Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History

Writers' Brief

 WRITING YOUR ARTICLE

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your article must focus on the POLITICAL ASPECTS of the topic and the IMPACT ON THE TOPIC ON AMERICAN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT.
 
FOR BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAYS: Because we must distinguish ourselves from other historical encyclopedias, the entry must focus on the subject's POLITICS and the impact he/she had on the politics of the period and on US political development in general. We cannot use a general biography.
 

Please follow the outline below unless an alternative arrangement has been approved by your editor. Also, look closely at the sample/s to be posted on the project web site http://www.referenceworld.com/mtm/uspoliticalhistory/index.asp as a guideline and to get a sense of tone, structure, and necessary content.

1. HEADER. Include title of article and total word count at the beginning of article.
   
   If you are writing a biographical entry, please also list the following information at the beginning of your article, following the title and word count:
   
   Last Name, First Name
   (DATE-DATE)
   Identifier Phrase
   
   Example:
   Lincoln, Abraham
   1809-1865 [Note the death date should be 4 digits in all cases]
   Sixteenth President of the United States
   
   
2. FIRST PARAGRAPH.  Our format calls for a short opening paragraph (3-4 sentences) defining the topic and its place in the political development of the United States. Summarize the topic and—very important—its impact on the political history of the United States. It is essential that you make the connection between your topic and American political history and development explicit, especially for those entries where there is more of an implied linkage.
   
   
   
3. BODY OF THE ARTICLE. Explain the topic in more detail. Please remember that this is not a general encyclopedia. Focus on the topic in terms of contemporary state/regional politics and government. Address contemporary issues and controversies surrounding the topic and expand on its impact. If appropriate, also address the impact of the federal government on the topic in the context of federal/state relations. If historical background is necessary to an understanding of the contemporary situation, include it, but please keep it brief.  If you are writing biographical entries, include only biographical information germane to U.S. political history, and please make the relevance of this information apparent in the course of the entry.
   
   Very important: Because the encyclopedia is organized by time period rather than A-Z across volumes, your topic (which may appear in multiple volumes) should focus on the events in the period of the volume. Please summarize pertinent events or trends before the time period in a few sentences after the introductory paragraph. Summarize important events, trends, etc. after the period in a paragraph before the final assessment paragraph. You can determine if your topic will be in multiple volumes by going to the website.   
   
   Note: All entries, except for E-length (800 words) require subheads in the body of the article. Subheads can indicate thematic or chronological transitions.
   
   
4. FINAL PARAGRAPH(S). Every article must end with an assessment-type concluding paragraph(s). Discuss the ultimate impact of the topic within the context of the time period of the volume and within U.S. political development in general.
   
   
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING. At the end of your article text, please include a “Bibliography and Further Reading” section that lists the major texts you used in writing the article and suggests additional reading and sources of information on the topic.
   
   
6. llow this guideline as to how many sources to list in each article in the “Bibliography and Further Reading” section:
   
   A and A+-length article (3,200–4,000 words): 8-10 sources
   B-length article (2600­–2,800 words): 7-9 sources
   C-length article (1,800–2,000 words): 6-8 sources
   D-length article (1400–1,500 words): 5-7 sources
   E-length article (700–800 words): 4-6 sources
   
   "Further Reading" titles should consist entirely, or mostly, of accessible books that are appropriate for the audience. Professional journal articles can also be included, although please note that some of these will be less accessible to readers. Every effort should be made to emphasize studies that are comprehensive and recent.
   
   Web sources are also acceptable. In choosing sources, please consider whether the sites have some likelihood of still being active when the book is published. Also, please consider the reliability and quality of the Web sites.
   
   
7. RELATED ENTRIES AND DOCUMENTS. This section will alphabetically list other entries in the encyclopedia that are related to your entry. Please include only those that will give the reader additional substantive information on the topic. Please refer to the project Web site to view the complete headword list. If you are unable to access the headword list, please contact the editor for a copy of the list.
   
   Sample Entries List: 19th Amendment; Catt, Carrie Chapman; National American Woman Suffrage Association; National Women’s Party; Paul, Alice
   
   Sample Documents List: 1869, Charter of American Women’s Suffrage Association,1877, Stanton letter to Anthony;
   
   
8. SIGNATURE Include your name, exactly as you would like it to appear in print, at the end of each article following the Related Entries section. Also include your title and academic or institutional affiliation, again exactly as you’d like it to appear in print.