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Start SubmissionGeneral instructions | Language & text | Figures & Tables | References
NB: We are aware that no set of guidelines can cover all possibilities, so please use these as a general guide only. The journal uses MHRA referencing style.
Template
Authors should submit all articles in the WCJ article template.
Article types
All word limits include referencing and citation.
Title page
To ensure blind peer review, please only list the title and abstract on the submitted manuscript title page.
Abstract
Research articles must have the main text prefaced by an abstract of no more than 250 words summarising the main arguments and conclusions of the article. This must have the heading ‘Abstract’ and be easily identified from the start of the main text.
A list of up to six key words may be placed below the abstract (optional). The Abstract and Keywords should also be added to the metadata when making the initial online submission.
Permissions and ethical approval
The author is responsible for obtaining all copyright permissions required prior to submission of the manuscript, and any ethical approval required (if the research involves working with human subjects). Statements confirming thos should be included in the Materials and Methods section.
Manuscripts should be double-spaced throughout (including block quotations, notes, reference list, and poetry excerpts), in a commonly used standard font, with standard margins. This may be changed during the typesetting process. Use the font SimSun for Chinese characters if possible.
Provide characters for all Chinese terms at first occurrence, whether in the text or the notes. Provide Chinese characters and dates for all historical persons at first occurrence. Provide Chinese characters for all authors’ names listed in the reference list.
Provide romanizations, Chinese characters and English translations for all titles at first occurrence in the text, and for every entry in the reference list. It is not necessary to provide Chinese characters and translation for texts cited in the notes, if these are provided in the reference list.
Romanization
Use the pinyin system, and italicise pinyin terms. If Wade-Giles romanizations appear in a quotation, please change them to pinyin and place in square brackets.
Incorporate word boundaries when transliterating; i.e., yanjiu ziliao, not yan jiu zi liao.
Lists
Use bullet points to denote a list without hierarchy or order of value. If the list indicates a specific sequence then a numbered list must be used.
Lists should be used sparingly to maximise their impact.
Quotation marks
Use single quotation marks except for quotes within another speech, in which case double quotation marks are used.
Quotations that are longer than three lines in length must be in an indented paragraph separate from the main text.
The standard, non-italicised font must be used for all quotes.
It must be clear from the text and/or citation where the quote is sourced. If quoting from material that is under copyright then permission will need to be obtained from the copyright holder.
Use of footnotes/endnotes
Use footnotes rather than endnotes. Please insert the footnote marker after the end punctuation (except for a dash, when it should precede the dash).
Always provide images or figures as separate files in a graphics file format. DO NOT submit them pasted into the essay's Word document or as separate Word documents.
GRAYSCALE IMAGES
TIFF or EPS format. Minimum resolution of 300 dpi at desired final print size.
COLOR IMAGES
TIFF or EPS format. Minimum resolution of 300 dpi at desired final print size.
LINE ART
TIFF or EPS format. Minimum resolution of 600 dpi.
The reference list at the end of the article provides full bibliographic information for all works cited in the text. Works that are not cited should not be included in this list.
The reference list is arranged alphabetically by author. Two works by the same author are listed alphabetically by title. Works of four or more authors are listed by the first author, followed by “et al.”
Article titles are not italicized, but placed within quotation marks, i.e., do not italicize a romanized article title. Book titles within an article title should be italicized (e.g., “Maqiao cidian de yingyi yu jieshou”).
A romanized book title should be italicized in its entirety, even if it contains embedded book titles or terms (e.g., Liaozhai zhiyi chuangzuo lun).
Capitalize only the first letter of the transliterated name of a Chinese publishing house.
Provide translations of Chinese titles in square brackets. These translations do not need to be italicized or in quotation marks, but they should be capitalized title-style and should appear neither in italics nor within quotation marks.
Use MHRA referencing style. For more details consult: http://www.mhra.org.uk/news/mhra-style-guide-online.
Reference list – Examples
A) English Titles
Monograph
Edited Volume
Translation
Anthology
Journal Article
Article in Online Journal
B) Chinese Titles
Creative Work
Monograph
Edited Volume
Journal Article
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms. If a submission is rejected or withdrawn prior to publication, all rights return to the author(s):
Submitting to the journal implicitly confirms that all named authors and rights holders have agreed to the above terms of publication. It is the submitting author's responsibility to ensure all authors and relevant institutional bodies have given their agreement at the point of submission.
Note: some institutions require authors to seek written approval in relation to the terms of publication. Should this be required, authors can request a separate licence agreement document from the editorial team (e.g. authors who are Crown employees).
Authors publishing in Writing Chinese: A Journal of Contemporary Sinophone Literature face no financial charges for the publication of their article.