PUBLIC SOLUTIONS SERIES: MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES OVERVIEW The Public Solutions Handbook series is designed to help public sector practitioners build the necessary competencies needed to respond to emerging issues, deliver services that policymakers have promised to the public, carry out their missions efficiently and effectively, and work in partnership with their stakeholders. The series is also geared towards students in graduatedegree programs who are seeking succinct, pragmatic, grounded guidance that will help them succeed in their public administration careers. This includes students in master of public administration (MPA), master of public policy (MPP), master of nonprofit management (MNPM) and even some master of business administration (MBA) and doctor of law (LLD) programs. GENERAL CONTENT GUIDELINES Please refer to the following guidelines when preparing and submitting manuscripts for consideration: Page length: Your manuscript should be about 200 to 250 pages long. Content should be divided into sections and subdivided into chapters (Figure 1). Each chapter title needs to begin with a term that is applicable to a wide range of public sector organizational innovations. Remember, you are writing for an audience of students and practitioners who may not have in-depth knowledge of your topic. Whenever possible, avoid jargon or technical terms that might be unfamiliar to readers. Include simple visual maps, charts and diagrams to help convey your concepts (See examples below). The conclusion of each chapter should include a short bulleted list of key points. Include your references at the end of each chapter. 1
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KEY POINTS Include bulleted lists of key points at the end of each chapter and at the conclusion of the book to summarize or reinforce important information. Below are some examples of chapter and volume key points. 3
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SAMPLE CHARTS, DIAGRAMS AND GRAPHIC CONCEPTUAL MAPS Use diagrams, charts and concept maps help to visually reinforce key concepts and summarize main ideas. 8
These simple visuals, shown above, left and below, from Government Partnerships, by Daniel Bromberg, (Routledge, 2015) were created using Microsoft Word charts and Smart Art Function Co- production of Services Determinants of Continuing Capacity 9
Tips for Developing Cross- Sector Partnerships Shown above: The Cultural Value Chain, From Innovations in the Public and Non- profit Sectors, edited by Patria Julnes (Routledge, 2015) 10
PREPARING YOUR MANUSCRIPT FOR SUBMISSION How you prepare your manuscript for submission can greatly affect the ease with which it goes through production. Getting things right and providing all the important information at the time of submission will save time and effort later. Important: Your manuscript should be complete and final upon submission, including all front and end matter. Please ensure that you send only the final version so that there is no ambiguity over which files are final and ready for production. File formats and layout. Layout should be simple. The publisher will apply the design during the typesetting stage, so you do not need to do so yourself. However, where possible, ensure the same font and font size is used consistently throughout, and adhere to the following formatting guidelines: The publisher s preferred font is Times New Roman. Always use two hard returns at the end of a paragraph, rather than indenting the first line of a new paragraph. Do not use a hyphenation or justification program, but allow your software to make automatic word-wraps without hyphenation (you should insert hyphens only in words that must be hyphenated). Microsoft Word is the publisher s preferred package. Please do NOT send PDF versions of your files. 11
If you have used a Mac to create your manuscript, please ensure that the files you send us are PC compatible. Each chapter in your book should be supplied as a separate file. Provide a word count listed by chapter for all files. HOW TO NAME FILES File names should be numbered, consistent and clear. The following is an example of well-named set of files: 00_Prelims.doc 01_Chapter1.doc 02_Chapter2.doc 02_Chapter2_tables.doc 03_Chapter3.doc 03_Chapter3_figures.doc 04_Chapter4.doc HOW TO ENTER ENDNOTES Endnotes should be entered into your manuscript using the Word note function rather than numbered text at the end of the document. Not only does this allow the publisher to process the notes more accurately and efficiently, it also ensures that the numbering remains consistent throughout the book. FIGURES, TABLES AND BOXES Figures, tables and floating boxed text should be supplied as separate files, NOT embedded in the body of the text. However, if you created charts or tables in Word, you may leave them embedded within the text. Save each figure/table/box in a separate file and name them by chapter i.e., Figure 1.1, 1.2; Table 2.1, 2.2 etc. Place a call-out in the manuscript to indicate where each figure/table/box should be placed e.g., < FIGURE 1.1 HERE > Note that figures, tables and boxes cannot necessarily be placed in the exact location indicated, but rather will be placed as closely as possible to that point. Ensure that the numbering of your call-outs exactly matches the file numbering of your figures/tables/boxes so that there is no confusion about which figure is being referred to. Include a list of figures, tables or boxes separately in the front matter file that you supply. 12
FIGURES Do not embed figures into the manuscript as this can lead to problems with the quality with which they can be reproduced. Supply figures in the format in which they were created and at as high a resolution as possible Supply captions, notes and source information for figures as a separate file avoid making them part of the image itself. Source lines should either be included with the caption or separately in an Acknowledgements or Credits page in the front matter. TABLES Supply tables separately rather than embedded into the manuscript file. However, it is perfectly acceptable (and often easier) to supply the tables grouped together in one file per chapter. It is best to format tables as true tables (e.g., using Microsoft Word s Insert Table function) rather than using another method. BOXES If your book contains boxed text, then the type of boxed text it is affects how it should be supplied. There are two main types of boxes: in-line and floating. In-line boxes flow from the main text in a fixed position because they have to appear in a certain place (say, between two particular paragraphs of the main text). This type of box should be presented in the main manuscript file in its desired location, but styled in such a way as to make it clear that it is boxed text. Include instructions with your submission if boxes must appear exactly where they are placed in the manuscript. Floating boxes have no fixed position, but rather are positioned in much the same way as a figure or table usually as close as possible to a citation in the main text or a paragraph that pertains to it. This type of box is best supplied in a separate file with a call-out in the main manuscript and is usually numbered (in much the same way as tables should be supplied and likewise numbered). Floating boxes are often used for longer boxed text, such as case studies, which should be separate from the main body of the text. If boxes are captioned, include the caption with the box and list your source at the end of the boxed text. 13
COMMENTS, NOTES AND INSTRUCTIONS IN THE MANUSCRIPT Do not insert comments (such as Microsoft Word s comment boxes) into your final manuscript files. If you do need to give specific instructions (for example, if a line of poetry must align at a particular point relative to the line above, or a certain word is intentionally spelled incorrectly), please supply these instructions separately. EDITORIAL STYLE/CONVENTIONS Use the style that is appropriate to your discipline as a guide for spelling, capitalization, notes and references, etc. If you have followed a specific style guide (e.g., Chicago or Harvard), indicate which style guide you used when submitting your final manuscript. Note that field of public administration generally uses APA (American Psychological Association) style. Whichever style you choose, use it is important to ensure that you follow it consistently throughout the book for example, in the use of: Spelling Hyphenation Serial comma Capitalization Italics Abbreviations/acronyms Numerals (written or spelled out) Punctuation of lists References FRONT MATTER The front matter should be saved as a single text file. This material is placed before the main text and may include some or all of the following in the order listed below: Title page: it should carry the exact final wording of the title, sub-title (if used), and the author or editor name in the form you wish it to be used. If you are editor, state Edited by in the title. Table of Contents: it must be final and match wording and capitalization with the chapter headings in the text. 14
Section Titles: if the book is divided into parts, include the part numbers and part titles in both the Table of Contents and the main text. Contributing authors/ editors: if the book is an edited collection, list contributor names below each chapter title and ensure they match the contributor names cited in the chapter headings in the text. Graphics and text boxes: include lists of figures, maps, tables or case studies. Introduction: include a brief introduction to the book, which will be included with the Series Editor s Introduction. Author/ editor bios: include a short biography of the editor and any contributing authors. Chapter headings: make sure the names are presented in exactly the same way as in the Table of Contents and Chapter headings. SUBHEADINGS The publisher prefers the use of Word Styles (Microsoft Word) to indicate different levels of headings and subheadings. If you cannot use Word Styles, please make sure that your heading levels are consistent and clearly differentiated. Avoid using all capitals for subheadings, as this makes it hard to see which words you prefer to be capitalized. Avoid using more than 3 levels of subheadings. Avoid numbering subheadings unless extensive cross-referencing is essential to the book, or it is appropriate to your discipline. BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCE LISTS GENERAL RULES A reference list or bibliography should be placed at the end of each chapter. This will give readers the additional option of accessing your book by chapter. Do not provide a single reference list or bibliography at the back of the book. Please follow the guidelines below for formatting your references. Ensure that your references are consistently presented in terms of: o order in which details are listed, o use of capitalization, o use of italics and punctuation. Book and journal titles should always be in italics, regardless of which style guide you are following. 15
Ensure that each entry includes all publication details as applicable: author/editor name(s) and initials; date of publication; book or article title; journal title and volume number; place of publication; publisher; page numbers for chapter or journal articles. Important: your reference list must include every work cited by you in the text. Please ensure you check that the date for each entry in the reference list/bibliography matches the date cited in the text reference. This will avoid time-consuming queries during the copyediting stage. EDITOR S RESPONSIBILITIES (FOR EDITED VOLUMES) If you book is an edited collection with chapters written by multiple contributing authors, you are responsible for ensuring your contributors write in a consistent style, and that the manuscript is presented in a uniform style. If an edited collection is submitted with chapters in varying styles, the copy-editor will focus on making the individual chapters internally consistent rather than imposing one style across the whole book. In these cases it is most important that the note and reference style is consistent within each essay or chapter. Please refer to the following guidelines when submitting an edited collection. When submitting your final manuscript, include a List of Contributors with a brief description of each contributor, including the author s the affiliation. This can be placed in either the preliminary pages/front matter, or the back matter. Ensure that the contributor names appear exactly the same on the Table of Contents, main text chapter headings and List of Contributors. If there is more than one editor, supply the contact information for the commissioning editor (sometimes referred to as lead editor ) who can act as the main liaison point during the production process. It is the lead editor s responsibility to circulate and collate responses to copy-editing queries if necessary. It is the lead editor s responsibility to circulate proofs to the contributors if required (these will be supplied in PDF form), and collate all corrections on to one proof set for return to production. It is the lead editor s responsibility to ensure the entire manuscript is paginated chapterby-chapter (with page 1 beginning on the first page of the first chapter) Notes and references for each chapter should be placed at the end of each chapter. In addition to the final manuscript, the lead editor must submit a list of all authors, editors and contributors with their current street mailing addresses and email addresses 16
to the publisher. You must supply a complete and final list of contributor contact information. This is required for edited collections. Any contributor agreements must be finalized before the manuscript can go into production. GENERAL GRAMMAR & WRITING TIPS ACTIVE VERSUS PASSIVE VOICE Whenever possible, avoid using passive voice. It tends to sap energy and power from your prose. Example: "Einstein's theory" (Active voice) "the theory that was formulated by Einstein" (passive voice) PARALLEL STRUCTURE Be sure all of your sentences have parallel construction. Not Parallel: Re- reading my first draft, I notice it's trite, repetitive, and with no thesis. Parallel: Re- reading my first draft, I notice that it's trite and repetitive, and that it has no thesis. Or you could say: "Re-reading my first draft, I notice it's trite, repetitive, and lacking in a thesis." In the two examples with parallel construction, you could take out any of the words in the list and still have the sentence make sense. ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS Always identify abbreviations before you use them, unless you feel reasonably confident that the average intelligent reader would be able to identify the acronym, such as when the acronym is more commonly used than the words it stands for. (It would be odd to write out all the words for ESP, NATO, CEO, or AIDS.) Keep your audience in mind; readers who are specialists in a particular discipline may not want or need to have terms spelled out for them. RULES FOR USING SEMICOLONS A semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a semicolon is used to join two or more ideas (parts) in a sentence, those ideas are then given equal position or rank. Example: Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil. 17
COMMAS The comma is the punctuation mark most likely to cause angst. This is largely the result of the many different ways the comma is used. The most common uses for the comma are to indicate a brief pause, or to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. For more information and rules about commas, please see: http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/comma.html 18