Author Guidelines
Manuscript Submission
Manuscript submissions for RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, along with related questions, should be sent to the editor, Diane Dias De Fazio, at diane.diasdefazio@gmail.com.
Overview
RBM is a peer-reviewed journal publishing articles on the theory and practice of library special collections, archives, cultural heritage institutions, and related fields. Content in RBM generally assumes two forms: articles and reviews.
Deadlines
Fall Issue: July 15
Spring Issue: January 15
Submission and Publication Process
- Contact RBM editor via email before sending manuscript(s) to discuss topic(s), length, illustrations, or other issues prior to submission.
- Submit email attachments in MS Word (.docx) to the editor.
- Submit original, unpublished articles only. Contributions published elsewhere or under consideration by other journals are ineligible for publication in RBM.
- Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the statements and sources in their articles.
- If the article was presented at a conference, identify the conference by name, sponsoring organization, and date.
- If approved, authors will be asked to provide 100-word biographies for all contributing authors.
- RBM uses an identity-hidden peer review process to review all submissions. Two readers and a member of the RBM editorial board are assigned to each article. Authors receive reviewer feedback, in addition to a publication decision from the editor. Submissions are reviewed according to the journal’s Criteria for Evaluation.
- At acceptance after peer review, authors are provided with a timeline for revision and re-submission.
- Authors are asked to sign and submit the ACRL publications agreement form, in which ACRL asks for “the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, and distribute your work both in print and online. ACRL also has the right to use your name in association with the article for advertising purposes.” Additional information may be found in the ACRL Publications Agreement FAQ.
- Authors receive a copy of the first-round page proof of their article to proofread.
Content
- Articles may take the form of theoretical or scholarly submissions, revisions of conference presentations, articles that describe specific libraries or collections, interviews, or historical articles. Articles may address membership and Section assessments, acquisition and collection development, access to and use of special collections, conservation and preservation, cataloging and technical services, protection services and loss prevention, fundraising and donor relations, digital humanities, exhibition preparation, trends in the antiquarian market and collecting; and other topics. Articles must relate to special collections librarianship, archives, or museum practice, and the writing style should be formal. Authors are asked to avoid use of the first-person voice.
- Articles should be 3,000 to 5,000 words, plus any accompanying tables, charts, or images. Maximum length for an article is 5,000 words.
- Copyright clearance and permission for publication for any portion of the submitted article, including images, must be obtained, in advance, by the author.
Style and Form
- Articles must be double-spaced.
- Each article will include an author credit consisting of the author’s name, position title, and institution.
- Submissions will be edited for content, style, spelling, grammar, and syntax. Editor makes final decisions about journal content and form.
- Acknowledgements, if any, should appear at the end of the article.
- A 200-word abstract should precede the body of the article.
- Articles must follow the “Notes-Bibliography” and style guidelines provided by the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Bibliographical references should be consecutively numbered throughout the manuscript, and formatted as footnotes. Bibliographies are not included in published articles.
- Articles must be submitted in English, using American spellings, following Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (currently the eleventh edition) for preferred spellings of words.
- Articles submitted in languages other than English must also provide an English-language copy of the text.
Visual Materials
- Authors are encouraged to send illustrative material with their submissions.
- Charts and tables should be submitted as separate Word files, captioned, and otherwise clearly identified. Indicate the desired placement in the text by adding an instruction in parentheses; e.g.: (Insert table 2).
- TIFF files are preferred for illustrations. Files should have a minimum of 300dpi.
- Full captions should be submitted for all images, including information regarding copyright permission, source of image, and photographer credit.
Reviews
RBM reviews new publications pertinent to a wide range of cultural heritage collections. Resources for which RBM is currently looking for reviewers are listed here. If you are interested in reviewing one of these resources, please contact RBM Reviews Editor John Henry Adams at j.adams@missouri.edu. Publishers, readers, or prospective reviewers who would like to suggest additional resources for review may do so through the Review Suggestions Form.
Author Rights
ACRL, as publisher of RBM, supports copyright retention by submitting authors. For more information on ACRL author agreements, visit the ACRL website. ACRL does not charge author processing fees (APCs) to publish in RBM.
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.