Submissions
MHJ put out a call for papers in March each year. Submissions are due by the following June.
Please note that the editorial policy of MHJ is to publish work that constitutes an original piece of research. Thus we will only accept articles that are not under review or scheduled for publication by other journals, and that are substantially different from other published work.
All submissions must follow the style guide as set out below.
Style Guide
Unless directed otherwise, follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition. Spelling and hyphenation should follow the Macquarie Concise Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Sydney: Macquarie Library, 1998).
Manuscript Presentation
1. Do not write your name anywhere on the manuscript.
2. Submit your article as an email attachment (Word or rtf file) to mhj @unimelb.edu.au. 3. A one sentence biographical statement and full contact details should be included in the first email communication.
4. The manuscript should be double spaced throughout, including indented quotes and references.
5. Manuscripts that exceed an absolute count of 8,000 words in length, including footnotes, will not be accepted.
6. The article should be preceded by a brief abstract of no more than 100 words.
7. References should be supplied as footnotes, not endnotes.
8. Include a bibliography of works cited.
Use of Capitals
1. Other than for proper names, use capitals only when lower case would cause ambiguity.
Abbreviations
1. Full titles of countries, states, institutions, organisations, etc. should be used at the first reference; subsequent references may be abbreviated.
2. Use a full stop after an abbreviation (Vic., ed.), but not after a contraction (Mr, Mrs, Qld, eds). Symbols for currency and units of measurement are to be written out in full (five kilometres, twenty-five pounds, 3 seconds). Note that this practice differs from that recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style.
3. Do not use any full stop with abbreviations that consist of capitals: (NSW, ALP; also BA, PhD, MA), nor with their plurals.
Quotations
1. Use single quotation marks for quotations; within a quotation use double quotation marks. Note that this advice reverses the practice recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style.
2. Indent quotations of more than forty words, and double space.
3. Always preserve the spelling, grammar and punctuation of the original. Use [sic] sparingly to indicate aberrant usage.
4. Put any interpolations in square brackets.
5. If omitting material from a quotation, use three ellipsis points ( ... ). Do not use ellipsis points at the beginning of a quotation.
6. Close quotations before a final punctuation mark ('He left him dead'.) This too departs from the recommendations of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Numbers
1. Within the text, numbers and ordinals up to one hundred are spelled out: twenty-five, fifty-sixth anniversary.
2. Numbers over one hundred are given in figures (276), except for round numbers (five thousand). Use figures with a succession of numbers: 16 frocks, 5 smocks, 102 stockings.
3. For percentages write 91 per cent, not 91%.
Dates
1. Use the form 15 January 2000. Avoid beginning a sentence with a date in this form.
2. Months should be spelled out in full.
3. No apostrophe is used in 1870s, 2000s.
4. Show a span of years as 1845-50, not 1845-1850.
Italics/Underlining
1. Underline only if reproducing a specific device in a quotation; emphasis will normally be marked by italics.
2. Use italics for uncommon foreign words; the inclusion of a word or phrase in the Macquarie Concise Dictionary indicates that it is no longer considered uncommon.
References
Use the form of citation recommended by the Chicago Manual of Style (humanities), with the exceptions already noted, that is: use single quotation marks rather than double ones; use full stops after abbreviations but not after contractions; and close quotations before the final punctuation mark.
A short guide to referencing can be found on the Chicago Manual of Style website at:
www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
Subsequent References: Use author name and page number. If more than one book by the same author is cited, use suitable short titles, including author’s surname and key words from title of book, chapter/article or thesis. Use ibid. for a single work cited in the note immediately preceding.