Mission statement

The goal of DATIA Focus is to offer guidance, education, and insight for providers of drug and alcohol testing services to work more efficiently and effectively, as well as to provide employers implementing drug and alcohol testing programs with education on best practices, industry standards, and lessons learned. DATIA Focus will offer readers innovation, solutions, and opportunities for growth.

Our audience

DATIA Focus is the quarterly publication of the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association. DATIA’s readership includes over 1,500 industry professionals including collection facilities, laboratories, consortia/third party administrators, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, hospitals, physician offices, treatment facilities, testing supply distributors and manufacturers, employers, government offices, and members of Congress. Our members provide services to over 1,000,000 employers and perform over 65,000,000 drug tests per year.

Editorial Calendar

** Spring 2010 – Building Blocks
Potential Article Topics:
Authors Finalized by TBD
Final Manuscripts due by TBD
Importance of Education
Certification and Accreditation
Hiring Practices
Employee Morale

Appropriate Article Types

Departmental articles, unless otherwise noted, should be approximately 500-1250 words in length.

Best Practices
Articles on recommendations for best practices fall into this category. Articles should discuss the best practice, the reason behind implementing the best practice, and steps to take to implement the best practice.

Business Sense
The goal is to provide drug and alcohol testing providers with information on the business side of their companies.

Focus on Alcohol Testing
This department will discuss employer and industry issues with workplace alcohol testing, how to implement the most effective testing programs to determine abuse and impairment, effects of off-site alcohol abuse on the workplace, etc.

Technology
This department focuses on new technology used by the industry. Preference is given to articles on new technology that has been released since the prior issue, or technology in which new developments have been made since the prior issue. Given the promotion that these products/service will receive, inclusion in this department is only available to qualifying advertisers, DATIA sponsors, etc.

Submission Process

While complete article submissions are appreciated, DATIA prefers that all interested authors first contact DATIA with an outline of the prospective article. By doing so, DATIA can ensure that the article is accepted, and is placed in the most appropriate issue, department, etc. When submitting an outline, please include the proposed department for the article, the topical focus of the article, the main points to be covered, and the anticipated length of the article. Article outlines should be submitted to Laura Shelton at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or via the DATIA website by clicking here.

Upon receipt of your outline or article, you will be contacted within 14 days to discuss its appropriateness. You will be provided with information as to whether your outline is accepted as is or if any adjustments need to be made. Once an outline is approved, your complete article will be requested and a deadline for receipt will be provided. Any articles not received by the deadline will not in the assigned addition, and will be reviewed again for future issues. In addition, all selected authors are required to complete and submit a signed Copyright Agreement.

DATIA Focus reserves the right to edit all submissions, however, we will work closely with authors and strive to produce a final article that satisfies both the author and the editorial team.

General Author Guidelines

Please adhere to the following guidelines for the best chance of your article being accepted for submission.

• Submit innovative and value-driven information. DATIA Focus readers are not new to the industry. They are looking for solutions to complex issues, not the basics. Provide them with information they can learn from.
• Reach the full industry. The drug and alcohol testing industry includes many professionals. The further the reach of your article the better.
• Be comprehensive. Give readers enough information to understand the issue or topic, form their own opinions, and take advantage of your recommendations. Don’t leave readers questioning what you meant.
• Focus the topic. You should be able to make a case for your article in a few sentences, and have one to three clearly definable goals for the article. More than that and you may lose the audience or leave them confused as to the article’s purpose.
• Provide documentation. Where applicable provide charts, graphs, and visuals showing the points of your article. Many times text may be too much to absorb, but graphics really bring home your point.
• Be able to back up your points. Provide quality sources fro your facts, provide as many sources as possible, and create valid credibility for your article. While antidotal information is great, numbers really hit home.
• Involve credible sources. Where applicable, get other industry experts to back your thoughts and/or conclusions. The more people who agree with you, the better.
• Avoid commercialism. DATIA Focus is a primarily educational publication and does not endorse or promote any product or service on behalf of the association.  Articles discussing products or services must be objective. Items solely submitted to promote a new product or service, commercial in nature, must be included in the Technology section. Otherwise, articles should discuss types or products or services not by manufacturer or provider name.
• Write clearly. For example, be sure to define any acronyms or terms used that are not universally known, engage the reader in the article through the use of simple language as the readers of DATIA Focus are not scientists, use the active voice, provide information on sources used for the article.

Article Submission Formats

Articles should be submitted electronically in MS Word format or in another word processing format that can be converted to Word. When submitting your article, please also include a short biography (2-5 lines). Your biography should include your title, organization name, organization location, and information supporting your experience in the article’s topic. If your article includes a sidebar, this information should be sent along with the article itself. 

Any graphics to be included with articles should be submitted in JPG or EPS format in at least 300 DPI.

Author Compensation

DATIA Focus does not offer compensation to authors due to the promotion that authors receive in the magazine. In the rare case that DATIA commissions professional freelance authors, fees will be negotiated in advance.

Contacting DATIA Focus

All potential article inquiries, article outlines, and full article submissions should be sent to Laura Shelton at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Laura Shelton can also be contacted by calling DATIA at 800-355-1257 and selecting extension 40.