THS

Advice to Authors

Tewkesbury Historical Society

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Bulletin Contributions

Advice to authors, updated September 2011

Publication date: approximately 1 March 2012.

Deadline: Members 31 October 2011; if typing needed then 5 October 2011.

Length: c 1-3 thousand words with all sources fully attributed in footnotes. "ibids" etc no longer required for our readership.

Footnotes are easy to use in writing in Word format - in XP it is Insert Footnote - and if Windows 7 it is via References Insert Footnote. Ensure that the criteria set are footnotes, numbered, start at 1 and continuous: then it is automatic and will change if you subsequently rearrange your text! (If in doubt, ask!)

Submission: preferably in "MS Word" format – please advise early if that is not possible and send by email or on cd-rom. You can email documents of less than 1 mb via normal email. If larger than 1 mb then use YouSendIt (a free means of sending large files).

Illustrations: we are doing our best to improve the quality of black and white pictures for our in-house publishing.

a. If you wish to submit electronically: please scan photos to a fairly high-definition in JPG or TIFF format - about 300 dpi (dots per inch) should be fine.

b. Otherwise, therefore, we need either the best quality original for scanning. Originals will be returned but please attach a self addressed & stamped envelope of correct size.

c. In 2011, we used colour for the first time in the middle pages. This is expensive but we are keen to use colour technology for the benefit of our readers so please send coloured photos if you have them.

Copyright: it is the responsibility of the author to gain written permission from any author of an illustration which you wish to submit. This issue has been raised in the county and we are in the process of refining our own policy. If there is any cost, it is the responsibility of the author not THS. It is vital that all illustrations which you wish to submit have a clear provenance and it is your responsibility to obtain permission in writing. You therefore will need to prove in writing that you have written for permission and, where you obtain a response, you need to submit it for our records.

Click on copyright for a detailed briefing on the subject.

Procedure:

As far before the deadline as possible, please submit the articles to me on johnhistory@o2.co.uk ; definitely, only one article per author is published in any one year.

John Dixon is the historical editor and will send a copy of his edited version to ensure that all articles reflect house-style back to you for your comments and to undertake any requested amendments. It is vital that you only use one copy which will pass between author and editor. Any disputes will be referred to a sub-committee but over may years this has not been necessary.
It may be that, if space is a problem, we might have to negotiate a shortening of the article.
It then goes to our typesetter, Derek Benson, who will transform the agreed edited article into the Bulletin format and place the illustrations. Derek then produces a camera copy.

The camera copy will go to you for your comments and only vital changes. The revised copy will then go to an independent proof reader. Please advise me in advance when you will be on holiday

Derek will convert to PDF and pass to printers for paper printing

Aftermath:

Contributors, who are members of THS, might like to know that the articles of the published bulletin, written by members, are submitted for the Woodard Award. Named after the late Bob Woodard, Honorary Life member, it is awarded each year for an article written by a member and contributed to the Bulletin of the Society which is deemed by the independent judges to have contributed significantly, by

a. the quality of its research and

b. the clarity of its communication, to increasing the knowledge of the history of Tewkesbury and District.

c. the way in which it is placed in its wider historical context.

Please note: It has now been agreed that an article published over several bulletins because of size will not be disadvantaged. The award is a silver bowl, with the names of winners inscribed upon it, and a medal for the winner to keep. The judges are independent and report to the results to the A.G.M. of the year following publication. Thus 2012 Bulletin will have the Woodard results announced at the 2013 AGM.

(see http://www.ths.freeuk.com/aboutus/honours/woodard_award.htm )

Before that, however, an article might be short-listed by the County Local History Committee for the Brian Jerrard Award. Two of our members have now won the prize we have had eleven articles short-listed during the eight years of the award's existence.

(see http://www.ths.freeuk.com/aboutus/honours/jerrard_award.htm )

We have also won two national awards from the British Association of Local History under the category "AWARDS TO ENCOURAGE RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION".

If you would like an idea of the type of material that has won awards, email us and we can supply you with examples.

We would be delighted if you were to win all three and we look forward immensely to reading your submission.

Privacy Policy: rest assured that any personal information you share with us will be kept in the strictest confidence and will not be passed on to third parties.