GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS WRITING TRADE BOOKS
The following guidelines, which are for manuscripts intended for a general audience, are designed to
streamline the process of bringing your manuscript through the publication process. Prepare your
manuscript in Microsoft Word; do not use LaTeX, LibreOffice, or GoogleDocs. To achieve the schedule,
quality, and price that are optimal for your project, please follow these instructions carefully. Once your
manuscript has been accepted for editing, your manuscript editor will be your main contact for the
remainder of the publishing process and will provide you with a schedule so you will know when you
will need to be available for reviewing the edited manuscript, proofreading, and indexing. It is essential
that you meet all deadlines provided to you by your editor. If you have questions about any of these
instructions, do not hesitate to contact your acquisitions editor or acquisitions assistant for help. We
look forward to receiving your final manuscript.
AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES
It is your responsibility to prepare the manuscript according to these guidelines.
We reserve the right to return materials to the author if they are not prepared correctly.
NOTE Edits, additions, and corrections must be completed during copyediting review. This
review stage is your final opportunity to make changes to the content. The Press does
not allow content rewriting during page proof review.
Editing cannot begin until the editor has received the complete manuscript and figures. You are also
responsible for reviewing the edited manuscript, answering all queries, and ensuring that the text is
accurate and ready for the typesetter. It is your responsibility to proofread your page proofs and provide
an index for your book according to the specifications in your contract.
If you have any questions that are not directly addressed here, consult the latest edition of The Chicago
Manual of Style. The Chicago Manual offers user-friendly comprehensive examples and includes a
bibliography style, unlike many other style guides.
It is the author’s responsibility to obtain permissions and to submit these with the final manuscript. You
must obtain permission for all material owned by others; this includes illustrations, tables, prose
passages exceeding 300 words, and any poems or song lyrics, regardless of length. Your acquisitions
assistant will provide you with information on how to obtain permissions should you need it, and will
provide you with an art log and text log to track all permissions.
If you will not be available at the scheduled times to review the edited manuscript and page proofs and
either create the index or review the index we provide, please notify your manuscript editor as soon as
you receive the schedule. During editing, many departments of the Press are preparing for the publication
of your book, so if the schedule must be altered, your manuscript editor is responsible to alert these other
departments.
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THE ELEMENTS OF A MANUSCRIPT
A manuscript consists of several elements. These are front matter, the body of the text,
documentation (notes and bibliography), figures, figure captions, and tables. (Figure preparation is
discussed in the section Figure Submission Guidelines.)
FRONT MATTER
Authors are responsible for the following front matter, in this order:
• half title page (consisting of the main title only)
• title page (consisting of the main title, subtitle if applicable, and bylines)
• dedication or epigraph (optional)
• table of contents (called simply “Contents”)
• foreword (written by someone other than the author of the book; if applicable)
• preface (written by the author of the book, not someone else; if applicable)
• introduction (if not the first chapter of the book; optional)
All front matter pages should be numbered with lowercase roman numerals. Page 1 should be the first
page of the main text. Please indicate to your acquisitions assistant whether your introductory chapter
should start page 1 or be part of the book’s front matter.
THE TEXT
Indent the first line of each paragraph, except for the first paragraph after a heading. Make sure you indent
the first line of any paragraph after an extract, list, or other interruption if you intend for it to be
considered a new paragraph. Do not put extra space between paragraphs.
The use of tables and equations is strongly discouraged in trade books.
Acknowledgments are placed in the back matter of the book, before the notes and bibliography. Please
include these with your final manuscript.
DOCUMENTATION
Please use the notes and bibliography system described in the Chicago Manual, chapter 14. If the
notes contain full bibliographic information, a separate bibliography is not necessary. Do not use a
reference list with in-text author/date citations. Use endnotes, not footnotes.
Number notes consecutively within each chapter using superscripts for in-text references and on-line
numbers preceding the notes themselves. Citations must be complete, accurate, and styled consistently
according to the Chicago Manual.
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PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
• The text must be in Microsoft Word. Do not use LibreOffice, GoogleDocs, or LaTeX.
• Please be mindful of the word and figure limit set for your book at contract stage. Be in touch with
your acquisitions editor if you anticipate exceeding these limits.
• Be consistent in your treatment of any particular design element (see below regarding subheadings).
• Use hard returns only to end paragraphs, headings, or items in a list. Do not place hard returns at the
end of a line of text.
• Make sure there are no annotations or hidden text in the final version of your manuscript.
• Do not create running heads.
• All type should be in upper and lower case (with the exception of acronyms, do not use all capital
letters, even for headings).
• If your manuscript contains more than ten equations, you should prepare the equations using
MathType. MathType is the only equation editor we recommend. If you are unable to use
MathType, we will need to convert or re-create your equations, and will not be responsible for
any errors introduced as a result.
FORMATTING
Do not format your manuscript pages to look like book pages. Our design department will be responsible
for establishing the format of your book. Do not attempt to design your manuscript; keep the formatting
as simple as possible and avoid using multiple fonts or multiple type sizes. Please double- space the
manuscript, set 1.5" margins, and use 12-point type Times New Roman.
Indention
• Always use a tab, not the spacebar, for paragraph indents.
• Do not indent the first line of the paragraph under a subheading, but all other paragraphs should
have their first line indented.
• Use the indent function, not tabs, for setting off block quotations.
Italic
Use italic for words used as words (as in “it seemed that possible was the operative word”); foreign
terms (if not included in Webster’s); first occurrences of key terms when they are defined. Use italic
only sparingly for emphasis.
Subheadings
Use no more than two levels of subheading. Do not number subheadings. Type each heading using upper-
and lowercase letters. Differentiate each level of head in the manuscript (e.g., level 1: boldface flush left;
level 2: italic flush left). Set all subheadings on a separate line; do not run them into a text paragraph. Do
not place superscript note numbers in headings.
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Quotations
Use block quotations for any quoted material exceeding 7 lines or any quotations containing
multiple paragraphs. Do not place quotation marks around the extract. Use three ellipsis points to
indicate deletions from within a sentence, four to indicate a deletion from the end of a sentence
(the first ellipsis point represents a period and should be typed tight against the last word). Do not
use ellipses at the beginning or end of the quotation. Bear in mind that all quoted poetry or song
lyrics require permission, regardless of length.
PAGE NUMBERING
Number the pages of the manuscript consecutively, beginning with the first page of the text proper,
using arabic numerals. Number the front matter separately, using lowercase roman numerals. Be
consistent in your placement of page numbers throughout the manuscript.
SUBMITTING THE MANUSCRIPT
All elements of the manuscript must be complete at the time it is submitted to the Press; we cannot
begin editing unless all elements are present. (A guest foreword may be submitted later; consult with
your acquisitions editor to see if this will be feasible for your project, if applicable.) Once your
manuscript has been submitted we will consider it ready for editing. Do not send revised materials after
this time, and do not continue revising your electronic files.
Submit your work to your acquisitions editor per his or her instructions.
Submit your manuscript as one file, including all front matter, text, and back matter. Use section breaks
between chapters.
Artwork should not be embedded in the text but should be submitted as separate files. (Please refer to
the Figure Submission Guidelines.) Do not submit any files that are not relevant to your book. Do not
include multiple versions of the same material.
You must submit a PDF of your manuscript in addition to your word-processing files. The Press needs
the PDF in order to verify that any special characters and alignments are not lost when the files are
viewed on our computers.
NOTES AND BIBLOGRAPHY SYSTEM
Use Microsoft Word’s automatic note inserting and numbering function. Note numbers should restart
with “1” at the beginning of each chapter. Microsoft Word will insert superscript note numbers in text.
For example, “Rowe claims that ‘the role of the designer … in such a complex system is one of
describing modes of interaction and degrees of freedom within and between multiple agents.’”1
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Books
Note Form
1. Robert Rowe, Machine Musicianship (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001), 373.
[A citation to the same source immediately following the main citation should use the short form.
(The Chicago Manual no longer recommends the use of Ibid.)
2. Rowe, Machine Musicianship, 375.
[Later citations to the same source should also employ the shortened form, consisting of the author’s last
name and the main words of the title:
13. Rowe, Machine Musicianship, 124.
Bibliography Form
Rowe, Robert. Machine Musicianship. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001.
Chapter in a Book
Note Form
1. Leo Marx, “The Railroad-in-the-Landscape: An Iconological Reading of a Theme in American Art,”
in The Railroad in American Art: Representations of Technological Change, ed. Susan Danly and Leo
Marx (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988), 195.
2. Marx, “Railroad in the Landscape,” 204.
Bibliography Form
Marx, Leo. “The Railroad-in-the Landscape: An Iconological Reading of a Theme in American Art.” In
The Railroad in American Art: Representations of Technological Change, edited by Susan Danly and
Leo Marx, 170–196. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988.
Article in a Journal
Note Form
1. Ronald C. Nahas, “Beirut Rising,” Urban Land 58, no. 10 (October 1999): 40–46.
Bibliography Form
Nahas, Ronald C. “Beirut Rising.” Urban Land 58, no. 10 (October 1999): 40–46.
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CITING URLS
The Chicago Manual contains guidelines for including URLs in your notes and bibliographies.
Please follow the Chicago Manual.
URLs change frequently and may no longer provide access to your sources at the time your book is
published. Any URLs you provide should be checked to make sure they are accurate and current when
you submit your manuscript. When including URLs, cut and paste them from your browser; do not
attempt to retype them. URLs should be styled as follows: http://mitpress.mit.edu
Do not add hyphens or spaces to URLs.
FIGURE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
ELECTRONIC ART GUIDELINES
Please read these guidelines carefully and follow them when submitting any type of image with your
manuscript.
1. SUBMIT SOURCE FILES
Provide files for your figures in the programs in which they were created (for example, Microsoft Word,
PowerPoint, Excel, or Adobe Photoshop). These are referred to as source files.
2. DO NOT USE CALIBRI OR CAMBRIA
When creating figures, use common fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica. Although Calibri
is the default font for a number of Microsoft programs, it should not be used for figures that are to be
printed. It, along with Cambria, are screen/monitor fonts and are unstable for professional printing.
3. SUBMIT FILES WITH EDITABLE TYPE
Any art containing type should be editable; that is, type should not be saved as tiffs or jpegs but rather in
the EPS or PDF formats.
4. NAME YOUR FILES WITH THE CHAPTER NUMBER AND FIGURE NUMBER
For example, Smith_fig_03-08 (use a hyphen between the chapter number and the figure number;
periods are not permissible in file names).
5. SEPARATE CAPTIONS FROM THEIR FIGURES AND SUBMIT THE CAPTIONS WITH THE
MANUSCRIPT
Captions should appear in the text body by the figure call-outs (near where the figures are to appear), not
as part of the figure files or in a separate document.
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6. SCANNING
If you are scanning art, the resolution should be set at 300 dots per inch (dpi) for grayscale or color. The
original image area should be at least 5 inches wide. If the original is smaller than 5 inches, then the
scanning resolution should be set higher (for example, 400 dpi for a 4-inch piece of art). Line art such as
charts, graphs, or pen drawings should be scanned at 600 to 900 dpi grayscale.
Figures taken from printed paper or book pages must be scanned at higher resolutions in order for the
MIT Press to eliminate moiré patterns caused by dots in the printed material. For example, a resolution
of 600 dpi should be used for a 5 inch wide figure.
Save scanned images in the tiff or jpeg formats. If other file formats are submitted (such as .gif or .png
that have been downloaded from the Internet), make sure they are large when viewed on the screen so
they can be reduced in order to raise the resolution. Be aware that gifs are only 72–96 dpi and if printed
at 100 percent will look fuzzy and unprofessional. Again, please make sure that they appear large on
your monitor before taking a screenshot.
7. SCREENSHOTS
From Windows:
a. Make the window to be copied as large as possible and then click on it to make it active.
b. Press the Alt and Print Screen buttons (this will copy the active window to the system’s hidden
clipboard). To print the whole screen, do not press the Alt button.
c. Open a new document in a program such as Word, then go to Edit and click Paste.
d. Save and name the Word file.
From Mac OSX:
a. Before taking any screen shots on a Mac, in order to get a crisp image, make sure font smoothing
is turned off. Go to System Preferences > General, then uncheck “Use LCD Font Smoothing.”
b. Open the Preview application.
c. Click Command > Shift > 4; click and drag to select the area you want to save; let go of the
mouse. The screenshot will appear on your desktop. To take a shot of the whole screen, click
Command > Shift > 3.
d. Save as a tiff or high-quality jpeg file. The Grab utility can also be used to create screen shots.
8. DRAFTING ART
a. Aim for relative simplicity; avoid special effects such as shadows and 3D.
b. Figures should not exceed 5 inches (30 picas) in width and 7 inches (42 picas) in height.
c. Do not use line weights lighter than 0.25 pt. Lighter (hairline) rules will not print properly on
paper.
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d. Do not use color unless the book is to be printed in color (most books are printed in black and
white).
e. Supply drafted files in the format of the program in which they were created. If possible, also
supply a set of EPS files or PDFs of the drafted figures.
9. DO NOT UPSAMPLE IMAGES
If a file is 100 dpi, do not force it to 300 dpi. Submit the original file at 100 dpi. Forcing an image to a
higher resolution will give it a murky, unprofessional look.
10. TEX AND LATEX
If art is created in TeX or LaTeX, please supply PDFs. A PDF of the whole chapter is acceptable. In
addition, please send the original TeX or LaTeX files, including any underlying style files and
packages.
11. SUBMITTING PHYSICAL MEDIA
If paper photographs are submitted, they must be sharp and clear. Pages torn from books (called tear
sheets) are also acceptable. Unless the quality is very good, photocopies are not acceptable.
Transparencies and 35mm slides may be submitted. All media should be labeled without damaging the
art (for example, a light pencil could be used on the backs of photographs).
FIGURE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
HARD COPY FIGURE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All figures submitted as hard copy only must be camera ready; that is, they must be first copies
of professionally prepared drawings or glossy photographic prints, not photocopies.
If actual photographs are submitted they must be sharp and clear. Pages removed from books (tear
sheets) are also acceptable as long as appropriate permissions have been secured. Photocopies are not
acceptable. Transparencies and 35mm slides may be submitted. All media should be labeled without
damaging the art (for example, a light pencil could be used on the backs of photographs). We will do
everything possible to ensure that no damage is done to the items submitted for publication, but we
cannot guarantee that all hard copy figures will be returned in their original condition. Wherever
possible, refrain from submitting the only copy that you have as some wear and tear is to be expected
during the scanning and retouching process.
LABELING FIGURES
Label each figure using the double-number method by combining the chapter and sequential figure
number. For instance, the first three figures in chapter 1 should be labeled figure 1.1, figure 1.2, and
figure 1.3. The first figure in chapter 2 will be figure 2.1. For figures that appear in unnumbered chapters
(e.g., Introduction, Preface, etc.), use an abbreviation for the chapter name followed by the sequential
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figure number (e.g., intro 1, intro 2). Be sure to number the actual artwork, writing in pencil on the back
of photographs if necessary. If you are submitting slides, place them in a clear plastic sleeve and place the
figure label on the outside of the sleeve.
CITING FIGURES
Cite figures in the manuscript using the figure labels assigned. Indicate each figure’s location in the text
by inserting a “callout” in square brackets (e.g., “[figure 2.5 here]”), on a separate line between
paragraphs. You may use boldface to help distinguish the figure callout from standard paragraph text.
Note: Electronic figures should not be copied (embedded) into the manuscript Word file. Only the figure
callout should appear within the manuscript file.
FIGURE CAPTIONS
Figure captions should be placed with the figure callouts, on a separate line between
paragraphs.
SUBMITTING FIGURE FILES
Please submit your figure files electronically via a file-sharing service such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.
Dropbox is our preferred service. Do not submit files via Google Drive. Once you have submitted your
figure files, notify your acquisitions editor and assistant. Notify your acquisitions editor and
assistant before making any updates or changes to files you have submitted.
THE EDITORIAL PROCESS
When your manuscript has been turned over to the editorial department, it is assigned to a manuscript
editor. This is the person to whom you should address all questions pertaining to the content of the
manuscript. All questions regarding your contract, permissions, endorsements, jacket copy, publication
date, or marketing should be addressed to your acquisitions editor.
REVIEWING THE EDITING
Your manuscript editor will return the edited manuscript to you as a protected Word file, along with a
style sheet and guidelines for reviewing the editing and responding to queries.
Please note that the appearance of the manuscript does not reflect the way the typeset pages will look.
Limit your corrections to textual corrections and additions. Do not do any reformatting of paragraphs;
that is, do not change indentions, line spacing, or alignment. If you want changes made to the way
paragraphs are formatted, add an explanatory comment and we will make the correction by changing the
way the paragraph is tagged.
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NOTE Edits, additions, and corrections must be completed during copyediting review. This
review stage is your final opportunity to make changes to the content. The Press does
not allow content rewriting during page proof review.
Page proof review
Once the text is typeset, we limit corrections to typos and other egregious errors. Refer to the schedule
provided by your manuscript editor for the deadline for returning the manuscript to the Press. The bound
book date for your book is dependent on this and all other deadlines being met.
PROOFREADING
Our publication schedule allows approximately three weeks for proofreading. Your manuscript editor
will provide you with instructions; the date by which the proofs must be returned will be in the
schedule provided at the beginning of the process. Proofreading is your responsibility. The best results
are usually achieved by professional proofreaders, and the Press recommends that you hire one. The
Press does not employ proofreaders.
INDEXING
Unless other arrangements have been made, you are responsible for your book’s index; you may prepare
the index yourself, but we recommend that you hire a professional indexer. If the press hires an indexer
for you, you will be responsible for covering the cost unless other arrangements have been made with
your acquisitions editor. Indexing instructions are available (see Guidelines for Preparing an Index).
The index manuscript is due about 10 days after you return the page proofs to the Press—the due date is
specified in the schedule provided by your manuscript editor. The index manuscript must follow all
other guidelines given above for manuscript preparation.
If the Press hires a freelance indexer to create your index, you will be permitted to correct any
typographical errors or delete any unnecessary entries; you will not be able to make any other changes.
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