Editorial Guidelines

Subjects

The Nautical Research Journal publishes approximately 24 in-depth features a year. These include original research on any nation’s maritime history during any period, information about the construction and fitting of vessels, and guidance for creating accurate scale ship models. Any subject from any period is acceptable. Evidence of primary research is required. Whenever possible or appropriate, articles include photographs, scale or technical drawings, maps or other graphic material. Feature articles are typically 4,000 words in length, but can run longer.

Shop notes offer isolated building tips on how a modeler solved a particularly annoying problem, or explain a new approach to an old construction method. These are usually 1,500 words or less, and are not always illustrated.

News Material

Book and product reviews offer a service to our readers. The Journal gladly accepts unsolicited reviews of books and products but will not necessarily publish them. It is advisable to query the editor beforehand if you plan to submit a review.

Submissions

All submissions are welcome. All submissions will receive careful consideration from the editor and the editorial advisory board prior to publication. The task of the editor and his advisors (who collectively have many years of experience in writing and editing for publication) is to support and assist authors in bringing their work to the public. That experience may well compensate for an author’s (probably mistaken) perception of inadequate writing skills, so please do not hesitate to submit your efforts. Nevertheless, uncertain authors might consider consulting the editor prior to submitting material or first send an outline abstract to avoid expending too much effort on a piece that the Journal may be unlikely to publish.

Peer Review

All prospective articles (with the exception of pure modelling submissions) are double blind peer reviewed by acknowledged experts in their fields. This form of review protects the anonymity of both authors and reviewers, and any author’s request for sight reviewers’ reports will be rejected.

After receiving the reviewers’ reports the editor will accept the article as it stands (subject to minor stylistic changes required to meet house styles), request amendments suggested by the reviewers, or reject the article. The editor’s decision, in all cases, will be final.

Style

Use the active voice and a conversational tone. Proper sentence structure and grammar are essential, and it is the editor’s responsibility to ensure this. Since we also have a foreign audience, it is helpful to use Imperial measurements with their metric equivalents in parentheses and never to mention a brand name without explaining what it is.

Physical Form

Head your manuscript with your name and all contact information, its title, your byline, and any other credit line. Ideally, save it in Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect, using single-spaced 12-point font and no formatting other than tabs to indent paragraphs and italics for ship’s names and book titles. Nevertheless, if creating your manuscript in this format presents a problem for you, please submit your work in the best format available to you and it will be re-formatted during production. For citations, please use the Chicago Manual of Style author-date format and provide a list of works cited at the end of the manuscript. If your piece includes images, please send only small versions with your initial submission. Refer to images in your text using the format “(Figure X)” and include a keyed list of captions and source credits at the end of the manuscript. Send your manuscript via email to Paul Fontenoy and please do not transmit ZIP text files, since most mail servers now block such files due to computer virus concerns. You may also submit your article as clearly-printed hard copy.

Legal Requirements

Written permission must be obtained before submitting artwork protected by copyright. The editor must have a copy on file.

When in doubt - ask!

Image Captions

The author must include the proper credit line for each illustration, which is identified in numerical order beginning with Figure 1. Never write on the back of a photograph. Type or print (legibly) identification numbers or information on adhesive labels or Post-It notes, and apply them to the back of the image. Duplicate captions at the end of the article.

Captions should identify the image and provide additional insight. A proper credit line, (as specified by the copyright owner) and document number (if appropriate) should also be included.

Image Formats

Submitting digital images is encouraged. For final images an actual size (not interpolated size) of 5” x 7” or larger at 300 – 600 dpi is required (use at least 600 dpi for line art). Do not submit images copied from Web sites. If you scan your images, make certain you have experience using a flatbed scanner and can provide a file suitable for printing.

Images may be submitted on CD or via email. The following formats are preferred: Eps, Tif, Jpeg (quality level of 10 or higher), Photoshop document (psd), bmp, or pict. Do not e-mail images larger than 5MB.

If you prefer not to use digital formats, glossy photographic images 5” x 7” or larger are recommended. Always select quality images with sharp detail. Do not submit negatives or photocopies. High quality transparencies, however, are acceptable. Photographs of flat artwork should be done with an overhead camera mount and adequate lighting.

Line art must be of adequate size and quality for reproduction. CAD output or India ink on Mylar is preferred. Other alternatives should be clean, crisp, and on a white background if possible. Photocopies are unacceptable. Images 11-inch by 17-inch or smaller are preferred. Scale drawings must include a ruler or scale ratio (reproductions must indicate any change in size as a percentage related to the original image).

If you are not experienced in photography, consult a professional. Lighting, depth of field, camera quality, and experience are essential when capturing detail. It is worth the expense.

If you have any questions about photography, scanning, image quality, or providing images, e-mail the Editor Paul Fontenoy or the Production Manager Mike Carraway or telephone Paul Fontenoy or Mike Carraway at 252-728-7317 ext. 24.

Serial Rights

The Nautical Research Journal accepts only Worldwide Serial Rights. Material must be original, under the author’s ownership, and, whenever possible, previously unpublished. Copyright reverts to the author 90 days after publication. The author must sign a Writer's Agreement.

Compensation

Compensation for academic research articles is a one-year subscription to the Nautical Research Journal, or a one-year extension of an existing subscription, or three copies of the Journal. Compensation for modeling articles is $250 per article ($500 for a multi-part article). Compensation for shop notes articles is $50.