SAMPLE CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES, A-Z PROJECT

This is a sample set of general guidelines to give to your contributors for an A-Z reference project. You will want to modify this template for your topic and. (For narrative reference volume writers or editors, consult your acquisitions or development editor for contributor guidelines.)

Planning Your Encyclopedia Entry

The Greenwood Publishing Group and the editors of this encyclopedia want to let you know how excited we are about this project and remind you of some of the steps for preparing entries. These guidelines should answer many questions about how to write and submit your entry. 

1. Readership. This encyclopedia is written for the educated reader and will be marketed to academic, public, and school libraries [editor: check the priority order of markets]. The entry you write should be interdisciplinary and jargon-free, with explanations provided for any specialized terminology. When in doubt, define a term or identify a person. Explain concepts in uncomplicated terms as if you were explaining them to an undergraduate or college-prep high school class. Do not, however, write informally or pepper your prose with jokes. Your tone should be professional, factual, and straightforward. Use examples to clarify concepts and definitions.
2. Structure of the encyclopedia. This is an alphabetically organized encyclopedia. All entries have been allocated a word limit.
3. General organization. The organization of each entry depends on its length. We recommend a pyramid structure in which an overview of the subject is followed by greater detail. Each encyclopedia entry should cover its topic with enough detail to provide the reader with an initial understanding. See "Writing Your Entry" below for specifics.
4. Entry content. Because this is an encyclopedia of [editor: insert your project's focus], be sure that your entry is written from that perspective. 
5. Word count. The text of each entry should conform to its specified length. When you are assigned your entry, you will be told its permissible length. This amount includes all reference and further reading citations.
6. Style and usage. Please study the sample entries for the project. Your entry should have a similar style and organization. Authors should write in a manner that is factual, descriptive, and explanatory. Avoid editorializing. For more on style, see the "Style Sheet" below.
7. Use of previously published material. To enhance the freshness of the writing, avoid quotations from copyrighted works. If you feel that you absolutely must use a quotation, fully cite your source, including page numbers. Never present another author's work as your own, including Web sources, even if the material is in the public domain

Writing Your Entry

1. Please refer to the sample entries to get a sense of what should be included. Although the structure of each entry will vary according to its length and type (biographical, conceptual, etc.), most entries should follow the common "pyramid structure" used in many encyclopedias. In this structure, the first few sentences should clearly describe and define the topic and explain why it is important to the subject of the encyclopedia. Next sentences then provide more basic information. Succeeding paragraphs proceed logically, treating the topic in more detail. (Example: a biographical entry would list the life dates of the subject, nationality, as well as other basic facts, including why the subject is significant to the encyclopedia's focus. Following sentences would treat the subject's life and achievements, most likely in chronological order.) You will want to put into your entry the kinds of information you would expect to find if you looked it up in a specialized encyclopedia. Make every word count. At the bottom of your file, after the entry itself, please type in cross-references (see also's) to related entries, a brief list of further readings, and your name.
2. Format. All entries must start with a headword. The headword should be flush left, in bold, on a separate line from the entry, and with initial capital letters. Biographical entries should give the subject's birth and death dates in parentheses after the entry heading.

   Example:

   Alcott, Louisa May (1832-1888)

   Louisa May Alcott was an American author who became famous for her novels for children....

   Be sure that your entry begins with its subject's "claim to fame" or significance to the topic at hand.
3. Subheads should be used in the longer entries to organize your content. Format: top-level subheads should be in all caps and flush left, second-level subheads, if needed, also flush left, should capitalize only the first letters of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs.
4. Graphics (photographs, figures, tables, halftones). Most entries will not require graphics and only the longest of entries (5,000 words or longer) can support more than two graphics. If you do believe that a figure or table is appropriate for your entry, please follow these guidelines.
   • Check with your editor first before supplying any illustrations or suggestions for illustrations. (All photographs and graphics will need to be delivered as camera-ready and, if possible, in an electronic format.)
   • Think of tables as artwork. Gather tables into a separate electronic file so that they can more easily be typeset. Use the table feature in Word to create tables.
   • Placing the artwork in the manuscript: Number figures to correspond with their in-text references, but do not embed electronic graphics in text. Again, discuss this with your editor. You may insert a "call-out" in the text that indicates approximately where each figure should be placed, (e.g., "FIGURE 2 ABOUT HERE)> We may not, however, be able to use all of your images, depending on size, schedule, or budget constraints.
   • Previously published artwork: if you choose to use artwork that has been previously published, we prefer that you send the original art. If you cannot do so, send the cleanest, sharpest copy possible. Remember, any table or figure directly reproduced requires permission.
5. Cross-references. Throughout the entry, please bold cross-referenced entries (entries discussed elsewhere in the book). Cross-references that are not in the text of the entry can be broken out separately at the bottom of the entry on a separate line. (example: "See also Audition; Deafness; Perception"). The volume editor will take care of this step, but if you wish to specify any yourself, please add them. Cross-references should appear only when such a reference would amplify the reader's understanding.
6. Further readings. At the end of your text, after any cross-references, you will need to include a list of references that you feel are key to your entry's topic. These can best be thought of as "further readings," or selected readings, rather than traditional bibliography. Items in the further readings list should be alphabetized by author. How many to include? Generally, 6-8 items for longer entries, and 1-3 items for shorter entries. Another rule of thumb: one reference per manuscript page.
   
   Your references should generally be books and articles in easy-to-locate publications and on the Internet. Your lists should contain, when possible, at least one relevant and authoritative website. Avoid the use of foreign language items, unless essential. Do not use general encyclopedias, including Wikipedia, as suggested or cited publications. Primary and authoritative secondary sources should be used. Greenwood reference works are sold to high school and college libraries, and many teachers and professors do not accept Wikipedia or general encyclopedias as sources in student assignments.

   Example

   Further Readings

   Anthokol, Norman, and Mayer Nudell. No One a Neutral: Political Hostage-Taking n the Modern World. Median, OH: Alpha, 1990.

   Aston, Clive C. A Contemporary Crisis: Political Hostage-Taking and the Experience of Western Europe. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1982.

7. In-text citations such as "we have learned that ....(Burns 2001, 45)" should be avoided. Limit them to the citation of direct quotations and specific facts such as statistics. Your "further readings " list should include the full bibliographic details for any in-text citation.
8. Permissions. Be aware that you will need to secure permission from the copyright holder for any material that you quote or reprint. Follow the "fair use" doctrine (for a general overview, consult the Chicago Manual of Style or the copyright issues section of the online Greenwood guidelines for details on when to seek permission from copyright holders.
9. Contributor Name and Information. Please put your name only, as you wish it to appear, on a separate line under the further reading section. Do not include affiliation. In a separate section, please provide your name, affiliation, brief description of your research interests and/or publications, and any awards or honors. Do not include personal information such as family, hobbies, etc.

   Example:

   Jane Doe is Assistant Professor of Children's Literature at Indiana University, Bloomington. She has written extensively on the use of humor in children's literature and is the author of Laughing with Children (2000). In 2001, she won the Jane Darlington award for distinguished writing in children's literature.

10. Style Sheet. Unless otherwise noted, please use the 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.
11. Style Sheet. Please avoid the following: special pleading or bias (generally, an encyclopedia is not the place to put forward novel theories), ending the entry with a summary (this should come first), numerous quotations, in-text citations (see above), entries dramatically longer or shorter than their assigned lengths, rhetorical questions, use of the first person in your entry, and generalities and digressions. Acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon should be defined, unless they are well known.
12. Style Sheet. Direct quotes should be used sparingly and must include an in-text citation (with page numbers) to the original source.
13. Style Sheet. Encyclopedia entries should not include footnotes.
14. Style Sheet. Avoid sex-specific terminology and the use of "man" or "men" as the generic for human being. Avoid male or female pronouns to describe individuals or people in general and use third person plural (e.g., their) whenever possible.
15. Style Sheet. Please give an individual's full name (including initials) on first usage. Thereafter, refer to both men and women by their last name.
16. Style Sheet. Double-spacing should be used.
17. Style Sheet. No automatic hyphenation. Don't right-justify text. Don't use hard returns in the body of an entry. Use the tab key, not the space bar, for paragraph indents. Avoid the use of sophisticated formatting commands.
18. Style Sheet. Spelling should be in American English (we recommend Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary).
19. Style Sheet. For the "further readings " at the end of your entry, please use either of the two following general style reference styles, or you may use another style that your editor has selected, if common in your field.

Style 1 Bibliography (with numbered endnotes, if needed.)

Numbered endnote example:

1. Michael Bennet, The Battle of Stoke (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 10-11.

(See Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003, "Notes" section, 16.19-16.24.)

Bibliography:

• Book: Bennet, Michael. The Battle of Stoke: The Simnel Rebellion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
• New Edition: Bennet, Michael. The Battle of Stoke: The Simnel Rebellion. 2nd ed. London: Stroud, 2002.
• Book/Two Authors: Bennet, Michael, and Michael Hicks. The Towton Campaign of 1461. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.
• Journal Article: Bennet, Michael. "The Battle of Bosworth." English Historical Review 55 (1991): 105-17.
• Editor: Bennet, Michael, ed. The Reign of Henry VII. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997.
• Book Chapter: Hicks, Michael. "The Court of Star Chamber under Henry VII." In Michael Bennet, ed. The Reign of Henry VII. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1997, pp. 23-39.
• Web Site: Richard III Society. Merwin, Sharon. "Richard III and the Execution of the Duke of Buckingham." www.r3.org.

Style 2 (Author-Date)

In-Text Citation Example:

The Battle of Stoke was unusually hard-fought for the era (Bennet 1995 ).
Bennet (2002) has found that the Battle of Stoke was unusually boring.

(See Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed., 2003, "Text Citations" section, 16.107-120.)

Reference List

• Book: Bennet, Michael. 1995. The Battle of Stoke: The Simnel Rebellion. New York: Oxford University Press.
• New Edition: 2002. Bennet, Michael. The Battle of Stoke: The Simnel Rebellion. 2nd ed. London: Stroud, 2002.
• Book/Two Authors: Bennet, Michael, and Michael Hicks. 2001. The Towton Campaign of 1461. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.
• Journal Article: Bennet, Michael. 1991. The Battle of Bosworth. English Historical Review 55: 105-17.
• Editor: Bennet, Michael, ed. 1997. The Reign of Henry VII. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Book Chapter: Hicks, Michael. 1997. "The Court of Star Chamber under Henry VII." In The Reign of Henry VII, ed. Michael Bennet, 23-39. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Web Site: Richard III Society. Merwin, Sharon. "Richard III and the Execution of the Duke of Buckingham." www.r3.org.

Submission Checklist

1. All entries should be formatted with 1.5" or 2" margins all around, in Times Roman 12, double-spaced.
2. Greenwood Publishing Group will separately mail you a contributor release. After signature, please mail it back promptly. If you do not receive a release or have lost it, please inform your editor.
3. Your entry should be in Word (for Windows), Word Perfect (saved in Word format), or RTF.
4. Please proofread your entry.
5. Your entry should approximately correspond to its original assigned length.
6. Your Word file should consist of the following: contact information (your full name, address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address), headword (entry title), the entry itself, a list of cross-references (see also's), the "further readings" list (alphabetically arranged), and your name (again).
7. Illustrations, such as tables, figures, or graphs: show the in-text placement of graphics by inserting a call-out in the text of the entry. Graphic material should be submitted in electronic form and in hardcopy.
8. Always keep electronic and hardcopy copies of your entry. Also keep copies of your source material in case questions arise during the editing process.
9. Submit your entry via e-mail attachment to [insert e-mail address] Professor XXXX XXXX, College of Business Administration, 711 Campus Center, Los Angeles, CA 99999-9999. Please send a hardcopy of any graphics you would like to use with your entry to this same address.