Records of Social and Economic History

GUIDELINES FOR EDITORS

(October 2001)

The British Academy’s Records of Social and Economic History (New Series) exists to publish primary sources that aid the study of social and economic history. It has proved particularly valuable as a means of publishing material that does not fall within the scope of any one local record society.

1. Background

(i) The original series, ‘Records of the Social and Economic History of England and Wales’, was embarked upon as ‘a great national undertaking’ and consisted of nine volumes published between 1914 and 1935 (mainly on medieval themes) under the successive direction of Vinogradoff, Tout and Stenton.

(ii) In 1970 the Academy reconstituted the Committee to supervise a New Series of ‘Records of Social and Economic History’, in the light of the increasing interest in this type of history. The series title was abbreviated to permit the publication of material other than that relating only to England and Wales. At the end of 2001, 32 volumes have been published.

2. Scope of the series, and guidance on eligible projects

(i) The series already includes a wide variety of documents (charters, revenue-rolls, censuses, accounts, personal diaries, correspondence) relating to agricultural, urban, domestic, industrial, commercial and demographic subjects. Other documents, including governmental sources, will willingly be considered.

(ii) Periods covered so far range from the 11th to the 19th centuries, and more modern material is already in preparation.

(iii) Though the series has an emphasis on British topics, the Committee welcomes proposals for the publication of important comparative material from foreign sources, where there is some British orientation.

(iv) The collection of documents to be edited should be homogeneous, e.g. by topic, family, period or institution, so that they are valuable to scholars concerned with such an entity.

(v) The document(s) should normally be publishable in a single volume. In the case of a very large source, the Academy may consider spreading publication over two or more volumes, or publishing only a representative selection.

(vi) For sources of a quantitative or repetitive nature, e.g. tax returns or censuses, consideration may be given to publication of the documents themselves in microform or on electronic media, with a printed introduction.

(vii) All documents should normally be published in their original languages.

(viii) The introduction should be confined to such length and detail as will enable scholars to make use of the document(s). It should not constitute an original study of the subject more appropriately published elsewhere, and it should not normally be more than approximately one quarter of the total length of the volume.

3. Procedure for submitting a proposal

(i) Proposals should be submitted to the Chairman of the RSEH Committee, c/o The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH.

(ii) A proposal should give details of the character and length of the text and the reasons for publishing it. A specimen of the material should be included.

(iii) The proposal should also give details of the lengths of the introduction and index(es), and details of any tables or illustrations that might be envisaged.

(iv) Most proposals originate from the archival research which the prospective volume editor has undertaken for other purposes, and while the preparation of the volume may involve varying amounts of further research it is to be understood that these are not suitable projects for volume editors to break into completely fresh ground. The proposal should indicate, as a preliminary estimate, how much further research the preparation of a volume will require, and how it is proposed to meet the costs of such research. More detailed cost estimates will be needed should the proposal be accepted.

(v) There is a presumption that all texts will be submitted on disk with an accompanying print-out.

(v) A provisional date for the completion of the script should be given.

(vi) A brief c.v. (including details of comparable work already published) and the names of two referees should be supplied.

(vii) The RSEH Committee meets twice a year, in April and October. Decisions may therefore take some time, but it would help the procedure if proposals were submitted well before a meeting to allow papers to be circulated and references to be taken out.

(viii) If the RSEH Committee approves the proposal it will recommend its adoption by the Academy’s Publications Committee, which may be able to offer advice on publication problems, may accept the title as a commitment, and, where appropriate, may issue a contract to the editor. (In exceptional circumstances the Publications Committee may require the final text to be submitted as camera-ready copy, prepared to a given specification.)

4. Scripts and details of editing

(i) A member of the RSEH Committee (‘Committee link’) will be assigned the role of liaising with the editor, and should be the channel for all questions on editorial style.

(ii) At an early stage after acceptance of a proposal, the volume editor should discuss with the Committee link a more detailed estimate of how much further research is needed, what facilities may be needed (photocopying, microfilms, scanning, etc.), and how this is to be funded, bearing in mind that the RSEH works on a small budget which can meet no more than modest research costs. Where substantial sums are involved the volume editor should make a personal application for research funding. Volume editors resident in the UK are eligible to apply for an Academy small research grant, and in cases approved by the Chairman of the RSEH Committee such applications can be accorded RSEH endorsement.

(iii) The editor should discuss editorial style and principles with the Committee link as soon as possible, so that the correct conventions can be applied from the outset. Editorial principles will vary according to the material, but relevant published volumes in the New Series may be studied as a guide. In the case of medieval volumes editors should follow the special ‘Guidelines for Editors of Medieval Volumes’ (a copy of which may be obtained from the Academy’s Publications Officer). The house style of Oxford University Press generally applies, as detailed in ‘Notes to OUP Authors’ (a copy of which may be obtained from the Academy’s Publications Officer). Editors may also find useful the latest editions of the following works:
Oxford Minidictionary of Spelling and Word-Division and the Oxford Manual of Style (1997)
also R. F. Hunnissett, Indexing for Editors (British Records Association, 1972), and R. F. Hunnissett, Editing Records for Publication (British Records Association, 1977).

(iv) The principles of annotation should also be agreed. Footnote references should be provided where necessary to identify individuals or events for the benefit of the non-specialist reader. Levels of annotation will inevitably vary from one work to another, but editors should avoid self-indulgence.

(v) When the points referred to under (iii) and (iv) have been discussed and provisionally agreed, a specimen consisting of about 20 pages of fully edited and annotated text should be sent to the Committee link. This will make it possible to see how the conventions work out on the page and, if necessary, to revise them early rather than late in the preparation of the volume.

(vi) The volume editor should give the Committee link a progress report twice a year, in March and September, prior to each meeting of the RSEH Committee.

(vii) Volumes should be structured in the following sequence: Contents — List of illustrations/maps — Preface/acknowledgements — Abbreviated references/other abbreviations — Introduction (which may be in several sections) — Editorial method — TEXTS — Appendices — Genealogical tables — Glossary — Index(es).

(viii) Scripts should be printed on A4 paper with double spacing and generous margins. (If camera-ready copy is to be prepared, detailed instructions will be given by the Academy’s Publications Officer.)

(ix) Scripts should be submitted to the Committee link.

(x) Scripts (introduction and texts) will be read for their scholarly content by the Committee link and either by another Committee member or by an independent reader if thought appropriate. The Committee may request changes before accepting the final version of a text.

(xi) The Committee does not sub-edit volumes to correct errors of typing or style. Responsibility for the accurate and consistent application of editorial conventions rests with the volume editor.

(xii) It is the editor’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish from owners, libraries or other interested parties.

(xiii) When the work has been completed to the satisfaction of the Committee, it will be passed to the Academy’s Publications Committee for publication.

(xiv) The volume editor should discuss with the Committee link the identification of possible specialist interest in and markets for the volume, and the best means of arranging appropriate publicity.

5. Production

(i) Volumes are marketed and distributed for the Academy by Oxford University Press, but all production matters are handled by the Academy’s own Publications Department.

(ii) There are normally two stages of page proofs. The editor is wholly responsible for the completeness and accuracy of proof corrections. Proofs should normally be returned to the Committee link.

(iii) Printer’s errors should be marked in red ink, and all other corrections should be marked in blue or black. ‘Author’s corrections’ (i.e. any amendments or rewritings of the text by the editor at proof stage) are extremely expensive. The script as it is submitted for press should be in its final form, and only corrections of spellings or of facts that will mislead readers should be made to the proofs. Any other improvements to the text may be disallowed or charged for. The completion of a cross-reference in a proof counts as an author’s correction, and these should therefore be kept to a minimum in the script. (The above remarks about proofs are irrelevant where the editor is supplying camera-ready copy.)

(iv) The editor will work from the page proofs of the volume to prepare the index(es). The volume must be indexed for subject entries as well as proper names. The editor should discuss with the Committee link whether there should be separate indexes of Persons, Places, Commodities, Subjects, etc.

Full listing of Records of Social and Economic History volumes