Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

The University of Chicago Press prefers manuscripts submitted in electronic form in Microsoft Word. We also can work with files prepared in WordPerfect and LaTeX (please consult your editor for special instructions if you plan to submit LaTeX files). The advantage of electronic manuscripts is that they can be edited and prepared for publication without having to retype anything. Please keep in mind, however, that your manuscript will be designed by our design staff, and the final edited, designed files will be converted to a typesetting program from which the page proofs will be created. So please keep it simple—if you spend a lot of time using your software to format your manuscript and customize the way it looks, we, in turn, must spend time paring your manuscript back to its basic elements to ensure that the whole process goes smoothly.

 

Please use the following guidelines to ensure that the electronic manuscript and printout you submit to us will be ready to edit without further ado:

 

  •  All the elements in your manuscript should be easy to identify. Save each chapter as a separate file. Each additional part of your manuscript—front matter, introduction, references, appendixes, tables, figures, etc., should also be saved as separate files. Chapters or similar divisions should be named “ch-01,” “ch-02,” and so forth (or something similar) so that they appear in correct order if there are more than nine.
  • Tables and figures should be submitted in files separate from those of the main text. Please do not embed figures and tables in the chapter files. Instead, insert callouts (e.g., “[figure 1.1 about here]”; “[table 2.1 about here]”). See below for more information about this.
  • Your manuscript should be double-spaced throughout.
  • 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 the press. 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).
  • 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.
  • Do not use the automatic hyphenation feature. There should be no “optional” hyphens in your manuscript.
  • Do not “justify” text to the right margin.
  • Use the same typeface, or font, throughout the entire manuscript. If you use a second font containing special characters not available in standard fonts, please alert your editor and send a test file early in the process. Please see more about this below.
  • If a chapter has more than one level of subheads, differentiate them visually (with centering, bolding, underlining, etc.) or, preferably, by typing (using angle brackets) <A>, <B>, or <C> at the beginning of each subhead, as appropriate.
  • To insert notes, use your software’s built-in note-making feature. Use the feature “as is”; please don’t reset any of the options. The benefit of the built-in notes feature is that it connects the text of a specific note with a specific place in the text. These “embedded” notes can be moved, combined, or deleted with ease; the number in the text will always carry its note text with it, and the notes will automatically renumber as needed. (NB: never renumber notes by typing over the automatically generated numbers.) Notes to tables should be numbered separately. All formatting (of number size and style, placement of the notes relative to the book as a whole, and even conversion of endnotes to footnotes and vice versa) will be done by the typesetter.
  • 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.
  • Produce any special characters using your word-processing program’s built-in character set. If you run up against a character that is not available in your software’s character set, you can use a 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 using graphics or field codes—these will not convert for the typesetter. If you use a special font to create characters, please alert your editor and also 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 any special characters and explanations of any angle-bracketed shorthand descriptions.
  • Do not insert an additional hard return to create extra space between paragraphs. Where you want a space break in the book, type “<space>” on a line by itself.
  • Format prose extracts (block quotations) and verse extracts with your word processor’s feature for indenting paragraphs. Insert a hard return only at the end of a paragraph or a line of verse. Do not align text using the space bar—adjust the indent level instead.
  • Do not “manually” create hanging indents for your bibliography or reference list by using hard returns and tabs in the middle of an entry. Instead, either use the hanging indent feature in your word-processing program or format each entry like a normal paragraph with a first-line indent.
  • In a list of references, for successive works by the same author, use six hyphens (i.e., ------) in place of the author’s name after the first appearance
  • For each table, illustration, photograph, boxed insert, or figure of any kind, please place a bracketed, sequentially numbered “callout” in the manuscript that indicates placement: [Figure 1.1 about here]. Also include a separate, sequentially numbered list that matches the callouts in the manuscript and contains a caption and credit line (or source), if any, for each figure. Regardless of whether you submit the figures in electronic form, include a printout or photocopy of each figure with the printout of your manuscript.
  • No two pages of your manuscript should have the same number, and no page should be submitted unnumbered. Either number the pages according to section (e.g., “chap. 1, p. 57”) or consecutively throughout the manuscript.
  • When you submit final files for your manuscript, please also submit two copies of the final manuscript made from these same files. The electronic files and the printouts that the press receives must match exactly. Please check the printout to ensure that any special characters have been rendered correctly and remember to include a list of special characters. Do not make any changes to the electronic files after you have printed out the final manuscript. If you must make changes after you have prepared the final printout, do so on the printouts (hard copy) in colored pencil. Supply a list of page numbers with changes.
  • If you are submitting a CD, please label it and include the name of the software and fonts you used to produce your manuscript (e.g., “Word 2007 for Windows 7; Times New Roman and PMingLiU fonts”; “Word 2003 for Windows XP; Gentium font”).

Expanded Guidelines for Edited Volumes

Checklist for final submission of edited volumes

General

Contributor contact information

  • Using the template provided, create a contact information list of all contributors and volume editors (mailing and e-mail addresses, phone numbers), arranged alphabetically or by chapter.
  • The accuracy of this list is very important, as it will be used by the Press throughout the publication process to (1) send publication agreements to contributors, (2) contact contributors during editing, and (3) deliver chapter pdfs and copies of the book to contributors upon publication.
  • The Press uses FedEx for all correspondence that cannot be delivered electronically. FedEx will not deliver to PO Boxes, so it’s imperative that contact information include full street addresses for each contributor, not just department names. Phone numbers are necessary because they are required by FedEx, and provide an alternative mode of communication for the manuscript editor.

 

List of contributors

  • Create a list of contributors to be published in the back matter of the book, which includes names, departments/affiliations, cities/states, and countries but not full street addresses, e-mail addresses, or phone numbers (example below). Be sure to list this item in your table of contents.
  • John Smith

     Department of Biochemistry

     The University of Chicago

     Chicago, IL 60637

     USA

Text

All elements of your book should be consistent throughout in content and format

  • Please refer to the more detailed information about formatting found above under Manuscript Preparation Guidelines.
  • All the elements in your manuscript should be easy to identify. Save each chapter as a separate file. Each additional part of your manuscript—front matter, introduction, references, appendixes, figures, etc.—should also be saved as separate files. Chapters or similar divisions should be named “ch-01,” “ch-02,” and so forth (or something similar) so that they appear in correct order if there are more than nine.
  • Remove all chapter abstracts and contact information from individual chapters.
  • Include acknowledgments at the end of each chapter, if appropriate.
  • Ensure that in-text citations have corresponding entries in the references. Each chapter should either have its own reference list or all references should be merged at the back of the book.
  • Make sure chapter appendixes are double numbered (e.g., “Appendix 1.1,” “Appendix 5.1”) and appear in the table of contents.

 

Boxes/sidebars, tables, and figures

  • All elements should be double numbered by chapter—“Figure 1.1,” “Box 1.1,” “Table 1.1,” etc.—and chapters should include bracketed callouts to indicate their placement in the text. Callouts should appear on a separate line in the manuscript between paragraphs (e.g., “[Insert fig. 1.1 here]”; “[Insert table 1.1. here]”).
  • Tables and boxes/sidebars should be submitted as separate, individual text files, removed from the main text and clearly labeled (e.g., “Table 1.1.doc,” “Box 1.1.doc”). These elements are typically typeset by design.
  • Likewise, figures should be submitted as separate files, clearly named according to Chicago’s file-naming conventions, with the lead volume editor’s last name (e.g., “Smith_ch1_001.tif,” “Smith_ch5_001.pdf”). Art should not be embedded in the text.
  • If any figures are to appear in tables or boxes, they should be numbered alphabetically (e.g., “Figure A,” “Figure B,” “Figure C”) and the files should be named as such (e.g., “Smith_table1.1_A.tif,” “Smith_box1.1_A.pdf”).
  • All art must be print-ready (free of typos and of sufficient line weight and resolution). See our Digital Art Digest and Art Submission Requirements for more information.
  • With rare exception (as discussed with your editor), art will be reproduced in black and white. The Press will convert any color photos to grayscale, but all line art should be black and white, with judicious use of gray tones. Ensure that any mention of color in the captions is edited appropriately to accommodate black-and-white reproduction.
  • All figure captions should be merged into one Word file and should include the date of origin of each figure, if known. Any credit language in the captions should be accompanied by the appropriate permissions documentation (see our Permission Guidelines for more information). Captions should not appear in the main text or as part of your figures.

 

Delivering the final manuscript

  • Contributors should confirm prior to submission of the final manuscript that their chapter is the correct version to be edited. Volume editors should collect index entries from each contributor to use in preparing the index.
  • Submit two double-spaced, single-sided hard copies of all text to match the accompanying electronic files. Boxes/sidebars, tables, figures, and captions should be collated separately.
  • No two pages of your manuscript should have the same number, and no page should be submitted unnumbered. Number the pages according to section (e.g., “chap. 1, p. 57”).
  • Submit two single-sided hard copies of all illustrations, with one illustration per page. The image file name (as described above) and date should appear on each printout to match the accompanying electronic files.
  • Submit all e-files on CD, or contact your editor to arrange ftp delivery. We do not accept final manuscript submissions via e-mail.

 

Info & Services