I was wondering if you might address the proper protocol for submitting clips to editors. I am a new writer (just two published, paid articles) and I am not sure about the proper format for sending clips. I do not want to commit any copyright violations. When editors request clips, should I send my original Word document with the name of the magazine, when it appeared and contact info, or should I scan the article directly from the magazine and send a copy of that file?

It is accepted practice to photocopy your article as it appeared in the magazine so the editor can see that you did indeed get published in that magazine. You should, of course, ask the editor/publisher of each article for permission to do this as part of your querying process, but I’ve never met an editor who didn’t allow writers to do this.

Also, you can refer the editor to a specific link if your article appears online. You can also ask the publisher of the original piece if you can scan the page and put it on your website so you can have a number of electronic clips to refer editors to. This saves paper and postage. Most publishers will gladly allow you to do this. You can also scan articles and email them as attachments to editors if they don’t mind receiving attachments.