![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Product Development and Approval
On this page, you'll find information about how to develop:
Information about reviewing web materials is on the Development and Approval of Web Content page.
Logos or Similar Identifiers
All program branding, including logos and similar identifiers, must:
- be reviewed by the Office of External Affairs and Environmental Education (OEAEE) per the 2007 Branding Procedures memo from OEAEE (then OPA) to all headquarters and Regional offices (PDF) (2 pp., 160K, about PDF)
- follow the directions provided in the
Print Products
There are five phases in the print product development and approval process:
- concept development
- concept review
- draft development
- draft review, and
- editing per comments/final review.
Only the following may grant exceptions to bypass any phase: Associate Administrator for Public Affairs, Assistant Administrators, Regional Administrators, the Inspector General, the General Counsel, and the Chief Financial Officer. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis only, not as a general procedure.
1. Print Products: Concept Development
When developing concepts for print products and the Web site, address the following:
- The purpose, target audience(s), estimated length, distribution plan and funding.
- The timeliness of the product, its projected life-span, and whether it duplicates, supplements, or replaces other EPA information in the same or other formats.
- Whether the product will reach out to non-English-speaking communities.
- How the product promotes EPA priorities, programs and the Agency's "corporate identity."
- Whether the statement of work or task assignment clearly identifies contractor or co-author responsibility to comply with the OPA product development and approval process and EPA guidelines.
- Whether and how other EPA programs, federal agencies, or agency partners will participate in developing and distributing print products
- Identification of the approving official and his/her contact information, and approval by the office's Product Review Officer (PRO). (The PRO should comment on issues that have been, or need to be, addressed.)
2. Print Products: Concept Review
Enter the concept into the PROTRAC system; the Product Review Officer (PRO) must approve it and then OPA will review it.
Wait at least 10 days after PRO approval before beginning to develop a draft, unless OPA clears the concept earlier; this allows OPA to monitor product development. If OPA does not make a determination within 10 days after PRO approval, the concept is automatically approved.
3. Print Products: Draft Development
Begin developing draft materials after OPA has approved the concept. This phase will often require frequent coordination among originators, product review officers, content coordinators, and designated reviewers. Drafts must:
- Be consistent with everything in this guide, including the appendices and graphic standards
- Conform to the guidance in the EPA Communications Stylebook.
- Conform to Information Quality Guidelines found at http://www.epa.gov/quality/informationguidelines/
- Meet EPA and government plain-language printing and publishing standards
- Effectively convey appropriate messages to the target audience(s)
- If the product is an educational tool directed to the K-12 age group, meet generally accepted standards and guidelines under which the tool will be developed. Contact the Environmental Education Web Workgroup (EEWW) for assistance or review their guidelines (www.epa.gov/enviroed/eepubsEPA.htm).
- Be aesthetically appealing; if you use graphics and photos, they must relate to the text
- Display a title and cover that attract reader interest and convey your intended message
- Include no biased or judgmental terminology (no sexism, racism, and so forth); graphics must express diversity to the extent possible
- Use an engaging and positive tone
- Explain in the introduction the purpose, intended audience, and the significance of the product for the reader
- If the document describes an environmental problem or issue:
- describe what EPA has done, is doing and will do about it
- clearly explain how the public can help alleviate the problem or resolve the issue
- Present current and accurate statistics and explain statistical models when used
- If companies are mentioned, disclaim implicit endorsement of commercial products or services
4. Print Products: Draft Review
After creating a draft, the originator must enter it into the PROTRAC system, and the Product Review Officer must approve it before OPA review begins.
After PRO approval, OPA will comment within 10 working days.
5. Print Products: Editing/Final Review
Modify products according to OPA comments; all comments are mandatory unless negotiated with OPA. Several rounds of editing and further comment may be required. After you address all comments, OPA will conduct the final review and approve the product through PROTRAC.
Obtain a publication number from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) after final approval. The originator of the product is responsible for completing the printing process.