The Special Libraries Association administers the H.W. Wilson Company Award which is given annually to the author(s) of the best article published in SLA's official publication.

This policy establishes the guidelines for the administration of the award.

1. The award shall be given for the best articles published in SLA's official publication during the previous calendar year.
   
   

2. The award winner(s) will be selected by the H.W. Wilson Award Subcommittee of the SLA Awards and Honors Committee and shall consist of five members appointed for over-lapping two-year terms. The Chair shall have been a member of the Subcommittee for the previous year.
   
   

3. Articles shall be reviewed in light of the following guidelines: significant contribution to the philosophy, development, and general practice of special librarianship. Consider also these criteria: originality, innovativeness, universal implications, validity, and communication effectiveness.
   
   

4. Only feature articles will be considered. Articles appearing in regularly recurring columns may be considered if they are of high caliber and of sufficient appeal to be considered on their own merits.
   
   

5. Articles of less than two pages in length, in all probability, lack sufficient depth in quality to be considered a best article.
   
   

6. Continued articles and co-authored articles shall be given full consideration.
   
   

7. The article shall make a solid contribution to the knowledge of librarianship, particularly special librarianship. The article shall have a general appeal to all readers.
   
   

8. Reprinted articles from other journals and articles which are primarily bibliographic in nature shall not be considered.
   
   

9. Preference shall be given to SLA-member authors.
   
   

10. Winners receive an honorarium and certificate, courtesy of the H.W. Wilson Company, at the SLA Annual Conference.
    
    

11. The Subcommittee shall be responsible for the periodic review of the guidelines and criteria for award winner selection.
    
    

The H.W. Wilson Company Award Subcommittee Chair, in cooperation with the SLA Director, Public Relations, will oversee the implementation of this policy.

Editorial changes to reflect current publication practices: June 1996