Submissions are accepted via NCS / Pennsylvania State University Press Editorial Manager.

Please direct other inquiries to ncs.editors@gmail.com.

Submissions to the Editorial Manager must be formatted according to the submission guidelines below. Detailed NCS style guidelines are found here.

Submission Guidelines

General Guidelines

  • The journal uses a double-blind review process; please remove all references to or clues about your identity as author(s) from the main text and footnotes.
  • Tables, figures, appendixes, and photos must be submitted as separate files / documents from the article text.
  • Article submissions should be accompanied by an Abstract of up to 200 words. Please go here for guidelines on how to write an abstract.
  • Submit 1–5 keywords.
  • Authors are responsible for securing permissions and paying the required fees for the use of any material previously published elsewhere, and for reproduction of artwork and other images. Copies of permission letters should be sent to the Pennsylvania State University Press with the author’s publication contract.
  • Authors guarantee that the contribution does not infringe any copyright, violate any other property rights, or contain any scandalous, libelous, or unlawful matter.
  • Authors guarantee that the contribution has not been published elsewhere and is not currently under consideration elsewhere.

Manuscript Format

  • Articles should be submitted as Microsoft Word files.
  • All text, including notes should be formatted in Times New Roman font, size 12 point, with double line spacing throughout.
  • Length: 25 to 50 pages / 6,000 to 10,000 words, including notes. Submissions of greater length may be considered but may be scrutinized for possible cuts or more appropriate publication elsewhere.
  • Paragraph indentation by tab only, not space bar or paragraph indent function. No extra lines between paragraphs.
  • Use single spaces following periods between sentences throughout the manuscript.
  • Number pages at the bottom right.
  • No function of “Track Changes” should be in use. Please check your document for any remaining tracked changes, hidden text, or comments, and delete them.
  • “Style” field should read “Normal” throughout text.
  • Use “main headings” and “subheadings.”
  • Subheads may be formatted for italic to distinguish them from a full heading.
  • No automated lists: all numbers or bullets must be keyed.
  • Epigraphs and extracts from other texts must be set off only with an extra line space above and below: do not format using an indent. On a line immediately below an epigraph, provide the name of the author, the source, and the date of the source: do not use an endnote.
  • Dedications may placed as an unnumbered note at the beginning of the endnotes.
  • All footnotes are to be converted to endnotes, double spaced, and rendered in 12-point Times Roman.

Tables / Figures / Appendices

  • Submit as separate files/documents from the article text.
  • An indication in the text for placement should be given, for example: <Table 1>, <Figure 2>, <Appendix 1>.
  • All figure captions must be submitted together in a single MS-Word document.
  • Figures (images) must be submitted in the original format at the size the author would like them to appear (see digital images, below).
  • Tables should be submitted in MS-Word. All tables may be included in one document.
  • Charts and graphs should be submitted in MS-Excel or its original source file.
  • Digital images should be submitted as either .tiff or .jpeg files (preferably .tiff files, if possible) at a resolution of 300 dpi and at the size the images are to appear (e.g., for most purposes, an appropriate size for a 300 dpi rectangular image would be at least 1200 by 2400 pixels, height and width respectively).

Style

In all matters of style, articles accepted for publication in NCS must conform to The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) and to the journal’s house style. Initial submission standards follow.

Ellipses

  • Do not use ellipses at the beginning or end of a quotation.
  • Within a quotation, indicate omission of part of a sentence by using three periods with a space before, in between, and after (“ . . . and . . . ”).
  • If the end of a sentence is omitted, use four periods, the first immediately following the text, and the following spaced as above.
  • Use a four-point ellipsis if an entire sentence is omitted.
  • In the case of verse quoted in run-in text, indicate a missing line or lines using a three-point ellipsis between virgules (/ . . . /); and in the case of offset quotation, indicate using spaced periods extending the full length of the line quoted above.

Endnotes

  • For initial submission, endnote callouts should remain embedded in the text, automatically numbered consecutively throughout the article, using superscript Arabic numerals following punctuation marks.
  • All endnote entries must be double-spaced and appear at the end of the article

Citations

Manuscripts must consistently conform to the citation style that, in CMS is termed “notes and bibliography” (sect. 14, 17th ed.) Examples of reference citations for journal articles and books are shown below. For more examples, please consult CMS and the NCS house style. Except for special purposes, NCS does not publish bibliographies in addition to endnotes.

  • In the case of works by multiple authors, please list up to three authors; for more than three, please list only the first author, followed by et al. (see examples below).
Journal Citation
  • Authors’ first and last names (not in inverted order), “Title of Article,” Title of Journal volume no., issue no. (month or season and year): inclusive page numbers of article, page number of quoted material in text. E.g:

G. Bischoff, S. Maertens, and W. Grimme, “Airline Pricing Strategies Versus Consumer Rights,” Transportation Journal 14, no. 3 (2011): 232-50, 237.

Book Citations
  • Author’s first and last names (not in inverted order), Title of Book (City: name of publisher, date). E.g.:

S. Geary and K. Vitasek, Performance-Based Logistics: A Contractor’s Guide to Life Cycle Product Support Management (Bellevue, Wash.: Supply Chain Visions, 2008), page number(s) of quoted material.

Gottfried Benn, Primal Vision, ed. E. B. Ashton; trans. M. Hamburger (London: Bodley Head, 1961), page number(s) of quoted material.

G. Bischoff, S. Maertens, and W. Grimme, “Airline Pricing Strategies Versus Consumer Rights,” in Performance-Based Logistics: A Contractor’s Guide to Life Cycle Product Support Management, ed. S. Geary and K. Vitasek (Bellevue, Wash.: Supply Chain Visions, 2008), 232–50, 237.

G. Bischoff, S. Maertens, and W. Grimme, “Airline Pricing Strategies Versus Consumer Rights,” Transportation Journal 14, no. 3 (2011): 232-50, 237.

  • Subsequent references in endnotes should follow the CMS short title format: Author, short title, page number. E.g.:

Bischoff, Maertens, and Grimme, “Airline Pricing Strategies,” 238.

  • When documenting primary sources, the author should in most cases supply page references followed by parenthetical citations of chapter numbers or other textual divisions in order to facilitate readers’ reference to editions other than those the author has chosen. E.g.:

Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, ed. Nina Burgis (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 153 (bk. 4, chap. 11).

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh, ed. Kerry McSweeney (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), 90 (3.520-24).

  • Following an initial citation of a primary source in an endnote, subsequent quotations, if numerous, may be documented with in-text citations in parenthetical form. E.g., the Barrett Browning citation would appear as (p. 90 [3.520-24]).
Manuscript references
  • The first citation must include the full manuscript information: City, Library, manuscript number, folio number.

Abstracts

What is an Abstract?

An abstract allows readers to identify quickly and accurately the basic content of your article. It is an invaluable research guide because it is most often what potential readers use to decide whether your article is relevant for them.

Abstracts at a Glance:

  • Condensed version of the article
  • Highlights the major points covered
  • Concisely describes the content and scope of the work
  • Helps readers decide whether to read the entire article
  • Provides readers with a preview of research
  • Contains relevant keywords for searching and indexing

Many online databases, such as JSTOR, use both abstracts and full-text options to index articles. Therefore, abstracts should contain keywords and phrases that allow for easy and precise searching. Incorporating keywords into the abstract that a potential researcher would search for emphasizes the central topics of the work and gives prospective readers enough information to make an informed judgment about the applicability of the work.

Writing Tips

An abstract is a self-contained piece of writing that can be understood independently from the article. It must be kept brief (approximately 150–250 words) and may include these elements:

  • Statement of the problem and objectives (gap in literature on this topic)
  • Thesis statement or question
  • Summary of employed methods, viewpoint, or research approach
  • Conclusion(s) and/or implications of research

Keep in Mind… Depending on your rhetorical strategy, an abstract need not include your entire conclusion, as you may want to reserve this for readers of your article. The abstract should, however, clearly and concisely indicate to the reader what questions will be answered in the article. You want to cultivate anticipation so the reader knows exactly what to expect when reading the article—if not the precise details of your conclusion(s).

Do
  • Include your thesis, usually in the first 1–2 sentences
  • Provide background information placing your work in the larger body of literature
  • Use the same chronological structure as the original work
  • Follow lucid and concise prose
  • Explain the purpose of the work and methods used
  • Use keywords and phrases that quickly identify the content and focus of the work
  • Mimic the type and style of language found in the original article, including technical language
Do Not
  • Refer extensively to other works
  • Add information not contained in the original work
  • Define terms
  • Repeat or rephrase your title
Examples

The abstract should begin with a clear sense of the research question and thesis.

“While some recent scholars claim to have refuted the relevance of stylometric analysis for Plato studies, new technological advances reopen the question. In this article I use two recently completed stylometric analyses of the Platonic corpus to show that advanced artificial intelligence techniques such as genetic algorithms can serve as a foundation for chronological assertions.”

It is often useful to identify the theoretical or methodological school used to approach the thesis question and/or to position the article within an ongoing debate. This helps readers situate the article in the larger conversations of your discipline.

“The debate among Watts, Koupria, and Brecker over the reliability of stylometry (PMLA 126.5, Fall 2009) suggests that . . .” or “Using the definition of style proposed by Markos (2014), I argue that . . .”

Finally, briefly state the conclusion.

“Through analyzing the results of Watts and Koupria’s genetic algorithmic stylometry, I demonstrate that they provide solutions to roadblocks previously identified in stylometric analyses of the Platonic corpus for the purposes of developing a reliable chronology. These solutions . . .”