Notes for Contributors & Guidelines for Readers Evaluating Submissions Exemplaria: A Journal of Theory in Medieval and Renaissance Studies

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General 

Articles are published in English. They should be submitted in the first instance to the Editor, R. Allen Shoaf, Department of English. Digital submission is preferred at exemplaria@gmail.com. Paper submissions should be sent to P.O. Box 117310, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7310 USA. 

Presentation and Style 

Articles should normally be no less than 7,500 words in length and should not exceed 12,000 words including notes. The article should be submitted electronically with author details, the list of works cited and an abstract and seven key words included in separate files (see below). Please use double spacing and the same font size (at least 12 point) throughout, including endnotes, and leave ample margins (at least 2.5 cm). When an article is accepted for publication, we require, in the interests of economy and accuracy, both a disk containing PC compatible Word files. Typescripts and disks should be prepared in accordance with MLA Style (Modern Language Association of America). This involves three elements: in-text citations, a list of Works Cited, and endnotes. 

Where a particular convention or character needs to be indicated, be consistent and indicate in a letter or note to the editor your pattern (for example, % for the yogh character, | for the break between half-lines of Old English verse, or two tabs to indicate a verse indented from the rest of the quotation).

Abstracts

Authors should supply an abstract with their article of between 150-200 words summarizing the contents of their paper and including seven keywords. The final version of this will be made available online. It is therefore important that the abstract should be succinct but sufficiently comprehensive to 'stand alone' as a summary of the paper. 

Title, sub-headings, paragraphs 

The title of an article appears in roman capitals, bold and not centred. The author's name is given at the beginning of the article after a blank line in capitals and aligned left. In the case of articles (but not reviews) the place where the author works is also given, aligned left on the line below the name, in upper and lower case italic (e.g. University of Pittsburgh). 

Sub-headings, if used, should be in bold, upper and lower case and left aligned. A single line space should be left between sections. 

Please do not indent the first line of a paragraph beneath a title, sub-heading or at the start of a new section. The first line of subsequent paragraphs should be indented, using a single 'tab'. Do not insert a blank line between paragraphs. Use a single (not double) space after the full point at the end of sentences. 

End notes and works cited 

Endnotes should be properly keyed into the text and numbers should be given in the text, immediately following the most convenient punctuation mark. They should be kept to the strict minimum necessary for documentation and should not contain extra expository material. Documentation will follow the “MLA style” (Modern Language Association of America.” This involves three elements: in-text citations, a list of Works Cited, and endnotes. The printed article will be followed by the endnotes and then by the Works Cited.

In-text citations are placed in parentheses and take the briefest form which allows unambiguous reference to the Works Cited list. If the work being cited is clear from the context, the parenthetical material may consist only of a page number or other citation form. Otherwise, it should include the author's last name if needed, a very short title, and the page number. If several editions of a work are included in the Works Cited, an endnote may be used to clarify the citation edition.

Two examples of texts with citations and the relevant documentation:

1. Text:   I am attracted to Burckhardt's richly nuanced idea of Werkimmanente Deutung, “intrinsic interpretation” (Shakespearean Meanings, 285), but I still think that Fineman's analysis, in “Shakespeare's Ear,” of thematism's usurpation of reading in practice (231) explains why Burckhardt's idea will not prosper.

Works Cited:

Burckhardt, Sigurd. Shakespearean Meanings. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1968.

Fineman, Joel. “Shakespeare's Ear.” The Subjectivity Effect in Western Literary Tradition: Essays Toward the Release of Shakespeare's Will. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 1991. 222-31.

2. Text: Proteus in Two Gentlemen is “metamorphosed” by his beloved, as he sees it (1.1.66)1; is this not a function of his name and nature, as opposed to what Greenblatt calls the  “ennobling intimacy” of his relationship with Valentine (Norton, 79)

Endnote: 1 I cite Two Gentlemen of Verona from The Riverside Shakespeare.

Works Cited: 

Norton Shakespeare, Based on the Oxford Edition. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997.

Riverside Shakespeare. 2nd ed. Ed. G. B. Evans, et al. Cambridge, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

Endnotes may contain some expository material, but authors should keep in mind that these are part of the total word count. Works which are not cited in the text but only in a note should be cited in bibliographic detail in the note itself, in a discursive format using parentheses and commas as the main separators, e.g.: 

1Michel Foucault's theories of sexuality are not irrelevant here; see especially History of Sexuality 1, trans. Robert Hurley (New York: Vintage, 1990).

The assumption here is that there will not be more than one endnote which refers to a particular work not cited in the text itself.

Works Cited:

Ÿ Capitalize the first word and all principal words in English-language book and article titles. For 

      titles in Romance languages and Latin, generally only the first word and proper nouns are 

      capitalized (and the first word may vary in your text for a single title, e.g. Le roman de la 

      rose / Roman de la rose); for Germanic titles, the first word and all nouns are capitalized.

Ÿ Series titles are not italicized. Use judgement in determining whether a series title is a useful 

      part of the bibliography. EETS, SATF, and PL are standard abbreviations for these series.

Ÿ Use a colon to separate title and subtitle; italicize titles of books and journals, but do not use 

      Roman to indicate titles within titles (thus Hamlet's Misogyny remains ambiguous).

Ÿ If the article is in English, give foreign places of publication in the English form if there is one     

      (Florence, Geneva, etc.).

Ÿ Abbreviations include: ed., trans., 2nd ed., rev., rpr., UP (for University Press).

Ÿ Some journal titles should be abbreviated: ChauR, SAC, MLN, JEGP. 

Ÿ Give the last two numbers when expressing inclusive numbers within the same hundred, as in 

      20-21, 129-34; drop the zero, however: 205-6.

Ÿ Insert a space after an initial and full point (R. L. not R.L.) and after such abbreviations as vol., 

      no., etc. 

Ÿ Use Arabic numerals to refer to volume numbers and to all divisions of plays, poems, etc. 

      Exceptions: lower-case Roman numerals for page numbers from introductory matter; centuries 

      and titles (Louis XII, VIIe siècle).

      In-text references:

Ÿ Avoid the abbreviations p., pp., l., ll., v., vv. Generally the referent is clear. Where there is an 

      ambiguity, state the form of reference in a 

      sentence at the end of the Works Cited entry, e.g. “Citations refer to verse numbers.” 

Ÿ Titles should not be abbreviated in the text, but abbreviated titles may be used in the 

      parenthetical references, e.g.: (SGGK 230-32). The abbreviation should be noted in the list of 

      Works Cited, in a parenthesis after the title or in a sentence added to the bibliography: Sir 

      Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK). Canterbury Tales (CT) cited by fragment and line number, 

      Parliament of Fowles (PF) by line number.

Ÿ Where a title is followed by numbers indicating traditional or essential divisions, such aS verse 

      numbers, act-scene-line of a play, book and chapter numbers, there is no comma separating 

      title and number. A period separates the types of divisions: Hamlet 5.3.2-10; Aeneid 4.23. 

      Where the reference is to a page or volume and page, the comma is used after the titles and 

      the volume and page numbers are separated by a colon without a space: Works, 3:23-31.

Ÿ References to the Bible should be in the form: Isaiah 22.17; 2 Corinthians 5.13-15. 

Ÿ 'Folio', 'recto', and 'verso' are abbreviated thus: fol. 3r, fol. 127v, fols 17v-22r, with superscript r 

      and v. 

Quotations 

Exemplaria prefers that quotations of texts under discussion be in the original language. For any language except Middle to contemporary English, the quotation should be followed by an English translation. This can be provided by the author or from a published translation, and in the latter case should be documented like the original. 

Block quotations: Long quotations (more than about fifty words of prose, or more than three complete lines of verse) should begin on a new line. Indent prose but do not indent verse. For dramatic dialogue, do not indent but precede each speech with the character's name in small caps. Before and after a block quotation in the body of the text, use an extra return (producing a blank line on both sides of the block quotation). Use quotation marks if the quoted matter is direct speech and the edition you are using uses quotation marks for this purpose. The quotation should end with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Place the reference, without parentheses, on the line after the quotation. If there is a translation, it follows the quotation as a second block quote.

Short quotations (prose and verse) should be placed within quotation marks and run on with the body of the text. Separate lines of verse by / with a space on each side of it. Use secondary (single) quotation marks for direct speech only if the quotation includes both direct speech and other discourse: “Et cil dit: 'De ce n'ai ge cure.'” Do not use italics unless they are in the original or are added for emphasis. References should be placed in parentheses at the end of the quotations, after the final inverted comma but before any punctuation mark. Where a translation is involved, a consistent pattern needs to be worked out for the parenthetical matter, e.g.:  

Lancelot ignores the warning: “Et cil dit: 'De ce n'ai ge cure'” (2156; “and he said, `This is not something I am concerned about,'” 52). 

--where both the citation edition, cited by line, and the translation, cited by page, are in the Works Cited.

Indicate an omission from a modern text with an ellipsis in square brackets: […]; in an early text, the brackets are not needed. Use an ellipsis at the beginning or end of a long quotation only if that part of the quotation does not form a complete sentence; do not use ellipses at the beginning and end of short quotations. Omitted lines of verse should be indicated by an ellipsis at the end of the preceding line (not by a row of dots). Square brackets should also be used for interpolations within quotations. 

Where the editor of the text being cited has included editorial brackets and other typographical indications irrelevant to the argument of the article, the author may choose to omit these. This should be noted in an endnote or in a sentence at the end of the relevant Works Cited entry. 

Spelling and dates 

Use American spelling rather than British.

Do not italicize foreign words which have passed into regular English usage, and do not use diacritics on such words unless there is a final é; e.g. elite, precis, role, but cliché, protégé. 

Spell out numbers under 1000, including ordinals, unless they are used as dates or are statistical. Spell out centuries (thirteenth century). Large capitals are used for the roman numbers of monarchs, popes etc. (Charles V, Alexander VI). 

Accents should go above the letter, e.g. à, é, È. Be consistent in the use of ì/í, ù/ú in Italian. Letters bearing accents should still bear them when capitalized, e.g. 'È vero'. 

Give dates in the form January 25, 1946. Use 1960s rather than '60s, Sixties, 1960's. Small capitals are used for bc, bce, ce and ad. 

Punctuation 

Punctuation, including punctuation of quotations, should reflect American norms. 

Enumerations of more than two items should have a comma after all but the last item, e.g. “Paris, Calais, and Toulouse.” 

When a sentence includes a quoted phrase or word, a period or comma following the quoted matter is set inside the quotation marks. A colon, semicolon, or other punctuation follows the quotation mark. Punctuation which is part of the quotation (for example, a question mark) is set inside the quotation marks and only exceptionally is followed by other punctuation: Why does she cry “Hurrah!”?

Do not use a full point after contractions which end with the same letter as the full form (thus vols, nos, Mr, St, edn, but vol., pp., ed., e.g., etc.), or in mm, cm; but use in. for inches to avoid confusion. 

Do not use punctuation in common abbreviations such as BBC, NATO, USA, PCI. 

Use smart (curly) quotes for single and double quotation marks as appropriate. 

An EN rule is used to indicate a span or a differentiation (pp. 1-5, the Milan-Florence conflict); an EM rule (-) is used to enclose parenthetical statements or to denote a break in a sentence. If you are confident that you know which is appropriate, please use these dashes when preparing your typescript. Most people use the standard dash on the keyboard for a hyphen or for an EN rule, and two hyphens to indicate the EM rule.

Turn off hyphenation.

Acknowledgements 

Any acknowledgements should be placed at the end of the article, introduced by an asterisk, and a superscript asterisk should be placed at the end of the title. 

Submission of articles and reviews on disk 

Articles should be submitted in PC format in Word where possible. Use one size of one simple typeface, such as Times Roman, and avoid justified type. 

Use smart (curly) quotes for single and double quotation marks as appropriate. 

An EN rule is used to indicate a span or a differentiation (pp. 1-5, the Milan-Florence conflict); an EM rule (-) is used to enclose parenthetical statements or to denote a break in a sentence. If you are confident that you know which is appropriate, please use these dashes when preparing your typescript. Use the standard dash on your keyboard for a hyphen. 

Please do not use hard page breaks, or hyphens to split words at line endings. 

Tables

Tables should be submitted on separate sheets, numbered in arabic numerals, and their position indicated in the text (e.g. Table 1). Each table should have a short self-explanatory title. Vertical rules must not be used to separate columns. Any explanatory notes, including the source, should be given in a note at the bottom of the table. It is the author's responsibility to obtain written permission to quote or reproduce material which has appeared in another publication.

Illustrations 

Illustrations must be of publication quality and are included at the discretion of the Senior Editor. Line drawings should be supplied in black ink on white paper or drawing film. Images supplied electronically must be saved at minimum input scanning resolutions, 350-400 dpi for half tones, 800 dpi for simple line, and 1200 dpi for fine line drawings, in tif, eps, or jpeg formats. Labelling on figures should be legible at the intended size of final reproduction. Please indicate in the typescript the point(s) where figures should be placed. Captions for figures should be supplied separately and appended to the disk copy of the text along with any relevant credit/permission for reproduction.

Copyright 

Authors who wish to reproduce material (including tables and illustrations) from a previously published source must obtain written permission from the copyright holder (usually the publisher) and the author(s) of the original material and include the letter granting permission with the typescript on submission. A line giving the full source of the material should be included in the manuscript. If material from the author's own published work is to be used, permission must still be obtained from that publisher. Copyright is required for use in all formats in perpetuity.

Proofs 

Proofs of articles will be sent to contributors, who are asked to return them to the Editor without delay.Please be sure to supply a contact email address with your final submission since, where possible, proofs will be emailed to authors in PDF format. Please indicate to the Editor if you are unable to receive emails. Emails will be sent to the author with the proof attached in PDF format. Instructions will be provided on how to download the proof and make corrections for return to the Editor. Corrections may be marked on the hard copy print-out and posted to the Editor; or, if only a few corrections are required, a list of amendments may be emailed to the Editor.

Corrections must be restricted to what is absolutely necessary and be clearly marked.

Eprints

Authors of papers in Exemplaria receive a screen-resolution PDF file of the published version of their article. Orders for digital reprints may be made at the time proofs are distributed. 

Policy for Advisors and Referees

Time  No one likes to wait a year to hear if an article has been accepted or rejected. We believe three months is an adequate amount of time for an Advisor to report on a submission. We know there will be occasions when you cannot respond in three months; but we believe three months should be our goal.

Anonymity  We believe an Advisor has every right to remain anonymous. If an Advisor wishes to be identified, then he or she should so indicate, but our normal practice will be to preserve anonymity. We will not mask the names of authors submitting essays to Exemplaria.

Criteria of Evaluation  The criteria by which you evaluate essays will necessarily be your own to a great extent, and we do not aim to dictate to you—you are an Advisor, after all, because you have demonstrated excellent judgment as well as other skills. We do believe, however, that there are some basic questions to remember:

• Is the essay professionally responsible? Each Advisor presumably has his or her own perception of what constitutes a “sound” and “correct” piece of work in his or her areas of expertise. We hope at the same time that all of us can enjoy a consensus, in addition to our various individual positions, on what is professionally responsible in scholarly and critical writing whatever its ideological position and methodological    impulse.

• Is the essay intelligibly written? Intelligibility, we recognize, is sometimes achieved only at the expense of “clarity,” and difficulty of style is often a prerequisite of intelligibility; but we also hope that, for example, interested undergraduates browsing in periodical rooms can pick up Exemplaria and grasp the ideas at stake in any given article we publish.

• Does the essay advance its subject in an important way? We do not expect “magisterial” or “definitive” poses to be struck in our pages; on the contrary, we invite and encourage essays that are exploratory, tentative, probing, and provocative of their own eventual obsolescence. But, just so, we believe that such essays can be important, if also not “final,” and that they can advance their subject. 

The First (and only) Rule  Of course, no essay will be rejected without a considered explanation why it has been rejected. We would like to believe that even those whose essays we reject, for whatever reasons, will still care enough about Exemplaria and its initiative to read it. We believe professionalism and good will are compatible, and we hope you will take time to prepare a cogent if brief comment on any essay sent to you.