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Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

This document provides details on typesetting and layout requirements pertaining to final manuscript submission to Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer.

Article Length

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer imposes no specific page limits; however, authors should exercise discretion with respect to length.

Language & Grammar

All submissions must be in English. Except for words and phrases commonly used in an English context, avoid the use of foreign words and phrases. If a foreign word or phrase is used, it should be set in italics.

Use the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Ed., for guidance on usage, style, formatting, and citation. For additional assistance on grammar and style, the standard guide is Elements of Style, 4th Ed., by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, but other excellent publications are also available.

General Formatting Requirements

  • Do not include a title page or abstract. (Begin the document with the introduction; a title page, including the abstract, will be added to your paper by the editors.)
  • Do not include page numbers, headers, or footers. These will be added by the editors.
  • Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file. (Word, RTF, or PDF files are acceptable.)
  • All pages should be 8.5 x 11-inches, with a single-column layout.
  • All margins (left, right, top, and bottom) should be 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). This requirement applies to both main body text and pages containing only tables and figures.

    • Spacing, Indentation, and Justification

    • Single-space all body text.
    • Do not insert extra space between paragraphs of text with the exception of long quotations, theorems, propositions, special remarks, etc. These should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below.
    • Avoid widow and orphan text. (That is, don't end a page with the first line of a paragraph or begin a page with the last line of a paragraph.)
    • When possible, no more than one quarter of each page should be empty space.
    • Indent all paragraphs except those following a section heading. An indent should be at least 2 em-spaces.
    • All text should be left-justified (i.e., flush with the left margin) except where indented. Where possible, it should also be right-justified (i.e., flush with the right margin). Note, however, that the quality of right justification can vary. For example, LaTeX and TeX do an excellent job of justifying text. Word does a reasonable job. But some word processors do a poor job (e.g., they achieve right justification by inserting too much white space within and between words). Although flush right margins are preferable, therefore, it is better to have jagged right margins than to have flush right margins with awkward intra- and inter-word spacing. Make your decision based on what looks best.

    Font

    • Except where special symbols are needed, use Times New Roman or the closest comparable font available.
    • Where a second font is required (e.g., in tables, figures, or headings), us a sans serif font such as Arial.
    • Headings (e.g., at the start of sections) may be distinguished from main body text by the use of small caps, and hierarchy of heads should be indicated by reducing font size.
    • Main body text must use 12-pt. font. Footnotes must use 10-pt. font. Smaller fonts may be used in tables and figures as appropriate; however, avoid the use of fonts smaller than 6 pt.
    • Use black font for the majority of the text. Color may be used as appropriate in the production of figures, maps, etc. Bear in mind, however, that the use of color can cause problems for readers who rely on black and white printers. Therefore, avoid the use of color in situations when its translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible.
    • For emphasis, use italics rather than underlining. Do not use color to emphasize text.
    • Eliminate all colored mark-ups or comments that appear in the final version except those that are meant to be part of the final text. (It may be necessary to accept all changes in track changes or set your document to normal in final markup.)

    Tables and Figures

    • All figures and tables must be the original creation of the author(s) unless written permission is obtained from the copyright holder of the originals. If submitting copyrighted materials, a copy of the permission must be submitted with the article.
    • All figures should be high-resolution and preferably encoded as encapsulated PostScript (eps).
    • In no case should tables or figures be in a separate document or file.
    • All tables and figures must fit within 1.5" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) in both portrait and landscape view.
    • To the extent possible, tables and figures should appear in the document shortly after the point where they are first referenced in the text.
    • Large tables or figures should appear on pages by themselves. Avoid splitting tables or figures across multiple pages.
    • Tables and figures must be clearly labeled. Titles should appear above tables, and captions should appear below figures.
    • Tables and figures should be clearly legible. Avoid the use of fonts smaller than 6 pt., and include legends as necessary.

    Mathematics

    • Roman letters used as variables in mathematical expressions should be italicized. Roman letters used as part of multi-letter function names should not be italicized.
    • Whenever possible, subscripts and superscripts should be a smaller font than that used in the main text.
    • Short mathematical expressions should be typed inline. Longer expressions should appear as display math.
    • Expressions using different levels (e.g., fractions) should be set as display math. Important definitions or concepts may also be set off as display math.
    • Equations should be numbered sequentially. Whether equation numbers are on the right or left is the choice of the author(s); however, consistency is essential.
    • When possible, avoid symbols and notation in unusual fonts. This will enhance the clarity of the manuscript and ensure that symbols display and print correctly. When proofing your document under PDF pay particular attention to the rendering of the mathematics, especially symbols and notation drawn from other than standard fonts.

    Citations and Footnotes

    Authors must provide complete citations for all sources based on the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Ed. Chicago style permits the use of either footnotes and bibliography or author/date citations with a list of works cited. Authors are encouraged to choose the system most commonly used in their discipline.

    A quick guide to Chicago style is available here. For additional detail, consult the full text of the Chicago Manual of Style, available in the Curtis Laws Wilson Library or the Writing Center.

    Footnotes

    • References should be superscript numbers appearing in the text following punctuation.
    • Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced, and they should be separated from main body text by a separator rule (line).
    • All footnotes should be single-spaced and both left- and right-justified (i.e., flush with the margins) unless this creates awkward spacing.
    • Very long footnotes should be converted to appendices.

    Author/Date Citations

    • Citations should appear in parentheses before punctuation.
    • When inserted in sentences that mention the source author by name, citations should include only the year of publication. When the source author is not mentioned by name in the text, the citation should include the author's surname and the year of publication, with no intervening punctuation.
    • Where appropriate, citations may also include page numbers or other locator information. Such information should follow the year of publication, separated from the year by a comma. When including page numbers, use numerals only; do not include abbreviations such as pg. or pp.