Information for Authors

1. Submission
2. Word Count
3. Abstract
4. Copy Presentation
5. Style
6. Spelling and Punctuation
7. Hyphens and Dashes
8. Abbreviations and Initials
9. Quotations
10. Italics, Underlining and Bold
11. Figures, Dates, Years etc.
12. References
13. Names
14. Copyright
15. Self Archiving/Public Access Policy
16. Crossref Funding Data Registry

1. Submission

To assist publication manuscripts should be submitted electronically. Contributors should keep their own backup copy of all files. Most computer and word processor files are acceptable but the preferred format is Microsoft Word.

2. Word Count

All chapters should have a word count of a minimum of 5000 words and a maximum of 9000 words. This maximum word count should only be exceeded if this has specifically been agreed with the Editor(s).

3. Abstract

Each chapter should have a short abstract of c.200 words, which comes at the very beginning of the chapter. It should outline the chapter’s content, naming the chapter’s subsections if there are any. The abstract is publicly available online without a YWCCT subscription, where it serves as a kind of advert for the chapter.

4. Copy Presentation

• All copy should be double-spaced with 0pt spaces before and after new lines.
• Please use the tab key when indenting for a paragraph, but do not indent the first paragraph of a subsection. Please do not leave a blank line between paragraphs.
• Do not use double spaces between sentences.
• In a series, commas should be included up to the penultimate term (Wordsworth, Coleridge and Shelley).
• Referring to a particular volume or chapter or part, the word (i.e. volume, chapter, part, etc.) should be without inverted commas, and the initial letter should be lower-case when denoting the particular (e.g. chapter 5), and when denoting the general (‘In the opening chapter . . .’).
• Any unusual symbols or phonetics appearing within the text should be clearly indicated on a separate sheet to accompany the manuscript.

5. Style

Aim for clear, standard English. Avoid beginning sentences with connectives ('and', 'but', etc.), the frequent use of colloquial abbreviations ('can't', 'don't', 'quotes' as a noun etc.), and avoid the excessive use of semi-colons, where commas or full stops would serve. Ensure that sentences are grammatically complete.

6. Spelling and Punctuation

For those words which have alternatives s / z spellings consult the Concise Oxford Dictionary (10th edn). Please note that this means z as a rule although analyse , paralyse , advertise , advise , apprise , chastise , comprise , demise , despise , devise , enterprise , excise , exercise , franchise , improvise , incise , premise , revise , supervise , surmise , surprise do not take z .
Words having alternative x / ct spellings should be spelt with ct ( connection ).

7. Hyphens and Dashes

Compound adjectives should be hyphenated, e.g. eighteenth-century prose but prose of the eighteenth century ; a well-written book but the book is well written. Compound adjectives take no hyphen when the first word ends in - ly e.g. badly written. Note that early seventeenth-century poetry takes one and not two hyphens; late-seventeenth-century poetry, however, takes two.
Prefixes such as re- and de- should be hyphenated if followed by a repeated vowel ( re-educate ).
En-dashes are preferred if dashes are being used between words (the longer ‘ – ’ rather than ‘ - ’).

8. Abbreviations and Initials

Titles do not use full stops ( Dr , Jr , St , Mme , Ms etc.).
Etymological abbreviations do not take full stops ( EME , OF , OW ). Abbreviations of time do not use full stops( AD , BC , [small capital], am , pm [lower case]) and neither do abbreviations of organizations, unless the PMLA standard listing indicates otherwise ( USA , UK , NZ , BBC , ITV , UNESCO , RSC ).

Common abbreviations from the Latin do take full points (e.g., i.e., etc., ibid., et al. but note circa and close up to number, i.e. c.1790).
Manuscript(s) abbreviated should be written MS or MSS, with no full stop.
Degrees and other credits coming after a surname, or initials denoting rank, title or similar nature coming before a surname, carry full stops and no spaces (Ph.D., B.A., S.J., R.S.M.).
In bibliographies, paperback and hardback are abbreviated pb, hb (no full stops, no spaces).
Where junior, or a number, is indicated after a surname, there should be no comma (J.R. Lane Jr, Arthur Jones III).
Series names should always be roman and without quotes, for example YWES, YWCCT.
Please include in bibliographical listing only those series designations which genuinely aid bibliographical description. Many series add nothing to readers' knowledge of the format of the book (e.g. Vision Critical series), whereas others do (e.g. Casebook, Penguin Passnotes, Text and Performance).

9. Quotations

Quotation marks, whether used to indicate speech or the specialized use of a word, should always be single quotes in the first instance.
Where a quotation forms part of a longer sentence the closing quote precedes all punctuation, i.e. His conclusion is that Hardy is 'a disturbingly puzzled, sceptical, various modern poet'. The only exception should be when there is an exclamation mark, question mark, dash or parenthesis belonging only to the quotation, i.e. His conclusion is that Hardy is 'a disturbingly puzzled, sceptical, various modern poet!'.
Where the quotation contains a grammatically complete sentence starting with a capital letter the full point precedes the closing quote: i.e. Richard Holmes comments on this statement of Coleridge's that 'It was an expressive exaggeration.'
Quotations within quotations take double quotes within single quotes.
All spellings, punctuation, abbreviations, etc. within a quotation should be rendered exactly as in the original.
Quotations of longer than 30 words should be set as a new paragraph and indented.
On long indented quotations please make sure to include the final punctuation before the citation if quoting to the end of the sentence. If not quoting to the end of the sentence then please add square brackets and an ellipsis before the full stop (i.e. '[...].')

Please check all quotations carefully against the original texts before submitting your typescript to the editor(s).

Where a short quotation is given (i.e. less than two full lines of verse or 30 words of prose) this should continue in the run of text. Short verse quotations use an oblique (/) to indicate any line breaks.
Longer quotations of prose or verse should be indented three spaces, and with a similar widening of the right hand margin. Displayed extracts can start with a lower case if necessary without initial ellipses.
Words inserted in a quotation by a reviewer should be enclosed in square brackets. Omissions should be shown by three full points, i.e. ‘I said that I did not know […how…] to write such a quotation correctly.'

10. Italics, Underlining and Bold

Please use the format keys for italic, bold and underlining. If underlining is to appear in the final printed version, the word concerned should be underlined with a straight line. Italics should be used for book titles, titles of journals, plays, etc. and should also be indicated for foreign phrases inserted in the text:
Italic: circa / c. , et al. , fin de siècle , inter alia , mise en scène , sic
Roman: apropos, au fait, bricolage, cf. (NB= 'compare', not 'see'), de facto, dramatis personae, elite, exemplum/exempla, Festschrift, ibid., leitmotif/leitmotiv, mimesis, oeuvre, per se, q.v., recherché, regime, résumé, role, status quo, stemma/stemmata, topos/topoi.

11. Figures, Dates, Years etc.

In the main text (except for pagination of articles), spell out numbers one to ninety-nine, except where they are attached to percentages, units or sums of money ( 10 km , 3 m , 25 per cent [not %]). Use a hyphen in composite numbers ( twenty-seven ), unless they form part of a date, or volume number. Numbers over 100 should be shown in figures ( 101 , 2,485 ) inserting a comma between the thousands and the hundreds.
Ordinals should be treated in like manner ( seventh , twenty-third , 187th , 2,123rd ).
Dates should be written in the sequence day month year with no ordinal suffix and no punctuation ( 13 June 1842 ).
Where a succession is referred to, repeat only those units which have changed ( 1982-91 ).

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. 

12. References

i) Referencing Books reviewed
References will appear in the printed volume at the end of each chapter in a single alphabetical list by author. Therefore, the title and author should be included in the text; additionally, the first mention of a book should give the full title, including any subtitles. The List of Books Reviewed should refer only to books reviewed in the text and should be arranged alphabetically by author.

THE EASIEST WAY TO ENSURE THAT REFERENCES ARE IN THE HOUSE STYLE IS TO CHECK AND COPY THE FORMAT USED IN A RECENT ISSUE OF YWCCT.

Standard abbreviations for the List of Books Reviewed are ed. (edited, editor); trans. (translated, translator); intro. (introduced, introduction); illus. (illustrated, illustrator); comp. (compiled, compiler), distr. (distributed). Note that contractions (edn) do not take full points.
Entries in the List of Books Reviewed should contain the following information, as relevant:

author/editor
title
additional credits if any (intro., illus., trans.)
edn, if not first
series (where this is helpful to the reader)
number of volumes
publisher's abbreviation (see List of Abbreviations )

year of publication (in square brackets)
number of pages (prelims in roman text pages in Arabic numerals i.e. pp. x + 236)
price: in sterling and US dollars (or other relevant currency).

All books are understood to be hardback (hb), if paperback include abbreviation 'pb' price (both hb and pb). Prices, if in round figures, should not carry points or zeros (e.g. £5). Please give sterling price (if available) or price in country of origin (e.g. €=Euro, $=US, A$=Australian, C$=Canada, etc).
ISBN (both hb and pb if relevant). Please observe the spacing: 10 digit 0 0000 0000 0; 13 digit 0 0000 0000 0000. If both 10 and 13 digit ISBNs are available, please only include the 13 digit ISBN.
Examples:
Lombardi-Diop, Cristina, and Caterina Romeo, eds. Postcolonial Italy: Challenging
National Homogeneity. Palgrave Macmillan. [2012] pp. 336. pb £17.99 ISBN 9 7811
3737 5049.

Mamdani, Mahmood. Define and Rule: Native as Political Identity. HarvardUP. [2012] pp. 168. pb £22.95 ISBN 9 7806 7405 0525.

ii) Referencing Books NOT reviewed
References to texts which are not actually under review in the chapter should be made in the text itself, using the appropriate format in the following examples:
BOOKS: (Mahmood Mamdani, Define and Rule: Native as Political Identity [HarvardUP, 2012], p. 15).
JOURNAL ARTICLES: (Brian Bernards, ‘Beyond Diaspora and Multiculturalism: Recuperating Creolization in Postcolonial Sinophone Malaysian Literature’, Postcolonial Studies 15:3 [2012]: 312).

iii) References to Other Texts
Abbreviations used in referring to texts should be as follows:
folio - fo.; folios - fos.
page(s) - p. or pp.
line(s) - l. or ll. (with a margin note to the printer explaining that this means lines and not the number 11, if confusion seems likely).
page and note references: pp. 00-0, 00ff.
act, scene, line references: IV.iii.22-3.
Use (note spacing):
ff. instead of et seq.
n. 30
nn. 30-1
p. 33n
vol. Vols
no. nos
In-text references as follows: see figure 3.2 , chapter 1 , table 6 (lower case initial, spelt out).
Biblical references should be written with initial number (if any) in Arabic style, book name in full, chapter number (Arabic), full point, (no space), and Arabic numbers for verse(s) ( 2 Corinthians 3.17.18 ; 1 Peter 2.5-7 ).

iv) References to Chapters in Collections of Essays
Where a collection of essays is reviewed as a whole, there is no need to supply page references. The book should be reviewed as in section 12(i) above (Referencing Books Reviewed).
Where an article from a collection of essays or conference proceedings is reviewed separately from the other articles or papers in the volume, the first instance citation should be explicit and indicate the author and title of the article and the reference should indicate the name(s) of the editor(s) plus the title of the collection and the page references:
Eric Reuland and Wim Kosmeijer deal with related topics in 'Projecting Inflected Verbs' (in Fanslow, ed. The Parameterization of Universal Grammar , pp. 56-72).
Later references in the same section need only indicate the editor and the page numbers: ( in G. Fanslow, pp. 56-72 ).

author/editor
title
additional credits if any (intro., illus., trans.)
edn, if not first
series (where this is helpful to the reader)
number of volumes
publisher's abbreviation (see List of Abbreviations)
year of publication (in square brackets)
number of pages (prelims in roman text pages in Arabic numerals i.e. pp. x + 236)
price: in sterling and US dollars (or other relevant currency).
All books are understood to be hardback (hb), if paperback include abbreviation 'pb' price (both hb and pb). Prices, if in round figures, should not carry points or zeros (e.g. £5 ). Please give sterling price (if available) or price in country of origin (e.g. €=Euro, $=US, A$=Australian, C$=Canada, etc).
ISBN (both hb and pb if relevant). Please observe the spacing: 10 digit 0 0000 0000 0 ; 13 digit 0 0000 0000 0000 . If both 10 and 13 digit ISBNs are available, please only include the 13 digit ISBN.

v) References to Journal Articles
In view of the online search criteria, references should appear as e.g.:
Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America (93[1999]) includes Keith Arbour, 'Book Canvassers, Mark Twain, and Hamlet's Ghost' (PBSA 93[1999] 5-37);
The year of publication must be included and the style/spacing followed (journal acronym (in italics) volume:issue[year of publication] page span).
References to YWCCT should contain the publication year ( YWCCT 9[2001] 239 ).
Where the pagination for a journal begins with page 1 for each issue, for example ELN , ChauR , DUJ , VN , the issue number must be included (in roman numerals) with the pagination e.g. ( ELN 46:ii[1992] 4-5 ). Information given in the form, for example 'In UTQ (62.226-49) . . . ' will not be captured.

13. Names

When dealing with unusual personal or place names, foreign names, or names which are unusual variants of commoner names, please confirm the name by writing it by hand in block capitals in the left-hand margin. This saves time being wasted at the editorial stage in checking whether such a name may have accidentally been mistyped. (Recent examples have included the forename Raachel, and the surnames Charke and Ferster.) O M Brack Jr, for instance, does not use full points after his initials.
When referring to all but the most commonly known authors or critics for the first time in your chapter or section, provide first name or initials: e.g. 'Milton' but 'Roland Barthes'; Wordsworth' but 'Jerome J. McGann'; 'Shakespeare' but 'Stephen Greenblatt' This is useful for readers and indexers.

14. Copyright

It is a condition of publication in the Journal that authors grant an exclusive licence to The English Association. 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.

15. Self Archiving/Public Access Policy

UK authors may be aware of the recent advice about Open Access from HEFCE regarding the next REF, where you may be required by your institution to choose an OA route to publication, either by uploading your article to your institutional repository ahead of its publication in your chosen journal (Green Open Access) or by paying the journal to make your article instantly freely available on the publisher’s website (Gold Open Access). This requirement will come into effect for articles accepted after April 2016. YWCCT decided that having an OA policy was unnecessary at this time as the REF currently does not consider for inclusion material of a review-only nature (which is the mainstay of coverage for the journal). OA is not just driven by the REF however, and your institution may have a self-archiving policy in place. YWCCT does, however, have a self-archiving policy to respond to these requirements and authors must wait until the 24 month embargo period has elapsed from the date of publication online before depositing an article in an institutional or subject repository. If you are uncertain as to publication date for your article, or the details of self-archiving, or indeed OA, then do contact the editors of the journal.

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

16. Crossref Funding Data Registry

In order to meet your funding requirements authors are required to name their funding sources, or state if there are none, during the submission process. For further information on this process or to find out more about CHORUS, visit the CHORUS initiative.