This week, in the cut-out-and-keep series, Louise Holden runs through the key roles

Between Cyprus and the Czech Republic, Steve Staunton learned a hard lesson last week: the importance of having the right team for the job. Creating a good magazine is also about putting the right people in the right places. You may have one ultratalented, supermotivated editor-journalist- photographer in your midst who seems happy to do everything, but when it comes to pulling the project into a coherent whole you'll start to see the weakness of a one-man or -woman production team.

Think who in your class might have the talent for the following key roles. You can double up, of course, but make sure that nobody has too much to do.

Editor-in-chief Ensures that the magazine sticks to its vision, that writers and other team members are not losing focus and that no material is weak or inappropriate. Skills required Leadership, vision, integrity, news sense and good communication skills.

News editor Assigns stories to be covered (if your magazine is reporting school or local news), then oversees reporters. May also liaise with the picture editor, to ensure that the right photographs are taken at the right time. Skills required Good organisational skills, good people-management skills, good knowledge of current affairs and ability to work well under pressure.

Features and opinions editor Works with writers to decide what feature stories to include in the magazine and what angles to take. Should consider how stories might look on the page and commission photographs, illustrations and panels (boxes containing statistics or other relevant details, to catch the eye and help make information easier to digest). Skills required Imagination, communication skills, organisational skills.

Section editors If you want your magazine to have a personality, aim for consistency. So, if you're planning large sections on, say, sports, music, fashion or arts and entertainment, put one person with a passion for the subject in charge of each area. Skills required Passion for and knowledge of the topic, good news sense.

Picture editor Works with writers and other editors to decide what images are needed for each page, then finds the photographs or arranges for them to be taken. You may ask a keen photographer to double up as picture editor. Skills required Artistic vision, determination, resourcefulness, good communication skills.

Business and advertising manager Sells advertising space and attracts sponsorship. Skills required Tenacity, business sense, confidence.

Designer Even if you have the best publishing technology at your disposal, poor design will let you down, and vice versa. We have seen brilliant work done with scissors and glue by designers who knew what they were doing and cared about the project. Skills required Artistic flair, resourcefulness, imagination and, if you are using computers, IT skills.

Subeditor Checks for spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, factual inaccuracies, libel and plagiarism. Also cuts long articles down to size and writes headlines, standfirsts (introductions, like the one at the

top of this article), captions and so on. Often doubles as a designer. At the interface between the writer and the editor, so choose carefully. Skills required Accuracy, eye for detail, thoroughness, speed.

Reporters Roving news hounds, on the hunt for stories. Skills required Energy, speed, curiosity, neck.

Writers, photographers, cartoonists and illustrators Provide the raw material for the rest of the team to work with. Individuals may cover a range of roles, with writers doubling up as, say, photographers or editors. The key point is to use all the available talent on the team to maximum effect.Skills required Dedication, imagination, speed, accuracy.

Next week: how to use images. If you'd like to suggest a topic for this column, e-mail lholden@irish-times.ie For more information and advice see www.irishtimesschoolmag.ie