THE ALTON PAPERS

NOTES FOR AUTHORS

1. GENERAL

   It is intended to publish The Alton Papers annually. The Editors will consider for publication suitable articles and notes about the history (social, economic, political, architectural, artefactual, or literary) of Alton and the surrounding area.

   The Editors will be pleased to discuss proposals for articles, or summaries of them, before they are written. Articles submitted are refereed to ensure that a high standard is maintained. Fees and royalties are not payable, and copyright resides with the author. Authors will be supplied with a copy of the issue of The Alton Papers in which their article appears.

   Articles should normally be between 250 to 3,000 words in length, plus notes, and should include acknowledgements. Illustrations are welcomed. Contributions should be sent in the first instance to the Editor, care of the Curtis Museum, Alton.

2. LAYOUT

   The first page should contain the title, and the name(s) of the author(s) and contributor(s). Acknowledgements should be in a short headed section at the end of the text but before references or bibliography. Lists of abbreviations should be placed at the start of the references or bibliography.

3. STYLE

   Authors' style will be respected, but the Editors reserve the right to amend text to ensure grammatical accuracy or enhance its accessibility to the general reader.

4. ILLUSTRATIONS

   Relevant illustrations (figures, plates or tables), in appropriate quantities, are welcomed. Specially drawn maps or diagrams are "figures", photographs are "plates", tables are "tables". All types of illustrations should be numbered in pencil on the bottom margin in a single sequence as they occur in the text. Where a title does not appear in the illustration, a caption should be provided. Sources should be acknowledged. Any necessary copyright permissions, or permissions to reproduce, should be obtained by the author.

5. PROOFS

   Authors will receive a proof of their article, which must be checked with great care.

6. PRESENTATION

   Typing	Text should be double spaced throughout, including notes and captions to illustrations. Margins should be 4cm throughout. Text should be on one side of the paper only.
   Pagination	All pages should be numbered at the bottom.
   Type Faces	Italics should be italicised on a word processor, otherwise underlined.
   Capitals	Use capitals for personal, place, corporate and other names and titles, etc., eg Hampshire County Council, Lord Selborne, Trinity Term. Directions, eg south / southern, and seasons, eg winter, should be left in lower case.
   Italics	Use for titles of books, periodicals, ships' names, foreign words.
   Spelling	As in the Oxford English Dictionary.
   Quotations	In the text, short quotations should be enclosed by double inverted commas, with single for quotations within quotations. Longer quotations (perhaps 40 words or more) should be separated from the main text by a blank line, and indented.
   Abbreviations	Should be followed by a full stop, eg. MS., Dec.
   Dates	Give in full in text, as follows: 1 February 1997. Abbreviate months to three letters in notes. For centuries, use figures, eg 19th century, mid-14th century. Circa should be abbreviated to c. Kings and Queens should be cited with Roman numerals, thus Queen Elizabeth I not Queen Elizabeth the First or Queen Elizabeth 1.
   Numbers	Numbers under ten should be written out; 11 and above, use numerals.
   Money	Money should be given in figures, eg £1. 10s. 0d. (ie the s. and d. italicised); £1.50
   Disks	Text may be submitted in disk on consultation with the Editor to ensure compatibility. Hard copy must always be submitted in the first instance.

7. NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

   Normally EITHER Notes OR a Bibliography should be supplied, but not both.

   Notes	Notes should be numbered (superscript) consecutively in the text and listed after Acknowledgements. Bibliographical conventions should be thus:
   Examples	Southampton Record Office, SC/5/4/27, Port Book 1509-10, p. 343. Stone, RA, The Meon Valley Railway, Southampton (1983) p. 69. Bancroft P, "The LMR - 25 years since closure", Mid-Hants News, 81, (1994) p. 46.
   Bibliography	List the sources in the following order: Primary sources: List by repository and describe, eg Southampton Record Office, SC/5/4/27, Port Book 1509-10 Printed primary sources should follow manuscripts. Newspapers: Italicise titles. Abbreviated titles may be used in notes. Date of issue should be given. Secondary sources: Use the following format: Stone, RA, The Meon Valley Railway, Southampton (1983). Bancroft P, "The LMR - 25 years since closure", Mid-Hants News, 81, (1994).
   Dates in Notes	See "Dates" above.

EDITORIAL BOARD
MAY 1997