Instructions to authors

Contributors are asked to make every effort to comply with these guidelines, in order to help ensure speedy publication. Please pay particular attention to the instructions on double-spacing of text, and on the presentation of artwork.

General

Online Submission

Ethical Policies

Language

Proofs

Offprints

Licence to Publish

Abstracts

Typescript Text

Author Self-Archiving/Public Access Policy From May 2005

Open Access Option for Authors

Authorship

General

Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that it contains unpublished original material (material already published in translation should not be submitted as part of this definition) and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere. Contributions should not normally exceed 9,000 words in length for full papers. Shorter articles (containing material of a more general nature) should not exceed 5,000 words and reports on research in progress should not be longer than 3,000 words. Each category may well be less than the limits indicated.

All manuscripts must be submitted online. Once you have prepared your manuscript according to the instructions below please visit the online submission web site. Instructions on submitting your manuscript online. 

Online Submission

All material to be considered for publication should be submitted in electronic form via the Journal's online submission system.
Given that you can produce a file of your paper through a word processing package of some description, you only need the three following items to access and use the system: access to the website via a web browser, Adobe Acrobat Reader (which can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe) and an e-mail account.

General

The journal's online submission and peer review site. Please note that there is an Online User Guide (a comprehensive online help system that provides detailed descriptions of every feature and function in Manuscript Central. It also contains printable versions of the user guide, search and index capability, and movie tutorials for basic tasks). It is available from the Get Help Now button on the Manuscript Central site.
You will need a User ID and Password in order to access the online submission site. If you are unsure about whether or not you have an account, or have forgotten your password, enter your e-mail address into the Password Help section on the right-hand side of the log in screen. If you do not have an account, you can create one by clicking on the Create Account link at the top of the log in screen and following the on-screen instructions. If you have problems with your account please do not create another account, please contact the Editor.
Please note that papers submitted via Manuscript Central must be submitted through the account of the corresponding author listed on the paper, not through the account of one of the other authors or the account of a third party who is not on the author list.

All correspondence relating to a submission (e.g. acknowledgement of receipt, communication of decisions etc.) will be sent via e-mail to the corresponding author.

Preparing your manuscript prior to online submission

Prepare your manuscript using a word processing program (please see the Article format section). The journal prefers all manuscripts submitted online to be Microsoft Word files (.doc). During the online submission process these will be converted automatically to .pdf files (for peer review). If you are unable to submit a Word file, you can submit manuscripts in other formats, for example as .pdf, .rtf or .ps files. These last two file types will also be converted into .pdf format on submission. pdf files are readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for download (free of charge) from the Systems Requirements link on the log in page (as well as from Adobe).

Microsoft Excel spreadsheets may be uploaded and will be converted into .pdf format. Please note that the uploading of PowerPoint files is barred owing to their large size. Powerpoint slides can be saved as .tif, .jpg or .gif files and then embedded in a document and uploaded.
We prefer that authors upload the text and figure files separately. This applies to the original version of the manuscript and any revised versions. Please DO NOT insert page numbers (as the pdf proof created by the online submission system will automatically be page numbered).

Please also upload high-resolution versions of your figures as these will be needed on acceptance. High-resolution figures need to be 300 dpi for image-type figures and 600 dpi for line diagrams.

Image files should be saved in one of the following formats - Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg); Graphics Interchange Format (.gif); Tagged Image File format (.tif); or Encapsulated PostScript (.eps). When inserting figures into your text documents, please make sure any embedded text is large enough to read. Many figures contain miniscule characters such as numbers on a chart or graph. If these characters are not easily readable in your text document, they will most likely be illegible in the .pdf created by the system. Certain image formats such as .jpg and .gif do not have high resolutions, so you may elect to save your figures and insert them as .tif instead.

Please use short, simple filenames when saving all your documents, and avoid special characters (such as brackets), punctuation marks and symbols (such as &). Also avoid spaces in your filenames. If you are a Macintosh user, in addition to using simple, short filenames when saving your documents, you must type the extension at the end of the file name you choose (.doc, .rtf, .jpg, .gif, .tif, .xls, .pdf, .eps, .mov or .qt).
During the online manuscript submission process you can also upload any other files you might want the Editor/reviewers to have access to, including in-press and submitted papers.

Figure accessibility and alt text

Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work.  

Alt text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, and photographs. 

Alt text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article. 

Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text. 

LaTeX

Submissions written using LaTeX are welcome, and we ask that you please use the OUP LaTeX template. Please also see our useful information on preparing your manuscript for publication.

The template is available on Overleaf.com, at CTAN, and as a direct download. TEX-based manuscripts should be produced using the LaTeX article style format only. You will need to select the appropriate class options from the list at the start of the main .tex file, commenting out the other options and, if required, adjust the headings and citation style using the instructions below:

 

Before you start

Before starting the online submission process please make sure you have the following available:

• A file with your complete manuscript (i.e. title page, abstract, text, figures and tables) in one of the formats detailed above;
• If the images are not embedded in your text file (preferred), the image files;
• The files for any other supplementary material to be submitted with your manuscript;
• The text of your abstract (can be copied and pasted into the system from your word processor file);
• Where appropriate, the names and e-mail addresses of all contributing authors.

Submitting your manuscript

1. Go to the ManuscriptCentral website
2. If you have a User ID and password for the site, log in. If you are unsure about whether or not you have an account, or have forgotten your password, enter your e-mail address into the Password Help section on the right-hand side of the log in screen. If you do not have an account, you can create one by clicking on the Create Account link at the top of the log in screen and following the on-screen instructions.
   If you have problems with your account please do not create another account. Please contact the DSH Editor.
3. Once you have logged in, click on the Author Centre button (as an author, you will use the Author Centre to start the manuscript submission process as well as to track the status of your submitted manuscripts. You can also open recent communications regarding your submission here).
4. On the left-hand side of the Author Centre Dashboard you will see links to all of your manuscripts and their current status. The number indicates the number of manuscripts that fall into each status category. Clicking on the name of any of these status categories will refresh the page to show the detailed list for that category at the bottom of the screen. On the right-hand side of the Author Centre Dashboard is the Author Resources area. This section allows you to begin the submission process for a new manuscript as well as view the 10 most recent emails sent to you from the Manuscript Central site.
5. Click on the Click here to submit a new manuscript link in the Author Resources area. Clicking on this link will take you to step 1 of the seven-step process of submitting a manuscript. The progress bar on the left-hand side of the screen will help you navigate the process.
6. At any stage you can stop the submission process - everything you have typed in to the system will be saved. To continue a submission, click on the Continue Submission icon.
7. The penultimate step in the submission process is to upload your manuscript files.
   • Step 1. Select individual files using the "Browse" buttons and choose the appropriate "File designation".
   • Step 2. Upload your files by clicking on the "Upload files" button. This converts your files to PDFs and may take some time. Repeat these steps if you have more than 3 files.
   • Step 3. Once you have uploaded all files, indicate the order in which they should appear in your paper.
   • Step 4. Inspect the PDF by clicking on a PDF button and if acceptable click "Next". If the files have not been uploaded to your satisfaction you can delete the files you do not want, and repeat the upload/ordering process.
8. The final step in the manuscript submission process is to review all of the information you have entered to this point, and view the PDF proof of the manuscript (if you have not already done so). My Manuscript Information lists each step with its filled-in values. If a step is complete, there will be a green tick next to the step. If it is incomplete, there will be a red cross along with a message indicating exactly what is incomplete. Once you have completed the submission process to your satisfaction click on the Submit button. It is not until this button is clicked that the manuscript and all of the associated information (i.e. contributing authors, institutions, etc.) is linked together and the manuscript is given a manuscript number.
9. If your manuscript has been successfully submitted to the Journal you will see a confirmation screen showing your manuscript ID, please make a note of your manuscript ID and use it in all correspondence. You will also receive an e-mail confirming the submission.
   If you do not receive both of these, your manuscript will not have been successfully submitted to the journal and it cannot be progressed through to peer review. If this is the case your manuscript will still be sitting in the Unsubmitted Manuscripts section of your Author Centre awaiting your attention.
10. Once the manuscript submission is complete, you can follow its progress through the peer review process in the Submitted Manuscripts section of your Author Centre.

Revising your manuscript

1. As with all other decisions, you will be notified of a revision decision by e-mail. Please address the Editor's and reviewers' comments in your revised paper, as well as any comments sent to you by the DSH Editor.
2. Log in to the Manuscript Central web site as before and, in the Author Centre, click on the create a revision link in the Manuscripts with Decisions list. This will create a new manuscript record with the same manuscript ID and a ".R1" appended at the end. If a revision is started, the create a revision link will no longer appear in the "Manuscripts with Decisions" list, and the list will display the fact that a revision exists and the revision's Manuscript ID. The option will reappear if you delete the revision before it is actually submitted. The draft of the revised manuscript is located in the Revised Manuscripts in Draft list. Once you click the create a revision link, you will receive a confirmation asking you if you are sure you want to create a new revised manuscript. If you click Cancel, the action will be aborted. If you click OK, you will be taken to the first step in the revision submission process, the View & Respond to Comments step.
3. Please enter your detailed response to the decision letter in the box provided.
4. Proceed through the remaining submission screens (altering any necessary information along the way, such as manuscript type). When you reach the File Upload step revised manuscripts are automatically populated with the files you uploaded with the last version. PLEASE CHECK VERY CAREFULLY AND DELETE AND REPLACE ANY FILES THAT HAVE CHANGED IN THE REVISION. IF YOU ARE IN ANY DOUBT IT IS BEST TO DELETE ALL THE FILES AND UPLOAD THE NEW ONES. Once you have completed the submission process to your satisfaction click on the Submit button. If your revised manuscript is successfully submitted you will receive a confirmatory e-mail.
5. It is essential that authors submitting REVISED manuscripts provide high-resolution versions of ALL their figures. In order for proofs to be produced as quickly and efficiently as possible after acceptance please provide electronic high-resolution images. For further details, please see the link on the Instructions and Forms page of Manuscript Central.

Support

If you experience any problems during the online submission please consult the Online User Guide (available from the Get Help Now button on the Manuscript Central site) or contact the DSH Editor.

Letters to the Editor and Responses 

The Journal welcomes Letters to the Editor from readers offering relevant comments and providing objective and scholarly criticism of recently published articles in the Journal. Contributions should be constructive, professional, and polite. The Journal will only consider submissions pertaining to papers published in the past three years. After the initial Letter to the Editor and Response, no further submissions on the same topic will be considered by the same author. 

At the discretion of the editors, Letters to the Editor being considered for publication may be sent to the authors of the original article to give them the opportunity to submit a Response. If an author does not submit a Response, the Journal may publish a statement indicating this to readers. To enable readers to evaluate the arguments presented, Letters to the Editor and Responses are linked to the original article, are typically published online simultaneously, and may be published together in the same issue. 

Submitted Letters to the Editor will undergo an initial assessment by the editors, at which point they may be rejected, sent for revision, or accepted. At the discretion of the editors, Letters to the Editor may be sent for peer review or may be considered without external peer review. Letters to the Editor on the same topic or in response to the same article may be grouped, sent to the corresponding author of the original article for reply, and published at the same time. Authors of Letters to the Editor and Responses will be asked to complete authorship forms, disclose conflicts of interest, and sign publishing agreements (if accepted), as with any manuscript submitted or published in the Journal. The Journal may request revisions to Letters to the Editor and Responses for content, length, clarity, grammar, style, and format. Letters to the Editor and Responses should follow the journal's Guidelines for Authors and should not exceed 1,000 words. 

Ethical Policies

Authors should observe high standards with respect to publication best practice. Falsification or fabrication of data, plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the authors’ own work (which could be in translation) without proper citation, and misappropriation of work are all unacceptable practices. Any cases of ethical or publication malpractice are treated very seriously and will be managed in accordance with the Commission on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Further information about OUP’s ethical policies.

Availability of data and materials

Where ethically feasible, the Journal strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. Authors are required to include a data availability statement in their paper. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list. For details of the minimum information to be included in data and software citations see the OUP guidance on citing research data and software.

Whenever possible, data should be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files or deposited in a public repository. Visit OUP’s Research data page for information on general repositories for all data types, and resources for selecting repositories by subject area.

Data availability statement

The inclusion of a data availability statement is a requirement for papers published in the Journal. Data availability statements provide a standardized format for readers to understand the availability of original and third-party data underlying the research results described in the paper. The statement should describe and provide means of access, where possible, by linking to the data or providing the required unique identifier.

The Data Availability Statement should be included in the end matter of your article under the heading ‘Data availability’. 

More information and example Data Availability Statements.

Language

DSH only publishes submissions in English. Particularly if English is not your first language, you should take care that your manuscript is edited for language before submitting. It is neither the task of the editorial team, nor of the peer reviewers to provide this service. If you would like information about such services. There are other specialist language editing companies that offer similar services, and you can also use any of these. Authors are liable for all costs associated with such services. Language editing does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted for publication. DSH reserves the right to reject your manuscript on formal grounds if these language requirements are not met.

Proofs

Authors will be sent a link by email to the PDF proof of their paper, and should return any corrections within three days of receipt. 

Offprints

Authors will be given free online access to their papers.

Licence to Publish

It is a condition of publication in the Journal that authors assign an exclusive licence to Oxford University Press. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. As part of the licence agreement, authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication, and Oxford University Press is notified in writing and in advance. 

Upon receipt of accepted manuscripts at Oxford Journals authors will be invited to complete an online copyright licence to publish form. 

Please note that by submitting an article for publication you confirm that you are the corresponding/submitting author and that Oxford University Press ("OUP") may retain your email address for the purpose of communicating with you about the article. You agree to notify OUP immediately if your details change. If your article is accepted for publication OUP will contact you using the email address you have used in the registration process. Please note that OUP does not retain copies of rejected articles. 

Abstracts

An informative abstract of 220 words or less that concisely outlines the substance of the paper and states its principal conclusion should accompany the manuscript on a separate sheet.  

Typescript Text

Paragraphs There should be no line spaces between paragraphs. The first paragraph of the article, and of new sections should not be indented; subsequent paragraphs should be indented.

Headings and subheadings Main headings should be in bold and subheadings in italic. Capitalise main words (e.g. Texts Used in This Study). No full point should be used at the end of the line.

Sections Where numbered sections are used, numbers of sections should be followed by a full point and EN space (e.g. 2 ), but subsection numbers should not have a full point (e.g. 2.1).

Spelling Use the system which you are most accustomed to using, but be consistent. British authors, please use Oxford (-ize) spellings. When in doubt, refer to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, or the Oxford Dictionary for Writer and Editors.

Italics and bold Use italic and bold founts; otherwise represent italics by using an underline, and bold by underlining with a wavy line.

Quotations Quotations should be in small type, set full left with a minimum of 5 lines of type. Quotation marks should not be used, except for short quotations within the text in which case single quotation marks should be used. Double quotation marks should be used for quotes within quotes.

Punctuation Endnote cues should always follow punctuation, e.g . . . certain secrets of fabrication. Initials should be followed by a full point and a space, e.g. E. M. Forster, W. H. Smith. There is no full point after Dr, Mrs, Ms, or Mr.

Computer programs A brief outline should be given of what the syntactic rules are for lines of code that are to be typeset and embedded within the text. Alternatively, program code could appear as figures. Authors should then send camera-ready copy of the figures with their text.

Names of computer programs These should appear in capitals or another consistent style.

Words under discussion These should be in italic.

Electronic mail addresses Addresses should appear in lowercase only.

Miscellaneous points of style Use 'and' instead of '&', and use a % sign for 5%, 25%, etc. No apostrophe in 1920s, 1950s, etc. Decimal point should be on the line: 5.2, 3.9, etc. et al. should be in italic. e.g. and i.e. are never capitalized even at the beginning of a sentence. There should be no comma after e.g. or i.e. Numbers below 100 and vaguely expressed numbers should be spelt out. Precise numbers, units of measurement, and numbers above 100 should be in figures. If mentioned at the beginning of a sentence, spell Figure in full. NB the use of the 'Oxford comma' in the previous sentence (comma before 'and' in lists). Please do likewise. Cross-references in the text should be as follows:

see Section 2.5
see Appendix I
see Fig. 1. 

Figures and Tables Authors should supply the electronic versions of figures in either TIFF or Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format, using PhotoShop compatible software. Many other formats, e.g. Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Postscript and figures embedded in Word files, may be used, although this is not the preferred format. 

Figures should be saved in separate files without their captions, which should be included with the text of the article. Files should be named according to DOS conventions, e.g. 'figure1.tif'. For vector graphics, EPS is the preferred format. Lines should not be thinner than 0.25 pts and in-fill patterns and screens should have a density of at least 10%. Font-related problems can be avoided by using standard fonts such as Times Roman and Helvetica. For bitmapped graphics, TIFF is the preferred format but EPS is also acceptable. 

The following resolutions are optimal: black-and-white line figures, 600-1200 dpi; line figures with some grey or coloured lines, 600 dpi; photographs, 300 dpi; screen dumps, leave as is. Higher resolutions will not improve output quality but will only increase file size, which may cause problems with printing; lower resolutions (<300 dpi) may compromise output quality. Please try to provide artwork that approximately fits within the typeset area of the journal. Especially screened originals, i.e. originals with grey areas, may suffer badly from reduction by more than 10-15%. 

Each figure and table should be numbered and mentioned in the text. Each figure and table should be accompanied by an explanatory legend. The figure legends should be grouped and placed on a separate page. 

Colour illustrations: authors will be expected to pay a fee for any colour illustrations appearing in the print version of their article (£350 per figure). Alternatively, figures can appear in black and white in the printed version with colour versions appearing online (for which there is no charge). Please indicate your preferred option (i.e. agreement to pay £350 per figure for print and online colour or preference for online-only colour with no charge) when prompted during the online submission process.

Captions 'Table' should be spelt out in full but 'Figure' should be contracted to Fig. (with full point); both should have an initial capital. The number of the table/figure should not be followed by a full point. The caption itself should have the first word capitalized, and should not be followed by a full point, unless it consists of more than a single sentence, e.g. Table 1 Proper nouns and syntactic organization Fig. 3 Varieties of biblical citations. Please supply table and figure captions as a separate list: do not type on the table/figure itself. To ensure correct matching up of tables/figures to captions, put table/figure number on the back of the artwork, and author's name. The order of items after the main text should be:

Notes
References
Appendices

Notes All notes should be gathered together at the end of the article, double spaced, on a separate sheet or sheets. They should not consist simply of a bibliographic reference. Notes should be numbered consecutively throughout the text, with numbers inserted above the line, e.g. 1. They should be listed in numerical order at the end of the main text:

1. Smith, T . . . 
2. These results . . .

Funding Details of all funding sources for the work in question should be given in a separate section entitled 'Funding'. This should appear before the 'References' section. 
The following rules should be followed.

• The sentence should begin: ‘This work was supported by …
• The full official funding agency name should be given, i.e. ‘the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health’ or simply ‘National Institutes of Health' not ‘NCI’ (one of the 27 subinstitutions) or ‘NCI at NIH’ (full RIN-approved list of UK funding agencies) .Grant numbers should be given in brackets as follows: ‘[grant number xxxx]’
• Multiple grant numbers should be separated by a comma as follows: ‘[grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]’
• Agencies should be separated by a semi-colon (plus ‘and’ before the last funding agency)
• Where individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number 'to [author initials]'.

An example is given here: ‘This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AA123456 to C.S., BB765432 to M.H.]; and the Alcohol & Education Research Council [hfygr667789].’

Oxford Journals will deposit all NIH-funded articles in PubMed Central. See Depositing articles in repositories – information for authors for details. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are clearly indicated as NIH-funded using the guidelines above.

The journal follows Oxford HUMSOC style. Please refer to these requirements when preparing your manuscript after initial review. More information is available in our style checklist.

Author Self-Archiving/Public Access Policy From May 2005

For information about this journal's policy, please visit our Author Self-Archiving policy page. 

Open Access Option for Authors

Digital Scholarship in the Humanities offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution.

Should you wish to publish your article open access, you should select your choice of open access licence in our online system after your article has been accepted for publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence.

Details of the open access licences and open access charges.

OUP has a growing number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia which provide funding for open access publishing. This means authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution is participating.

Authorship

OUP expects all published articles to contain clear and accurate attribution of authorship. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that all authors that contributed to the work are fairly acknowledged and that the published author list accurately reflects individual contributions.

OUP supports the ICMJE definitions of authorship. All individuals who meet the authorship criteria should be listed as authors on submission (and in the publication). Individuals who do not meet the above authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. The Journal considers all forms of ghost authorship, in which an individual contributes in the role of an author (according to the criteria linked above) but is not listed as an author on the manuscript, and all forms of guest or gift authorship, in which individuals are listed as authors though they do not meet the above linked criteria, as unethical and unacceptable.

Changes in authorship

Requests for changes to authorship must be directed to the journal editor. Requests will be dealt with fairly and in accordance with the relevant COPE guidelines (detailed below). Changes in authorship will only be permitted where valid reasons are provided and all authors are in agreement with the change – written confirmation of agreement for the requested change will be required from all listed authors and from the author to be removed or added. Post-publication changes to authorship will typically be made via a published correction.

• Request for addition of extra author before publication
• Request removal of author before publication
• Request for addition of extra author post-publication
• Request for removal of author post-publication