Submissions
Graduate articles
Melbourne Historical Journal put out a call for papers in March each year. Submissions are due by the following June. Please note that the editorial policy of Melbourne Historical Journal is to publish work that constitutes an original piece of research. Thus we will only accept articles that are not under review or scheduled for publication by other journals, and that are substantially different from other published work.
Manuscript presentation
- Do not write your name anywhere on the manuscript.
- Submit your article as an email attachment (Word or rtf file) to mhjcollective@gmail.com
- A one sentence biographical statement and full contact details should be included in the first email communication
- The manuscript should be double spaced throughout, including indented quotes and references
- Manuscripts that exceed an absolute count of 8,000 words in length, including footnotes, will not be accepted
- The article should be preceded by a brief abstract of no more than 100 words.
- References should be supplied as footnotes, not endnotes
- Include a bibliography of works cited
- Over questions of spelling, authors should refer to the Oxford English Dictionary
All submissions must follow the style guide as set out below.
Book reviews
It is not our intention to be overly directive in the way our reviewers write their book reviews. Most graduate students have developed a personal style which is both academically astute but also accessible to the intelligent reader outside their discipline.
We do, however, offer the following advice for those seeking some guidance.
- You should present enough information to inform the reader of the book's contents. This is accomplished in an economical fashion. A good review is not simply a summary of the book
- Rather, the bulk of your review is your informed opinion. Do you think this book is an important contribution to your field of study? Who should read this book? What are the strengths and weakness of the study? Where does the book fit in the overall context of an academic discipline? Does the book break new ground or advance knowledge in significant ways? Does it bring a new methodology or theoretical approach to the topic?
- Not every reviewer will answer all these questions. Considering the answers to a couple of these questions, however, will ensure critical content in your review
- It is important to evaluate the book in terms of the author's intentions. This is usually implicit in the introduction. How well has the writer accomplished their intended task?
- Remember to review the book in front of you, not the book you wish the author had written. You can and should point out shortcomings or failures, but don't criticise the book for not being something it was never intended to be
- There is a tendency for some reviewers to be either excessively positive or unrelentlessly critical. A sophisticated review requires a balanced approach. Even a glowing review should include valid criticisms and a poorly executed book has a couple of redeeming qualities embedded in the dross and it would be fair to point these out
- Choose quotes carefully. Short crisp quotes are better than large chunks which break up the flow of the review
- It is a good idea to read some other academic reviews in your field to gain a sense of how to write a good review
- All reviews should include the following information at the beginning of the review. The name of the book, the author, the publication, year of publication and the ISBN
- At the end you should also include your full name and place of study. E.g. John Dalton, University of Melbourne
- Finally, as a book reviewer, part of your role is to examine the writer's style. Is the book well written? Is it easy to understand? Does it flow well? Is the reader jolted around by poorly written prose? And just as you judge a book by these measures so too is your review also judged by the reader. Take this into account before sending us your final draft
Editing
We may edit your review in terms of spelling, punctuation and grammar. We may also return your review to you if we feel it requires further changes before publication.
Obtaining a review copy
We have a few review copies that have been sent to us by publishers. You may request a list of these books but there is only a slim chance that one of these books will be within your research field. It is better, therefore, if you propose recent titles to us that you are interested in reviewing. (Melbourne Historical Journal only accepts reviews of books that have been published in the last two years).
Once your choice of book has been approved by Melbourne Historical Journal you are free to request the book from the publisher or we can request the book on your behalf. In our experience Australian and New Zealand publishers are quick to respond to requests while overseas requests can take many months. We will make every attempt to obtain review copies for our reviewers but sometimes despite our concerted efforts some publishers are simply not forthcoming. In this case the reviewer may need to source this book from their own collection or from the library.
The published reviews are sent to the publishers. Should a reviewer fail to submit a review of their requested book; the book must be returned to Melbourne Historical Journal so it can be given back to the publisher. You are free, of course, to keep any books that you have submitted reviews on.
Manuscript presentation
- Submit your article as an email attachment (Word or rtf file) to mhjcollective@gmail.com
- The manuscript should be double spaced throughout, including indented quotes and references
- Book reviews of single books should be 1,000 words in length. Book reviews of two related books should be 1,500 words
- There is no need to use footnotes, all references should be cited in the text of the review
All book reviews must follow the style guide as set out below.
Style guide
Unless directed otherwise, follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition. Spelling and hyphenation should follow the Macquarie Concise Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Sydney: Macquarie Library, 1998).
Use of Capitals
- Other than for proper names, use capitals only when lower case would cause ambiguity.
Abbreviations
- Full titles of countries, states, institutions, organisations, etc. should be used at the first reference; subsequent references may be abbreviated
- Use a full stop after an abbreviation (Vic., ed.), but not after a contraction (Mr, Mrs, Qld, eds). Symbols for currency and units of measurement are to be written out in full (five kilometres, twenty-five pounds, 3 seconds). Note that this practice differs from that recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style
- Do not use any full stop with abbreviations that consist of capitals: (NSW, ALP; also BA, PhD, MA), nor with their plurals
Quotations
- Use single quotation marks for quotations; within a quotation use double quotation marks. Note that this advice reverses the practice recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style
- Indent quotations of more than forty words, and double space
- Always preserve the spelling, grammar and punctuation of the original. Use [sic] sparingly to indicate aberrant usage
- Put any interpolations in square brackets
- If omitting material from a quotation, use three ellipsis points ( ... ). Do not use ellipsis points at the beginning of a quotation
- Close quotations before a final punctuation mark ('He left him dead'.) This too departs from the recommendations of the Chicago Manual of Style
Numbers
- Within the text, numbers and ordinals up to one hundred are spelled out: twenty-five, fifty-sixth anniversary
- Numbers over one hundred are given in figures (276), except for round numbers (five thousand). Use figures with a succession of numbers: 16 frocks, 5 smocks, 102 stockings
- For percentages write 91 per cent, not 91%
Dates
- Use the form 15 January 2000. Avoid beginning a sentence with a date in this form
- Months should be spelled out in full
- No apostrophe is used in 1870s, 2000s
- Show a span of years as 1845-50, not 1845-1850
Italics/Underlining
- Underline only if reproducing a specific device in a quotation; emphasis will normally be marked by italics
- Use italics for uncommon foreign words; the inclusion of a word or phrase in the Macquarie Concise Dictionary indicates that it is no longer considered uncommon
References
Use the form of citation recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style (humanities), with the exceptions already noted, that is: use single quotation marks rather than double ones; use full stops after abbreviations but not after contractions; and close quotations before the final punctuation mark.
A short guide to referencing can be found on the Chicago Manual of Style website.
Subsequent References: Use author name and page number. If more than one book by the same author is cited, use suitable short titles, including author's surname and key words from title of book, chapter/article or thesis. Use ibid. for a single work cited in the note immediately preceding.