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Index of Tips & Guidelines

Introduction

These guidelines deal with the mechanics of preparing and submitting materials for typesetting and layout — not with editorial styles or the design of a volume.* They are intended to reduce production time, production costs, and the likelihood of introducing errors during typesetting by helping the author and editor clarify what they mean to convey to the typographer.

Because this document focuses on the handing off of the manuscript to the typographer, it is primarily a reference for the managing editor. Nevertheless, authors may also find it of general use when preparing manuscripts, and should in particula, observe the guidelines for tables, illustrations, captions, headings, and titles.

Summary

Submit all text and notes both as printed copy and as electronic files.

Treat all notes as endnotes and begin them on a new page following the text of the chapter. Never submit text with footnotes at the bottom of pages.

Submit tables and illustrations (i.e., figures, photographs, drawings, maps, charts, graphs) separately from text. Each table or illustration should begin on its own page. They should never be drawn on or pasted into the text copy nor be included in the same electronic file as chapter text.

Attach printed captions to their accompanying illustrations, not to the chapter text. Additionally, save captions in an electronic file separate from the running text. Multiple captions may be grouped in the same electronic file; make sure they are in sequential order and are correctly numbered and identified. The caption of a table is considered part of the table and belongs with all other elements of the table and apart from chapter text.

Submit supporting data for graphs both as printed copy and as electronic files. The data are in addition to a hard copy of the graph itself.

Mark heading and sub-heading levels in the hard copy and electronic file. Heading levels in the electronic file are best marked explicity with a phrase or code inserted where the heading text begins — any clear, consistent system you devise, such as [**HEADING B**].

Never use full caps (all caps) in titles, headings, sub-headings, captions, legends, or, as a rule, anywhere else in the manuscript other than abbreviations and acronyms. Use lower-case, with appropriate initial caps. (Full-caps are useful, however, for extra-textual instructions to the typographer, such as marking placement of tables and illustrations or identifying sub-heading levels.)

Text and notes

Organization. Organize text and notes by chapter (or comparable section).

Printed page setup

• Print on one side of the page only.
  
  
• Allow margins of at least 1 inch on top, bottom, and each side.
  
  
• Do not single space any copy, including extracts (quotations) and notes. Vertical line spacing should be 1-1/2 to 2 lines (or approximately 150%–240% of point size of font).

Justification. Never justify right margins; leave right margins ragged.

Hyphenation. Do not hyphenate words at the ends of lines; turn off automatic hyphenation in your word-processing application.

Page numbers. Be sure to number the hard copy pages. Begin numbering anew for each chapter.

Grouping of notes. Do not submit notes as footnotes at bottom of page. Group all notes at the end of each chapter and begin them on a new page following the chapter’s text. (Notes should be grouped at the end when submitted even if the typographer will be setting them as footnotes.)

Numbering of notes. Number notes consecutively throughout a chapter, beginning anew with number “1” for each chapter. (For unnumbered notes, see below). Make sure that the reference numbers of notes in the text correspond to the note numbers themselves. (By the way, though you will probably use your word processor’s footnote/endnote functions to create the notes and reference numbers, an independently created list of notes is preferable.)

Unnumbered notes. A source note for a chapter (copyright, permission, acknowledgment, or the like) should be unnumbered and should precede all other notes of the chapter.

Headings and titles

Be sure that the correct spelling and capitalization of every word in a heading or title is not obscured by italicizing or capitalizing the entire heading or title. Thus the following guidelines:

• Do not use full caps or small caps for headings, sub-headings, or titles (except for abbreviations or acronyms). Use conventional title case or sentence case (lower-case with initial caps as required). This is important so that the capitalization — in effect, the spelling — of proper nouns and foreign terms are clear to the typographer.
  
  
• Similarly, do not use italics for headings, sub-headings, or titles, except for foreign or technical words that would otherwise be italicized.

To distinguish a heading, sub-heading, or title from the running text, use a system that is consistent and that will not be misunderstood. It might employ alignment (left, right, centered), extra space above or below, underline (if underline is not meant to designate italics), or boldface. Do not use a larger font size to distinguish a heading.

Heading levels. If there is more than one heading level (that is, if there are sub-headings), mark each heading as “Heading A,” “Heading B,” etc., on the printed copy. In the electronic file, add a label immediately before or after the heading, on the same line or a separate line (merely be consistent), such as: [**HEADING LEVEL B**]. (This would be a good use of full caps.)

Word processor formatting and styles

[see also Word Processing and Formatting Text: Dos and Don’ts]

Plain and simple. Keep the formatting as plain as possible and the use of word-processing or (even worse!) desktop-publishing “styles” and special effects minimal.

Fonts. Do not use multiple font faces unless foreign or technical terms require them.

Italics. Indicate italicized words either as italics or underline — merely be consistent.

Underline. By convention, underline is interpreted during typesetting as italics. If the author and editor use actual italics rather than underline to indicate italicized words (see above), then they are free to use underline to clarify structural elements — such as headings — or to insert extra-textual instructions for the typographer.

Boldface. Except in the most complicated works, boldface is seldom found in the text of typeset books and monographs. Any words submitted as boldface will probably be altered to conform to the design specifications of the volume. Nevertheless, the author or editor are free to use boldface to clarify structural elements — such as headings — or to insert extra-textual instructions for the typographer.

Small caps. The typographer will set certain words and phrases as small caps, according to the design of the volume. The author and editor may wish to designate small caps, as well.

Tables

Typesetting. All tables will be typeset following the style specifications of the volume, therefore their layout and alignment may differ from what is submitted by author or editor. If certain elements in a table must be aligned or formatted a particular way, please include specific instructions for the typographer.

Numbering. Number tables consecutively, chapter by chapter, using the double numeration system (1.1, 1.2, etc.; 2.1, 2.2, etc.).

Placement. In the printed copy, mark where each table should be placed (usually immediately after the first reference to it). In the electronic file, note the location on a separate line using a consistent phrase and style, for example: [TABLE NUMBER ##.## HERE]. (This would be a good use of full caps.) On the hard copy of each table, write the number of the manuscript page on which it belongs.

Submit separately. Do not submit tables within the running text of its chapter, whether on the printed copy or in the electronic file (see details following). All elements of a table — including the title or caption and any notes — should themselves be kept together. Begin each table on a new page and save each table as a separate electronic file. Gather the hard copies together, in order, chapter by chapter.

Hard copy. Print each table beginning on a new, separate page. Make sure the printed copy accurately reflects the way you want the elements of the table to relate to each other: column and row spans, headings, stubs, etc.. Also make sure that the details of text and text formatting — spelling, foreign terms, italics, abbreviations, use of upper- and lower case, and so forth — are correct and legible on the printed page.

Electronic files. Save each table as a separate electronic file. Make sure each file’s name clearly identifies the table. You may create and submit tables using almost any application — word processor, spreadsheet, database — or you may save or export it as a plain ascii (text) file. Keep in mind that high-end word-processing effects will be have to be eliminated in preparing the data for typesetting, so the more simply you can submit your electronic data, the better it will be. In most cases, a spreadsheet (like Microsoft Excel) is the ideal application for creating and submitting tabular information. There is no need to retain specific formatting (italics, alignment, etc.) in a spreadsheet, ascii, or database file. The printed copy will be the guide for the typographer.

Illustrations

Numbering. Most illustrations (photographs, drawings, charts, graphs) will be identified as “figure” and numbered consecutively, chapter by chapter, using the double numeration system: figure 1.1, figure 1.2, etc.; figure 2.1, figure 2.2, etc. Maps are identified as “map” and numbered similarly but in an independent series: map 1.1, map 1.2, etc.; map 2.1, map 2.2, etc.

Placement. In the printed copy, mark where each illustration should be placed (usually immediately after the first reference to it). In the electronic file, note the location on a separate line using a consistent phrase and style, for example: [FIGURE ##.## HERE]. (This would be a good use of full caps.) On the front or back of the illustration, or securely attached, write the number of the manuscript page on which it belongs (be careful not to mar the illustration).

Submit separately. Do not insert illustrations into the running text. Submit each illustration as a separate page and, if size and other factors permit, gather the illustration pages together. If any illustration requires extraordinary handling because of its fragility or intrinsic value, please include instructions for the designer and production staff. Make sure each illustration is fully identified and that its number and caption appear on the front or the back or are securely attached (without marring the illustration, of course).

Electronic file formats. Illustrations submitted as electronic files are acceptable only in standard native graphic formats, such as TIFF, EPS, Adobe Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator. JPEGs, unless they are the original, untouched digital file, are seldom of sufficient quality for print publication. Microsoft PowerPoint files are never acceptable. Graphics embedded in Microsoft Word documents or other word processors are not acceptable.

A note to authors about illustrations other than art work and photographs (that is, figures, drawings, maps, charts, and graphs)

Unless another understanding has been reached between the editor of the Monograph series and the author, it is at the editor’s discretion, in consultation with the graphic designer, to determine whether graphs, maps, sketches, and other drawings will be recast for legibility, scale, reproduction quality, or confirmation to the style of the monograph. Most graphics, including photographs and original art work, will be converted to digital files. The managing editor will arrange for the necessary graphic services, usually with the designer. The author will be sent a copy of any re-drawn figures for approval before they go into the final layout. If there are special considerations for any illustration that the graphic designer must know, please attach a note to the printed copy of the figure when the manuscript is submitted. For graphs, always submit both printed and electronic versions of the data.

Author to managing editor

Consult the editor for acceptable formats.

Author to typographer

Illustrations submitted as electronic files are acceptable only in standard native graphic formats, such as TIFF, EPS, Adobe Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator. Vector files are preferred for graphics other than photographs and art work. Please consult the designer about resolution (pixels per inch) required for each non-vector files.

Graphics embedded in Microsoft PowerPoint files or Microsoft Word documents are unacceptable.

Data for graphs will go directly to the typographer. Submit electronic files using a spreadsheet, database, or word-processing application. Please include a note specifying the operating system (MacOS, Windows Vista, etc.) and application and version (Excel 2008, FileMaker 7, etc.). When in doubt about compatibility, it is usually safe to save data as a tab-delimited text file.

Editor/authors to typographer

Files will be converted to a MacOS format. Although almost any word processor document can be converted, some translate better than others. Two problems that often appear in a translated file are (1) excess “garbage,” that is, lines and lines of computer code, and (2) incorrect character mapping of punctuation, diacritical marks, and other non-standard characters. The latter is particularly insidious because it seems to occur inconsistently and is easy to overlook without extremely meticulous proofreading. Below are a few points learned from past experiences:

• In nearly every case, a file saved in simple word processor or text editor translate more cleanly than those saved as Microsoft Word. They have less garbage and better character mapping. Older versions of MS Word translate more cleanly than recent versions, however.
  
  
• If you absolutely must use a recent version of Microsoft Word or are not comfortable with simpler word processors, you will have fewer errors to pay for if, after you have edited your manuscript as you need to in MS Word, you save a copy in another, simpler format to submit to the typographer. Rich Text Format (RTF) is a good choice. Be sure to open your file and proofread it in the new format to make sure all elements were saved as you expected.
  
  
• If you absolutedly must use a recent version of MS Word, do not use the fast save feature. If the file has ever been saved using “fast save” — perhaps the author had used MS Word with “fast save” enabled, even on MacOS, before sending the file to the editor — you should recreate it as a new file. Try this: launch MS Word; disable the preference “Allow Fast Saves”; create a new, blank document and save it on your hard drive; open the “fast-saved” document; select everything in the document and paste it into the new, blank document; save the new version again and close the old one; then do your editing in the new version only.
  
  
• If you absolutely must use a recent version of MS Word, do not submit files with “live” web addresses — they merely translate as blanks, which may not be discovered until too late.
  
  
• If you absolutely must use a recent version of MS Word and are tracking editorial changes, accept all changes before saving the file or the typographer will receive indecipherable data.
  
  
• In WordPerfect, documents saved as DOS/win 6.x (with the suffix .wpd) seem to produce better character mapping than documents saved as DOS/WIN 5.1 (with the suffix .doc).
  
  
• Transmission media: Files may be emailed or submitted on removable disks. If files are submitted on disks, acceptable media and formats are:

1. CD-ROM
2. DVD
3. Zip Disks (100 MB only)
4. DVD-RAM

• Emailed files should be stuffed, zipped, or otherwise compressed.