The journal publishes papers on any aspect of Renaissance or Early Modern studies: art history, literature, music history, cultural history, gender studies, theatre history, etc.
In general, the papers that seem to fare the best with referees tend to be 20 to 30 pages in length (typed, double-spaced). There is no maximum limit; however, if the paper is accepted for publication, the editor reserves the right to make cuts if the issue in question demands it. If your article will ultimately illustrations, please include photocopies of them with your submitted article, indicating the Figure numbers on the photocopies so that referees may follow your document easily. (If the article is accepted for publication, there will be time for photos to be submitted later.)
Submissions may be handled through the postal (snail) mail or via e-mail, as you prefer.
Submission through snail mail
Please submit papers in triplicate or submit it on disk (with a note identifying the word processing program used and whether it is DOS or MAC). Be certain that your name is not referenced anywhere in the document except on a title page that may be torn off or deleted from the disk version. If you include a SASE, one copy (or the disk) will be returned to you in the event of a rejection; otherwise, you will receive only a letter from our office, and the other materials will be recycled.
Electronic submission
If your e-mail system allows attachments, you may send a submission to me via e-mail attachment. Just give in the body of your e-mail message your name and pertinent information and the word processing program you have used (also identify whether it is DOS or MAC). Be certain that your name is not referenced anywhere in the attachment.
Once a paper is accepted for publication:
Although the following aspects do not affect the referees' reviewing of papers in any way (and thus do not need to be followed in simply submitting a paper), it would be most helpful to us if a paper that is accepted for publication complies with these elements:
- If the paper is produced on computer, please send us a disk copy along with a printed version of your accepted paper. We work on WordPerfect 8.0, but we can usually accommodate any word processing program with our conversion programs. DOS is most compatible for us, but we can convert MAC files to our use if you cannot. If the paper is eventually accepted for publication and if it was not produced on computer, we can scan a typescript hard copy for publication, but be aware in this event that later, when you receive the camera-ready proofs, you will need to proofread it very carefully, since scanners can often garble the text in extremely subtle ways. Also be aware that, if you send it to us in any format other than WordPerfect 8.0 for DOS and if there are any diacritical marks in your essay, you will need to proofread that aspect carefully when you receive your camera-ready copy, because conversion filters sometimes miss these.
- EIRC uses the so-called "new" MLA documentation style (MLA Handbook or MLA Style Manual, newest edition): parenthetical in-text citations with a Works Cited list at the end. Textual endnotes are permissible (see next item), but all simple documentation should appear in the text as MLA directs. The Works Cited should contain full bibliographic information for each entry--for example, any article from a journal or a book collection needs to list full, inclusive page numbers for the entire article. The same goes for a play or short work in a longer anthology. If it is not feasible for you to shift your essay into MLA form, we can do it before publication, but please be certain to provide us a separate bibliography containing the full bibliographic information for each work referred to in the essay (i.e., full, inclusive page numbers for articles in journals or anthologies). We realize that this is an unusual style for art historians in particular, but since the majority of disciplines represented in EIRCuses MLA style, we feel that it is best if the entire journal conforms. Any bibliographic entry that does not contain the complete information for the work (as MLA defines it) will have to be made complete during your process of proofreading the camera-ready copy.
- If you choose to use any textual endnotes, and if you produce the final copy on computer, please do not use any computer "function keys" to embed the endnotes in the text. We realize that this "automatic" endnote system is easier for authors, but it is a nightmare for typesetting. Instead of an embedded endnote, simply type a superscript number in your text where the superscript will appear (or write it into the hard copy with a pen, if necessary), and then type the text of the endnote at the end of your article, like regular text, with the numeral of the endnote at its front. We can then format the entire article to produce camera-ready copy, and we can work with the text as well as the numbers in changing fonts and size/placement of characters.
- If you so choose, sub-titles for sections of the article are permissible. Just type the text of the section-title, centered, before the section.
- We are often willing to publish as many illustrations as you wish, if your article needs illustrations. Here are some notes for you if you are planning to use any illustrations:
- Contributors are responsible for supplying photographs wherever necessary to the article and for obtaining permissions and paying any permissions fees necessary for the reproductions of photographs. Permissions often take time, so start early with your request to the granting institution.
- Material for illustrations should be of good quality. Photographs should be glossy black and white prints; drawings, charts, and tables should be in India ink on white drawing paper or computer-generated (included in the disk copy of the final version of the essay). Clarity and easy readability are most important.
- Each photograph or drawing should be clearly marked on the reverse with the figure number--this marking should be done lightly with a soft pencil or felt-tip pen or a piece of paper taped to the back of the photo. Do not type or write heavily, or the marks will show through on the reproduction. If only part of the illustration is required, the area to be reproduced should be outlined on a photocopy of the photo submitted for that purpose.
- The caption should appear on a list of illustrations or on the reverse of each photo or drawing (again, in soft pencil, felt-tip pen, or on a piece of paper taped to the back), and should appear as follows: artist, object, medium, date, location, photo credit or permissions information. It is a good idea to place a blank sheet of paper between each photograph, if you have more than one, so that any ink from something on the back of a photo cannot smudge on to the face of the next photo. The granting institution will sometimes supply you with a specific permissions phrase; if so, please use it in the caption (and please also send us that permissions letter, as with all permissions letters).
Sample Captions
Fig. 2. Giorgione. Tempesta. Oil on canvas, c. 1505. Gallerie dell' Accademia, Venice. (Photo: Soprintendenza per i beni artistici e storici di Venezia) Fig. 14. Tellus Mater and a physician in a Landscape and Precatio Terrae. Manuscript illumination, thirteenth century. Biblioteca Laurenziana, Florence. MS Ploteo 73.16, Fol. 13v and 14r. (Photo: Ministreo per i bene e le attivita culturali di Firenze)
- Please send a list of caption information as part of the final document when you submit it in hard copy and/or computer disk form. Most photos will be placed upright on the page, but if you have a specific request for a photo to be rotated to its side (in order to keep the detail from being reduced to whatever extent possible), please let the editor know.
If you have questions, please feel free to e-mail the editor.
