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Parts of a Manuscript
Nearly every McFarland book needs a preface, an introduction, notes, a bibliography and an
index. Other components that are common, but optional depending on the nature of the book,
are a dedication, acknowledgments, a foreword (written by a third party) and appendices.
- Almost every McFarland book needs a preface, which is distinct from an introduction.
It serves to answer a reader’s questions about the book itself: what it covers, what it doesn’t,
why the subject is important, how you did your research, how the book is organized, etc. It is
also an important reassurance to readers and reviewers that they hold a work of mainstream scholarship.
- Unlike a preface, a book’s introduction summarizes the book’s subject. So, yes, most
books benefit from the inclusion of an introduction. Otherwise, the reader has to go from the book’s
title to the first paragraph of Chapter 1 and that might not, mentally, be a perfectly smooth trip.
- Many of our books have forewords, although—please understand—they rarely affect sales.
You are welcome to include one, with the proper permission, if a person sufficiently well known in the
field is willing to write it.
- More than 99 percent of McFarland books need indexes. Authors compile the indexes for their
books. It’s done during the proofreading process (after we have typeset the book). Consult our
indexing guide for assistance.
Style & Documentation
Recognizing that books have individual personalities, we do not try to impose a single style across
all our publications. We do ask that authors follow mainstream, sophisticated style practices consistently.
Documentation is vital in the scholarly market. If you don’t have source notes for your quoted
matter and factual statements, we strongly recommend you add them. For most purposes we prefer endnotes
(end-of-book) to footnotes (page bottoms), so keep your notes separate from your text and start a
new numerical sequence for each chapter. Use any good standard system of documentation (Chicago, MLA,
Turabian, etc.) and be consistent. A standard style guide can answer specific questions you have about
how notes should be presented.
For our market, nearly every book needs a bibliography. It serves as an indication to readers
that the book they hold is a work of serious scholarship based on a broad understanding of the topic,
while also providing a starting point for further reading. Follow a consistent style and include all the
sources you directly consulted for the book, even if you did not cite the source in the notes. A standard
style guide can answer specific questions about how a bibliography should be presented.
Titles
When you send your manuscript, please include a title or, even better, several possible
titles. We will use your input in setting the title; often the author’s suggested wording becomes
the official title. There are definitely some special considerations now and then that authors
understandably overlook. If we feel a significantly different title is necessary, we will discuss it
with you. We try to finalize the wording soon after the manuscript arrives.
Photos
Consult our guidelines for photos.
Permissions
Consult our guidelines for obtaining permissions.
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