Topics in the History of Medicine – Manuscript Preparation
https://bshm.org.uk/thom/manuscript
ISSN 2753-9695
Introduction
THoM publishes articles which are 2,000 to 8,000 words in length.
If it is desired to submit a paper outside these limits please correspond with the Editor because exceptions can be considered when appropriate.
Manuscripts may only be submitted by invitation from the Guest Editor.
Unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered for publication.
All papers must be submitted in English and incorporate UK spelling; use a spell-checker set to UK English.
Manuscripts should be submitted in the form of a single MS Word document.
Submitted manuscripts should be attached to an email and addressed to: Dr. Edward Wawrzynczak, BSHM Journal Editor, at editorial@bshm.org.uk
Title page
The first page of the manuscript should contain the full title which should be concise and informative and accurately indicate the content of the article without using abbreviations.
Authors should also provide a short running title no more than six words long.
The name(s) of all authors should be listed in the order in which they are to appear.
Each author should list an academic affiliation when applicable.
The name, postal address and email address of the author for correspondence should be supplied and will be included on the front page of the paper unless otherwise indicated.
The corresponding author should also provide a contact telephone number which will not be included in the published paper unless requested.
Up to six keywords should be provided to aid search engine results.
Abstract
An abstract giving a short summary of the paper must be included.
The abstract should be no longer than 250 words in length and must not contain references or abbreviations.
Main text
The main text should be submitted using double line-spacing in Times New Roman, size 12 font.
The first paragraph of a section should be aligned with the left margin; subsequent paragraphs in the same section should be indented.
Include relevant sub-headings at regular intervals left-aligned and in bold.
Capital initials should be used for proper names such as people and places.
Non-standard abbreviations should be defined upon first occurrence.
Reference works, titles of books, names of biological organisms, Latin words, foreign words and phrases, and English terms borrowed from other languages should be in italics.
Avoid the use of e.g., i.e., etc.
Use single apostrophe marks for quotations; use double apostrophe marks for direct speech and as secondary quote marks within single marks.
Quotations of more than three lines should be indented as a block from the left margin.
Give the years of birth and death in brackets if known after first mention of persons named in the heading and in the text.
Numbers: from one to twenty in letters; 21 and above in numerals; use a comma to separate 1,000s in the case of quantities and sums of money.
Dates: in the format 31 December 2020.
Any personal reference to the author should use the form ‘this author’.
Tables and Figures
Photographs, figures, line drawings, graphs, charts, tables, and boxes should be sent as individual email attachments. Images should be sent as JPEG files with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Graphs and charts should also be supplied as MS Excel spreadsheets.
These insertions should not be included in the text but their position within the text should be indicated, for example ‘Table x here’.
Tables should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals in the order in which they are mentioned in the text, that is Table 1, Table 2 and so on, written in full.
Likewise, figures should be numbered consecutively as they occur in the text, that is Figure 1, Figure 2 and so on, written in full.
Every table, figure, and similar insertion should bear a caption that explains succinctly details of the item such that it can be understood without reference to the text, although it should be referred to and explained in the text as well.
Captions should include suitable attribution and referencing where applicable.
All captions should be listed in the submitted MS Word document after the main text.
Label all attached files with the name of the first author.
Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere, and acknowledge the source appropriately.
The publisher will not be liable for payment of any fees for the right to reproduce copyrighted material which must remain the responsibility of the author(s).
References and Footnotes
References and footnotes must be listed as footnotes in the order in which they appear in the text and should be inserted after the punctuation ending a relevant sentence or paragraph. Use the ‘Insert Footnote’ command found under the ‘References’ tab in MS Word which automates consecutive numbering to ensure that each number is only used once.
References and footnotes should be in Times New Roman, size 12 font.
THoM follows the Vancouver style of referencing citations; please refer to articles published in the journal for examples.
References should include the names and initials of up to six authors; if there are more authors, only the first six should be named, followed by et al.
Publications for which no author is apparent may be attributed to the organisation from which they originate.
Use ‘Anon’ in case of journal articles where the author is unnamed.
Punctuation in references should be kept to a minimum.
When cross-referencing to an earlier note, add an abbreviated version of the article’s title to which you are referring and give the earlier note number in brackets. Do not use or op. cit.
Further citations of the same reference should always refer to the first full citation.
Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of references against the original source material.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements should be included after the main text.
Sources of Funding
Authors should clearly declare all sources of funding – government, commercial or private – relevant to the work and publication of the paper, or, alternatively, include a statement declaring that no funding has been received.
Biographical Details
Authors are requested to provide a brief section of relevant biographical information.
