Guidelines for

Manuscript Preparation

Style Guidelines 

As you prepare your manuscript, please observe the following guidelines, which are designed to save you valuable time and effort during the publishing process and help prevent costly errors. Adhering to these guidelines decreases the chance of us returning your manuscript for additional formatting and organization. 

Organizing the Files
Save one Word file per chapter and for the front matter (title page, table of contents, dedication, preface, etc.), bibliography, and other book sections. All tables and figure legends (or captions) should appear in respective single Word documents. Name the text and illustration files clearly and sequentially; e.g., authorlastname_ch1.docx; authorlastname_ch2.docx; authorlastname_figure1-1.jpg, etc. 

Version control
If possible, prepare your manuscript on the same computer and software from start to finish to help prevent corruption of any files. Leave your files in the format in which they were produced, unless instructed otherwise by your editor. 

Formatting the Text
The manuscript that you submit to Hopkins Press will not look the same as the published version—it will be edited, designed, and typeset before publication. The less formatting you include in your submitted version, the easier it will be to edit and design your book. Here are formatting guidelines to help streamline the publishing process: 

  • Number all pages in the footer section of the manuscript. Be sure to indicate the chapter number on each page (e.g., page 1-1 for the first page of chapter 1). 
  • Set one-inch margins on all sides of the page. 
  • Double-space the entire manuscript, including notes, extracts, and bibliography. 
  • Indicate divisions in the text (new headings, extracts, quotations, change of topic, etc.), by typing one extra hard return above and below this material. Other than that, do not put any extra spaces between paragraphs, notes, or bibliographical entries. 
  • Make paragraph indents throughout the text using the tab key, not the space bar or automatic indent function, except where text following an extract or list is a continuation of the preceding paragraph. 
  • Maintain the same font size as the text when indicating different levels of headings in the manuscript. Make sure you are consistent in how you style the headings (i.e., all first-level headings are boldface, etc.). This is for editing purposes only; the designer will determine how they will appear in the printed book. 
  • Align all chapter numbers, titles, and subtitles at the left margin. Exception: in block quotes of verse, align each line exactly as you want it to appear in the published book. 
  • Align all text flush left rather than justified. Never use hard returns at the end of a line unless it’s the last line of a paragraph or a block quote of verse; instead, use your software’s automatic wrap function. Also, turn off the automatic hyphenation feature on your word processing software. The only hyphens that should occur in your manuscript should be in hyphenated compound words. 
  • Style text in roman type except where italics or actual underlining is required (for the latter, use the underlining feature). 
  • Do not use the “styles” feature in Microsoft Word. 
  • For a dash, use 2 hyphens, with no space before, between, or after the hyphens (--). 
  • Indicate repetition of an author’s name in a bibliography by using 6 hyphens (------). 
  • Use 1 space after colons and after periods at the ends of sentences. Avoid inadvertently introducing spaces before hard returns or before paragraph indents. Before submitting the manuscript, search for double spaces between words and eliminate the extra space. 
  • Remove all hyperlinks and field codes. Style URLs in roman—no angle brackets before or after and do not use italics. 
  • Never capitalize all letters in subheads, chapter titles, authors’ names, etc. These words would have to be re-keyboarded, and errors can easily be introduced this way. Instead, use headline-style capitalization (This Is the Title of My Chapter, rather than THIS IS THE TITLE OF MY CHAPTER). 
  • Never use letters for numbers or vice versa; that is, don’t type a lowercase “L” for the number one or the letter “O” for zero. 
  • If your manuscript has any accented letters or special characters that are not available on your computer, send us a list of them and indicate how you have marked them in the text. If possible, bring these special characters to your editor’s attention in advance; we can advise you on a simple way to flag these characters. 

Reference and Formatting Style
For all other questions of style, including the formatting of notes and references, please consult The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. If any questions remain, please contact your editor. 

Notes and References
Use the endnote function of your word processing software. Do not use footnotes, regardless of whether your book will be printed with footnotes (instead, use endnotes and notify your editor of your preference to have the notes appear at the bottom of pages, although be aware that the use of footnotes rather than endnotes is very much the exception). Please follow these additional guidelines: 

  • Use superscript Arabic numerals for the endnote reference numbers in the text. 
  • Do not attach numbered notes to chapter titles, epigraphs, or subheads. If you’re unsure how to handle such material, talk to your editor. 
  • If your book will have both notes and a full bibliography, the notes should contain short citations only. If your book will have only notes, give the full cite at the first mention in each chapter, with short citations thereafter. 
  • Carefully review the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of style of all citations and update any “in press” entries as possible. 
  • If you’re using author-date citations, be sure that author names are spelled correctly in the text and reference list and that the years of publication match. 
  • Remove any entries in the reference list that are not cited in the text, as well as ensure that all text citations have a corresponding entry in the references. 
  • For bibliographies, be sure that entries exist for all works cited in the notes, and review the entries to be sure you wish to include all of them. 
  • For notes to tables, see the Tables section below. 

Tables

  • Create the table(s) using the "table" function in Microsoft Word (instead of using the "tab" key to create columns).
  • Avoid creating tables with more than 10 columns because of the difficulty in accommodating them on the printed page.
  • Save all tables in one separate electronic file from the manuscript text do not embed them in the text. 
  • In the electronic table file, each table should start on a separate page. 
  • In the Manuscript text, indicate where you would like each table to appear by typing a placement instruction (e.g., "<TABLE 5-2 ABOUT HERE>") after the designated paragraph.  Do not interrupt a paragraph with this instruction.  All tables must be explicitly mentioned in the text (with a few expectations to this rule; talk to your editor).
  • Notes to tables must be designated starting with the number 1 or letter a (or the series of symbols that starts with an asterisk), beginning anew with each table.  The numbering of table notes and text notes must be entirely independent of one another.  

Illustrations
If your publishing agreement allows illustrations, please see the art preparation guidelines for in-depth instructions on how to prepare your illustrations.  Here are few art issues to keep in mind while you prepare the text: 

  • Do not embed art in your text files.  Electronic artwork should be saved in separate files. 
  • In the manuscript text, indicate where you would like each illustration to appear by typing a placement instruction (e.g., "<FIGURE 5-2 ABOUT HERE>") after the designated paragraph.  Do not interrupt a paragraph with a placement instruction. 
  • If you explicitly cite one illustration by number in the text, then you must mention all illustrations by number (don't choose to mention some images and not others). Alternatively, you may choose to have all images appear unnumbered. If you wish to have them appear together in a gallery in the book or if you have any questions about these options, please ask your editor.
  • It is essential that all art, in final form, be provided at the time you submit the manuscript for editing and production so as not to delay publication. 

Download Manuscript Guidelines

 

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