Formatting

Your manuscript should be double-spaced throughout. The printouts you provide should be single-sidedwith every page numbered. No two pages of your manuscript should have the same number. Either number the pages according to section (e.g., “Author last name, chap. 1, p. 57”; “Author last name, tables, p. 12”) or consecutively throughout the manuscript (e.g., “Author last name, p. 1”). Use the same typeface (or font) throughout the entire manuscript. For information about special characters, please see below.

Sections and Headings: Do not assign “styles” to achieve different formats for subheads, block quotes, paragraph indents, etc. The default, or “normal,” style should be the only style in your manuscript. (If your program assigns a special style to automatic notes, however, that’s okay.) If a chapter has more than one level of subheads, differentiate them by typing (using angle brackets) <A>,<B>, or<C> at the beginning of each subhead, as appropriate. It is also acceptable to differentiate subheads visually (with centering, bolding, underlining, etc.), but please be consistent in the way you use such formatting.

Spacing and Indentation :

  • Do not use the space bar to achieve tabs or indents or to align text.
  • Do not use the space bar or the tab key to start a new line, format block quotations, or create hanging indents for your bibliography.
  • Format prose extracts (block quotations) and verse extracts with your word processor’s feature for indenting paragraphs (0.5 inch). Insert a hard return only at the end of a paragraph or a line of verse.
  • Do not insert an additional hard return to create extra space between paragraphs. Where you want a space break in the Journal, type “<space>” on a line by itself.
  • Do not use the automatic hyphenation feature. There should be no “optional” hyphens in your manuscript. Do not “justify” text to the right margin.

Special Characters : Use the same font throughout the entire manuscript. Produce any special characters using your word-processing program’s built-in “special characters” set. If you need a character that’s not available, you can use descriptive shorthand enclosed in angle brackets. For example, <bhook> aci might indicate that the typesetter should render the Hausa word ɓaci. Do not “make” a character by combining more than one character, or by using graphics or codes. If you use a special font to create characters, please alert your acquiring editor and send a test file early in the process so that we can see whether the font is compatible with our system. When you submit your manuscript, include a list of special characters and, if applicable, include their angle-bracketed shorthand descriptions.

Hidden Text, Comments, and Field Codes : Make sure that there are no comments, annotations, field codes, or hidden text whatsoever in the final version of the manuscript that you submit to us. In addition, make sure that all “tracked changes” or other revision marks have been accepted as final (i.e., there should be no revision marks, hidden or otherwise, in the final manuscript).

BOXES/SIDEBARS, TABLES, AND FIGURES

 

Separating Boxes/Sidebars, Tables, and Figures from the Text : Each text box/sidebar, table, or figure of any kind (including photographs, maps, charts, and graphs) must be submitted in files separate from those of the main text.

Numbering : Text boxes/sidebars, tables, and figures should be numbered separately.

Indicating Placement : To indicate ideal placement in the text, please place a bracketed, sequentially numbered “callout” on a separate line in the manuscript between paragraphs that indicates placement: [Figure 1.1 about here]. Do not embed figures in the text files. The typesetter will attempt to follow your callouts, while adhering to the specifications of the Journal design we provide.

Preparing a List of Captions :Include a separate, sequentially numbered list of captions that matches the callouts in the manuscript with the proper caption and credit line (or source), if any, for each illustration.