For WVU Press Authors

Before providing your final manuscript to the Press, we ask that you edit and format it to meet our requirements, as outlined in our Manuscript Preparation and Submission guidelines.

Click here to download the complete set of our Guidelines for Authors.

Submission Checklist

Please go through this list carefully to ensure that your manuscript is ready for submission. To download a PDF version of this checklist, click here.

Manuscript Final Editing

Have you:

• Made sure that the manuscript conforms to the style outlined in Chicago and in the manuscript guidelines?
• Prepared a style list and anomalies sheet and checked the manuscript against them?
• Included all the parts listed in the guidelines?
• Confirmed the spellings of names and terms, the accuracy of dates and quotations, etc., mentioned in the text?
• Confirmed that the chapter titles (and subheadings) match the table of contents and all related cross-references?
• Checked that each footnote/endnote has a corresponding reference number in the text, and vice versa?
• Checked that the source citations in all footnotes/endnotes match the information in the bibliography?
• Edited all charts, lists, and tables thoroughly?
• Confirmed that all captions correspond to the proper images?

Manuscript Preparation

Have you:

• Followed the electronic file preparation guidelines provided?
• Double-spaced the text?
• Used one-inch margins?
• Numbered the pages?
• Used Times New Roman font?
• Avoided complicated formatting (e.g., drop caps, small caps, bold text)?
• Inserted callouts in the manuscript to designate where images should be placed?
• Obtained permissions for all images and text under copyright?
• Prepared the permissions log for all copyrighted material?

Manuscript Submission

Have you:

• Sent the correct version of the manuscript?
• Included the style list and anomalies sheet with the manuscript?
• Supplied all images, tables, and captions (as separate files) in addition to the manuscript?
• Provided permissions letters and the permissions log with the manuscript?

Contact the Press as soon as possible with any questions or issues.

WVU Press House Style Guide

West Virginia University Press uses the following sources to resolve questions of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style:

• The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.)
• Merriam-Webster’s Online (unabridged.merriam-webster.com and merriam-webster.com)
• Garner’s Modern English Usage (4th ed.)

The Press follows the recommendations in these three sources in nearly all cases. The WVU Press House Style Guide (click here to download PDF) provides exceptions to these sources as well as an overview of some common style points.

Of course, we acknowledge the validity of other style manuals and will follow the author’s choice of style as long as it is consistent, clear, and comprehensible to the reader.

Guidelines for Illustrations

All illustrations must be provided at the same time as your final manuscript, and they must meet the standards outlined in the Guideline for Illustrations (click here to download PDF) before your manuscript can be copyedited.

Guidelines for Copyright and Permissions

All copyrighted material in your manuscript requires written permission unless public domain or fair use apply. You are responsible for obtaining written permission to publish any copyrighted material in your manuscript, per the requirements outlined in the Guidelines for Copyright and Permissions (click here to download PDF).

Guidelines for Indexing

In most cases, authors of scholarly books are required by contract to prepare (or hire a professional indexer to prepare) an index according to our Guidelines for Indexing (click here to download PDF).

The index must be prepared at the same time as you proofread page proofs (i.e., after copyediting and typesetting). The turnaround time is typically three to four weeks. If you wish to hire a professional indexer, the Press can recommend someone, or you can find one through the American Society for Indexing.

Guidelines for Volume Editors

The editors of contributed volumes must follow the Press’s standard guidelines for authors, but they also have additional responsibilities as outlined in the Guidelines for Volume Editors (click here to download PDF).