uga.edu.
Faculty may access the publication submission form and author guidelines through the Intranet.
Types of Publications
An official numbered publication is one that has been peer reviewed, has enough substance to stand on its own (even if it is part of a series) and is intended to be distributed directly to the public, or in the case of Agent Resources, for use by county agents. New publications are numbered with the following prefixes: B (for Bulletins), C (for Circulars), AR (for Agent Resources), AP (for Annual Publications), and TP (for Temporary Publications). Bulletins, Circulars, and Agent Resources must be reviewed by both internal and external reviewers before receiving a publication number. Annual Publications and Temporary Publications must undergo an internal review before receiving a publication number. Depending on the department or unit, the process of acquiring reviews varies. Learn more about peer review requirements.
Bulletins
Bulletins represent a major writing effort and cover a broad subject area, contain several topics and may include additional resources. Bulletins may address different individual topics in a particular discipline or a series of individual discipline subjects for a specific commodity.
Examples: Georgia Forages: Grass Species (B 1351), Native Plants for Georgia Part I: Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines (B 987), and Get Smart About Identity Theft (B 1435).
Circulars
Circulars are more narrowly focused than Bulletins. A circular discusses one subject in a limited, stand-alone form and may include references. Many publications formerly designated as leaflets or fact sheets are now circulars.
Examples: Blossom-End Rot and Calcium Nutrition of Pepper and Tomato (C 938), Marriage Matters Series: Staying Together After the Loss of a Child (C 1052-08), and Blister Beetles in Georgia Alfalfa Hay (C 917).
Agent Resources
Agent Resources are peer-reviewed documents and presentations intended for an agent-specific audience. These numbered publications are created to help county Extension agents educate the public and are available on the CAES and Extension File Sharing Intranet page. If you are an Extension agent or specialist and cannot access this page after entering your UGA MyID and password, contact the publications editor.
Examples: Introduction to the Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program (AR 1) and Selecting and Growing Succulent Plants (AR 2).
Annual Publications
Annual Publications address a comprehensive issue, and components come from varied disciplines and commodity areas. These publications are generally large handbooks, issue-related materials that are updated annually, or Research and Extension commodity reports.
Examples: 2014-2015 Georgia Small Grain Performance Tests (AP 100-7), 2014 Georgia Cotton Research and Extension Report (AP 108-3), and 2013 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates (AP 102-6).
Temporary Publications
Temporary publications are only for issue- or event-related information that requires immediate dissemination to the public and may include white papers, county or cluster information sheets, or brief material to be used as handouts for educational programs. Note: Temporary publications will only be available on the Extension publications website for three months, but author(s) may choose to resubmit them as bulletins, circulars, agent resources, or annual publications.
Past examples: Lean Finely Textured Beef is NOT Pink Slime (TP 100) and Managing Algal Blooms and the Potential for Algal Toxins in Pond Water (TP 101).
Peer Review
The author is responsible for acquiring all peer reviews, both internal and external. Each department manages the review process separately from the publication office. Family and Consumer Sciences publications undergo a special submission process that acquires blind reviews for the authors.
The minimum requirements for numbering:
- All numbered publications must be internally reviewed for accuracy and content by at least two faculty. Reviewers can be from within the author's home department, discipline, or commodity area. If the lead author is county faculty, the internal review should be coordinated through the appropriate department, depending on the subject matter. Bulletins, circulars, and agent resources must be externally reviewed by at least two reviewers
- Reviewers can be from within the UGA system but external to the originating unit(s) or from outside the UGA system. They can also be from industry or another college/university.
- After corrections or suggestions have been considered, the publication should be reviewed by at least one county faculty for readability (other than the author in the case that the author is a county agent).
Three-year Review
Three months before a publication reaches its three-year review date, the primary author will be contacted to determine if the publication should remain in the system for another three years without revision, if it needs minor or major revisions, or if it needs to be archived and removed from public access. If revisions are needed, please mark or track these in the most recent version of the publication.
If no revisions: The publication will be returned to the system with the new "Reviewed" date.
If minor revisions: The updated publication will be returned to the system with the new "Revised" date.
If major revisions: The publications must be peer reviewed before being returned to the system.
Publications that are past their three-year review date will be automatically removed from public access until they are reviewed and/or revised.
When an existing publication is revised or updated, its designation as a Bulletin, Circular, Special Bulletin, Miscellaneous Publication, Leaflet, Research Report, or Research Bulletin may be changed to reflect the current publication policies. If the author is no longer with UGA Extension, another specialist within the department may be asked to maintain the publication.
Copyright Policy
All numbered publications are copyrighted by UGA Extension for the people of Georgia. UGA Extension retains all rights under all conventions but permits free reproduction by all UGA Extension agents and offices and by the people of Georgia. Permission is granted to others to use this material in part or in full for educational purposes provided full credit is given by citing the publication, its source and authors, and date of publication. For more information, contact the publications editor at extpublications@uga.edu.