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WMQ Guidelines for Consideration and Publication of Manuscripts

No manuscript will be considered if it has been published in some form before or if it is soon to be published elsewhere or if it is under consideration by another journal or press.

• Review Policy: Most article manuscripts offered to the William and Mary Quarterly are subject to peer review. Review of commissioned manuscripts is normally limited to members of the Board of Editors, in addition to the editors.
  
• Evaluation: Following acknowledgment, the editor informs authors about evaluation procedures and other considerations affecting publication. Unsuitable manuscripts are returned with a brief explanation. Others are assigned to one or more referees for evaluation. Readers' reports are advisory; the editor is the final arbiter.
  
• Decision: On completion of peer review-normally within three months-the editor notifies the author regarding the disposition of the manuscript. A manuscript may be (1) accepted; (2) rejected; (3) rejected with option to revise and resubmit. An author in doubt about the nature or terms of the decision should seek prompt clarification.
  
• Revision and resubmission: If a manuscript is rejected with option to revise and resubmit, an author who accepts the option may propose a general plan of revision to the editor. Revised manuscripts are normally submitted to the original referees. As a rule, in such cases, a final decision is made on the basis of the first revision. When the decision is negative, further revision is not encouraged.
  
• Acceptance and revision: When a manuscript is accepted, the editor projects a provisional date of publication and outlines an agenda for revision, if revision is a condition of publication. This agenda is negotiable within limits. It is important for author and editor to reach clear advance agreement on terms for revision. Revised versions of accepted manuscripts are evaluated in house, and more than one revision of an accepted manuscript may be requested.
  
• Copyright and offprints: Copyright forms, establishing the author's and publisher's respective rights in published articles, are sent to authors at the time of acceptance. One signed copy should be returned to the editor. Twenty-five offprints are provided free of charge. Authors may order additional offprints at $1.50 per copy; orders must be placed when proofs are returned, with a check payable to the William and Mary Quarterly.
  
• Preparation for publication: Submit the final manuscript electronically as an e-mail attachment in Word, WordPerfect, or Rich Text Format to the Editor. The manuscript should be completely double spaced, including extracts and endnotes. Authors are requested to follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition.
        Authors are responsible for obtaining and paying for permissions to reproduce all illustrations in the journal (including the online version of the journal that is available to subscribers on the History Cooperative’s Web site). Authors are required to send original artwork (color images, if possible, for the online version) and copies of permission forms before the manuscript goes into production. Digital images should be of print quality, at least 300 dpi, in TIF or EPS formats. Additionally, for the online version 72 dpi JPG is acceptable. Alternatively, you may supply 8x10 black-and-white photographs.
        Manuscripts are line edited by the Managing Editor three to six months before the publication date. Line editing usually involves combining of footnotes and standardizing of citations to WMQ style as well as working with authors to clarify meaning for WMQ readers. Authors are asked to read edited copy and may make revisions at that time but should abstain from making substantive changes in page proofs, which they are also asked to read.
  
  At every point, the editors are responsible for clarifying, and authors for comprehending, the terms of the process. The editors will respond to all appropriate requests for information.