Style guide

This guidance is based on the most common things contributors get asked to revise. 

Your submission needs to be as close to finished as possible please. No rough drafts! There is a checklist on the final submission page. Ensure you have checked your spelling and punctuation, that quotations are clealry indicated and accurate with page numbers etc, that your references are complete and consistent, that the structure of the paper is clear and flows. See also the important guidance on Referencing and Copyright Permissions.

 

Spelling

  • Where there are alternative ways of spelling the same word, please be consistent.  This applies particularly to words that are sometimes hyphenated, e.g. cooperation / co-operation. 
  • Please use British English unless in a quote using US or Canadian English.
  • Please use the EU English Style Guide https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/english-resources-english-style-guide_en

 

Capitalisation

  • Please be consistent with when and where you use capitals.

 

Abbreviations

  • Avoid acronyms wherever possible unless in very common use, for example, BBC. But NHS is not an internationally known so please write National Health Service. Please spell out acronyms the first time you use them and include the acronym immediately afterwards in brackets.

 

Formatting

Use the same sans serif font throughout (arial, helvetica, calibri)

Paper title - 18 point

Author name(s) - 14 point

First sub-header - 12 point

Second sub-header - 12 point

Main body text -11 normal font

 

Quotations

  • Where you quote material from other authors’ works, please make sure that you quote exactly and with an accurate reference.
  • Quotations of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated into the text and enclosed by double quotation marks. 
  • Quotations within quotations should be surrounded by “double quotation marks like these”. 
  • Display quotations of 40 words or more should appear as an indented block with no quotation marks. Indent 5 spaces from the left margin.

Lists

  • Use numbered list for items which progress through a sequence. Otherwise, use bullet point lists.

 

Notes

  • Foot notes and endnotes are not available. All content needs to be worked into the body of the text.

 

Tables and figures

  • You must include tables or figures as .jpg or .png image files with 300dpi resolution. If you create them in Word, they will be unstable and likely to lose their formatting.
  • Tables usually present lists of numbers or text in columns, each column having a heading.
  • Figures are usually visual presentations of results or illustrations and might portray graphs, diagrams, photos, artwork or drawings.
  • Refer to every table or figure in the text and explain it fully.
  • Include a caption for each, e.g. Figure 1. Strange Loop of argument.

 

Page numbering

  • Please number the pages of the manuscript consecutively.