SGA Publications: Provenance - Information for Contributors

The Provenance editorial board actively seeks articles, case studies, and review essays which increase understanding of archival issues, highlight new topics, or that broadens the scope of knowledge for people working with archival collections in the state of Georgia. Articles written for publication in Provenance should be original works and authors should keep in mind the following guidelines and rules of structure. SGA recognizes a superior contribution for each issue of Provenance via the Gracy Award.

v     The editorial board appraises submitted manuscripts in terms of appropriateness, scholarly worth, and clarity of

      writing.

v      Use unembedded footnotes rather than endnotes.

v      All text, references, and endnotes should conform to copyright regulations and to accepted scholarly

      standards. This is the author’s responsibility.

v      Contributors submit manuscripts with the understanding that they have not been submitted simultaneously for

      publication to any other journal. Only manuscripts that have not been previously published will be accepted,

      and authors must agree not to publish elsewhere, without explicit written permission, a paper

      submitted to and accepted by Provenance.

v      Provenance uses The Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html) and Webster’s New International Dictionary of the

      English Language, 3d edition (G. & C. Merriam, Co.) as its standards for style, spelling, and punctuation. Use

      of terms which have special meaning for archivists, manuscript curators, and records managers should conform

      to the definitions in Richard Pearce-Moses, compiler, A Glossary of Archives and Records Terminology: http://www.archivists.org/glossary/.  

v      Manuscripts should be submitted as Word documents.

v      Manuscripts are sent out (without the author's name) for peer review by at least two readers who evaluate them and recommend acceptance, rejection, or acceptance with noted revisions. Author notification of a final decision normally takes a minimum of three months. Acceptance for publication is on the condition that specified revisions be made. If an article is accepted, the author will be requested to prepare a brief biographical sketch to accompany the published article. Authors are given the opportunity to approve all editorial changes and to review page proofs for correction of errors. The minimum editorial cycle is six-to-nine months. This process includes the receipt of a manuscript, initial review, acceptance, revision, copy editing, printing and distribution; there are various factors which can affect that time period. To expedite the publishing of your article it is imperative that

      you make your essay as perfect as possible prior to submitting it for review.

v      Upon receipt and review, the author(s) will receive a letter stating the anticipated publication date of their article.

v      Illustrations, photographs, drawings, or graphs are welcome – please make sure they are at least 300 dpi.

v      Two complimentary copies of Provenance will be provided to the author; reviewers receive two tear-sheets.

v      Letters to the editor that include pertinent and constructive comments or criticisms of articles or reviews recently

        published by Provenance are welcome. Ordinarily, such letters should not exceed 300 words.

Some things to avoid in your writing:

• Use of first or second person: The article should be written as if you are an outside observer, not a  participant.
•  Incomplete sentences: No exceptions! Every sentence must have a subject and a verb.
• Wordiness: Use the fewest words necessary to get the job done.
• Excessive quotation: The article is written by YOU and should be read as such. Don’t rely too much on what others say about a subject. Wherever possible, paraphrase authors instead of directly quoting them.
  

SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

Manuscripts and related correspondence should be addressed to:

Cheryl Oestreicher
Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

Atlanta, GA 30303

E-Mail: provenance@soga.org

Review materials and related correspondence should be sent to the Reviews Editor:

Jennifer M. Welch, Digital Archivist 

Waring Historical Library, MUSC

175 Ashley Ave.

Charleston, SC 29425

Tel: 843-792-6749

http://waring.library.musc.edu

THE GRACY AWARD
SGA awards a $200 prize that recognizes a superior contribution for each issue of Provenance. Named for David B. Gracy II, founder and first editor of Georgia Archive, the award began in 1990 with volume VIII and is judged by the Provenance Editorial Board. For more detailed information about the award, please visit the SGA Administrative Handbook. A listing of past recipients can be found here.