The following guidelines are intended for contributors writing about organizations in Mississippi. Not every guideline is applicable to every subject, and writers are encouraged to include information unique to their entries. Writers may generally follow the sequence outlined below, but may vary somewhat as the subject demands. Notable events in the history of an organization should be described, and pertinent statistics included, wherever appropriate. These guidelines should be useful for those writing about business organizations such as corporations, civic organizations, advocacy organizations, and government organizaions such as agencies, boards, commissions, committees, etc.

1. Founding
1. Date and place of original conception of the organization
2. Date and place of formal chartering, if distinct from A.
3. Founding idea, purpose
4. Names and nature of founders and sponsors
5. Original affiliations and relation to other organizations
6. Authority structure
2. Members
1. Original requirements for membership
2. Important characteristics of membership (e.g., education, sex, age, where pertinent)
3. Outstanding officers and other individuals
3. Changes
1. Growth or change in distribution or nature of membership; new chapters or affiliations, changes of sponsorship, move of headquarters
2. Change in wealth or influence
3. Developments in structure or purpose
4. Functions, activities, projects, accomplishments
1. Function as expressed in formal statements of purpose, mottoes, slogans
2. Meetings
3. Services to members, public services
4. Philanthropic activities
5. Buildings, collections, museums, parks
6. Political activities
7. Publications
5. Conclusion
1. For defunct organizations: decline and dissolution
1. Causes, date
2. Merger with other organization, change of name
2. For existing organizations: latest statistics, plans, works in progress, current heads
6. Bibliography and notes

We need specific sources, with complete publication information, for all sources consulted in the writing of an article. We regret the inconvenience which this causes, but only by this double check can we be assured that each entry will be the credit to its author that we wish it to be. Furthermore, the extra effort will ultimately save our small staff hundreds of hours of research.

A brief bibliography should be included with each article. We encourage contributors to list primary as well as secondary sources. The list of works should be highly selective; if possible, it should include recent works of fundamental importance which can lead a reader to further publications.