University Press of Mississippi
Instructions for the Preparation of a Manuscript
1. The manuscript should be prepared on a compact disc, DVD, or flash drive, according to the Electronic Preparation Guidelines. Submit both the electronic version and a hard copy of the manuscript. Do not bind the manuscript in any way; submit it as loose sheets in a box or envelope. The author should take the precaution of retaining a copy of the original manuscript and electronic files.
2. The manuscript must be typed, double-spaced, including block quotations (prose quotations of 10 lines or more), poetry, notes, and bibliography. Use only one side of 8½ x 11 paper. Manuscripts should be numbered consecutively from the first page through the back matter, or consecutively within each chapter.
3. There is no single in-house style for citations. Citations in the manuscript should be prepared consistently and using a standard, accepted format for your discipline. If you are unsure of the style to use, consult the Chicago Manual of Style. The notes and bibliography should be double-spaced. Number notes consecutively by chapter, beginning anew with number 1 in each chapter.
4. You should go over the final copy of the manuscript carefully to check for consistency in spelling, capitalization, etc.
5. If you intend to include illustrations, tables, charts, photographs, diagrams, or any other sorts of images, please discuss the type, intent, and number of images with your editor prior to submitting the manuscript. If the manuscript includes illustrations, you must submit a separate captions file and a completed design list with the manuscript. A template design list is available on our website. Digital figures should be submitted as separate files and should not be inserted into the text files. Consult the press’s Guidelines for Illustrations and Guidelines for Tables, Charts, and Graphs for detailed information regarding acceptable images.
6. You are responsible for seeking permissions for material used in the manuscript. Sample permission letters are available on our website. In addition to illustrations, you may need to clear permissions for textual material, such as lyrics and poetry. This should be discussed with your in-house editor at the earliest stages of manuscript preparation.
7. For other matters of style, see The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press). We generally follow the guidelines of this manual.