Updated 30 March 2023
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Contents:
Notes to contributors of articles page 2
Guidelines for Obtaining Images and Permissions page 7
Notes to Writers of Field Notes page 10
Notes to Writers of Findings articles page 10
Notes to Writers of Letters to the Editor page 10
Notes to Writers of Book, Exhibition, and Multimedia page 10
For a list of current editors, please visit the JSAH page of the SAH website.
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
Notes to Contributors of Articles
In General
The JSAH is a blind-peer reviewed international journal devoted to all aspects of the history of the built
environment and spatial practice, including architecture, landscape architecture, urbanism, and city
planning. Published since 1941, the JSAH has defined the field of architectural history, and is a pioneer in
digital publication. We seek articles that are historically rigorous, conceptually sophisticated, and
theoretically innovative. Our scope is global.
Articles should not have been published previously and should demonstrate a full command of the
scholarly literature and available archival and field sources. They should proceed beyond the
presentation of these materials to make original interpretations and draw new conclusions. Articles
should be limited to 8,000 words of text, plus notes and captions not exceeding 5,000 words, and
twenty illustrations. Articles not exceeding 12,000 words total are preferred.
The JSAH publishes two editions, on paper and online. The text content of the two editions is
the same, but the online edition supports video and audio functions.
Manuscript Submission
Manuscript submissions and subsequent correspondence between authors and the JSAH are supported
by the JSAH ScholarOne Manuscripts website (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ucpress-jsah). Go to
the website and you will be given the opportunity to create your own password protected account,
which you will use to upload the manuscript that you wish to propose for publication. The website will
direct you how to upload the files that are described below. A user’s guide for authors is available at
https://clarivate.com/webofsciencegroup/wp-
content/uploads/sites/2/dlm_uploads/2022/05/S1Manuscripts_AuthorGuide_R1.pdf. If you are unable
to submit material through the website, you should contact the editor of the journal. DO NOT MAIL
MANUSCRIPTS TO THE SAH OFFICE OR THE EDITORIAL OFFICE.
Contents of the Initial Submission
Initial submissions must include these separate files, presented in this order:
1. Abstract as a Word file
2. Text and accompanying endnotes as a Word file
3. Captions with illustration sources for the print edition (with variant captions for the online
edition clearly identified) as a Word file
4. Low-resolution scans of the images for the print edition, uploaded as individual files, as
explained on the website. Do not place images together on a text document. If an article is
accepted for publication, you will then be required to provide high-resolution TIFF files (see
instructions below)
(You may also upload images for the online edition with the initial submission, but this is not required.)
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
Form of the Manuscript
1. The author’s name (or authors’ names) should not appear on the manuscript or be used in the
file name of any electronic submission. All files should be labeled with a key word from the title of
the article.
2. The abstract, text, endnotes, and captions/sources must be double-spaced and formatted for
printing on standard size paper (8½ x 11 inches or A4). Set the word processing program to print a
maximum of twenty-five lines per page in twelve-point type (ten to twelve words per line). Pages
must be left-justified and numbered consecutively throughout each file. Do not use automatic
numbering for the caption list or numbered lists.
3. Footnotes are not acceptable. Notes must be supplied as double-spaced endnotes at the end of
the article using the Endnote function in Word. As a rule, notes should not exceed two-thirds of the
length of the text.
4. Abstracts are published at the end of each article. In no more than 150 words, the abstract
should summarize the argument and define the methodological approach of the article. It should be
written in the third person.
5. A list of no more than eight (8) author-selected keywords follows the abstract. Authors should
consider keywords from each of the following four categories: Geography, Chronology/Temporalities,
Themes, and Typology. For further details on these categories, please see David Karmon,
“Foregrounding Keywords at JSAH,” JSAH 82, no. 1 (2023), 4-6.
Editorial Miscellany
1. Spelling: use current American spelling and typographical practice. JSAH uses the Merriam-
Webster Collegiate Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webstercollegiate.com).
2. Names and titles: after the first mention, the last name of a person, living or dead, will suffice
unless clarity requires a title or additional name.
3. Numbers and dates: use figures rather than spelled-out numbers for cardinal numbers over one
hundred and for all measurements. Form the plural of decades without an apostrophe; “1980s”
rather than “1980’s.” Dates should be given in the following forms: “17 October 1947,” “17
October,” “October 1947,” and “1947–50.”
4. Dimensions: use figures rather than spelled-out numbers and spell out units of measurement:
“100 feet,” “43 centimeters,” “26 Roman palmi.” English and metric units may be abbreviated in
discussions of quantitative data in technical articles: 100 ft., 43 cm (no periods with metric
abbreviations).
5. Quotations from foreign languages must be translated in the text, with the original in the
endnote only if necessary. Isolated foreign words should be italicized. Full foreign-language
quotations are set in Roman type and put within quotation marks. Foreign personal titles,
names of buildings or rooms (Sala della Pace, Residenz), institutions (Bibliotheca Hertziana), and
the like are not italicized.
6. All other editorial issues may be resolved by consulting The Chicago Manual of Style or the
editor.
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
Endnotes
Endnotes should be formatted according to the rules set out in The Chicago Manual of Style. Abbreviate
the title of this journal as JSAH. Any other such abbreviations in the notes should be spelled out on first
mention. NOTE: Even though The Chicago Manual of Style recommends the use of a colon before the
page numbers, JSAH prefers a comma.
Book
Author [or editor], Title (city of publication [include state or country if not commonly known]:
publisher, date of publication), page numbers.
Example: K. Michael Hays, ed., Architecture Theory since 1968 (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press,
1998), 83-86.
Journal
Article
Author, "Title of article," Journal Title volume no., issue no. (month and year of publication), page
numbers.
Example: Jennifer Hock, "Jane Jacobs and the West Village: The Neighborhood against Urban
Renewal," JSAH 66, no. 1 (Mar. 2007), 16-19.
NOTE: Even though The Chicago Manual of Style recommends the use of a colon before the page
numbers, JSAH prefers a comma.
Essay in a Collection
Author, “Title of Article,” in Title of Collection, ed. Name of Editor(s) (city: publisher, date), page
numbers.
Example: Frank Lloyd Wright, “The Art and Craft of the Machine,” in America Builds, ed. Leland
Roth (New York: Harper & Row, 1983), 364–76.
Archival Material
Author, type of document [memo, note, diary entry], date, folder/box/dossier name or number,
page number, name of collection, archival institution, location.
Example: Douglas Haskell, memo to staff, 23 July 1952, box 57, folder 3, pp. 3–4, Douglas
Putnam Haskell Papers, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New
York.
NOTE: If the document is a letter, begin entry with: Author to Recipient, date, etc. There is no
need to state that the correspondence is a letter.
Example: Jean-Amrie Odin to John Timon, 16 April 1844, Odin Correspondence, DeAndreis-
Rosati Memorial Archives, De Paul University, Chicago.
IMPORTANT: As archives differ in the ways they catalog material, not all of the above information
(folder/box/dossier name or number, etc.) may be available. At the very least, you must provide
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
an author and some form of identifying information for the source referenced (such as memo,
journal, meeting minutes, unpublished pamphlet, etc.).
Newspaper
Articles
Author, “Title,” Name of column (if a regular column), Newspaper, section no., date.
Example: Gretchen Morgenson, “Applying a Discount to Good Earnings News,” Market
Watch, New York Times, sec. 3, 23 Apr. 2000.
Electronic Sources
Provide all of the relevant information mentioned above for the media type (books, articles, etc.).
Also provide the complete URL and date accessed.
Examples:
Karen Hastings, “Saint in the Saddle?” Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2005,
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/032605dnrelkeralum.56d1c.ht
m l (accessed 20 Sept. 2005).
Alison McQueen, “Empress Eugénie’s Quest for a Napoleonic Mausoleum,” Nineteenth-Century Art
Worldwide 2, no. 1 (Feb. 2003), http://www.19thc-
artworldwide.org/winter_03/articles/mcqu.shtml (accessed 5 April 2007).
Short Form
Short forms of citation may be used for repeated sources. For short form, include author's last
name, title, and page number.
Captions (including illustration sources)
Illustrations should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned in the text.
When the online edition utilizes different media, clearly identify the print and online captions for each
figure. (For instance, the print edition may show a movie still, while the online edition has a video clip.)
Unless approved by the editor in advance, the same number of illustrations should be used in each
edition, and the images in the two sets should be keyed to the same locations in the text, which will be
identical in both editions. Captions in the print edition may direct the reader to the online edition to see
additional features and/or summarize what cannot be seen in the print images. Do not provide narrative
descriptions, although you may direct attention to the relevant area of the image.
The order of information is: figure number, designer (if known), name of the building or object, location,
date, brief description (if necessary), and source (using the wording prescribed by the copyright holder,
if necessary). Subsequent references may be shorter than the first one.
Examples for the print edition:
Figure 1 Paul Rudolph, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Building, Boston, 1956–60 (author’s photo).
Figure 2 Rudolph, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Building, cafeteria ceiling showing hanging, saucer-like
lights alternating with diamond-shaped skylights (Architectural Forum 108 [April 1958]). See JSAH
online for 1962 film.
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
Examples for the online edition:
Figure 1 Paul Rudolph, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Building, Boston, 1956–60 (author’s photo)
Figure 2 Rudolph, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Building, cafeteria ceiling with hanging, saucer-like
lights alternating with diamond-shaped skylights. Filmed in 1962 by Myron Taylor (video courtesy
Blue Cross archives)
Illustrations
The initial submission need only include a set of low-resolution images for the print edition, sufficient to
present the argument to the editor and peer reviewers. If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the
author must procure high-quality illustrations for both the print and online editions, although some or
all of the illustrations may be the same in both. Illustrations for publication must follow the
specifications given below.
The UC Press platform for JSAH no longer supports 3-Dimensional Models, GIS Mapping Integration, or
Adobe Flash VR panoramic photography. It supports video and audio on the online edition.
Digital images (required for both editions)
•
300 dpi minimum at 5 x 8 inches or 3.6 megapixels. Images need not exceed 1200 dpi.
•
Saved as RGB for color, or grayscale for monochrome. Color is preferred.
•
Saved in TIFF format.
•
Line art must be scanned at 1200 dpi in bi-tonal mode (1-bit). For more information, see Penn
State Press’s website http://www.psupress.org/author/author_digsub.html.
•
File name should include a key word from the title, online and/or print edition, and figure
number.
Scanning images from books or other publications results in lower quality images. Please avoid using
scans, but if their use is absolutely necessary, the author is responsible for correcting the pattern
(descreening) in PhotoShop and alerting JSAH to the problem.
For additional information regarding the preparation of digital images, including line art, please see the Penn
State University Press website: http://www.psupress.org/author/author_digsub.html, particularly
the
section on halftones. This site details the descreening process and other ways to avoid problematic issues
that often arise with scanned images.
Video (for the online edition)
● File formats: .3gp, .avi, .mov, .mp4, .mpg, .flv, .swf, .mkv preferred.
● File size: Up to 1GB
● Duration: Up to 10 minutes
● Codec: H.264 is a common and preferred codec, however the journal does support many
codecs.
● Resolution: Recommended: 1280 x 720 (16 x 9 HD) and 640 x 480 (4:3 SD). There is no required
minimum resolution; in general the higher resolution the better. For older content, lower resolution
may be unavoidable.
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
● Bit rate: Because bit rate is highly dependent on codec, there is no recommended or minimum
value. Videos should be optimized for resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate rather than bit rate.
● Frame rate: The frame rate of the original video should be maintained without resampling. Pull
down and other frame rate resampling techniques are strongly discouraged.
● File name should include a key word from the title, online and/or print edition, and figure
number
● When in doubt, convert files to MPEG4 video with MP3 audio, or follow YouTube guidelines.
Audio (for the online edition)
● File formats: MP3 or AAC preferred
● File size: Up to 100 MB in size
● Duration: Up to 10 minutes
● Sampling rate: 44.1 kHz. For older content, lower frequencies may be unavoidable.
● Bit rate: 128 kbps preferred. For older content, lower rates may be unavoidable.
● Channels: 2 (stereo) preferred.
● File name should include a key word from the title, online and/or print edition, and figure
number.
For additional information regarding the preparation of video and audio please see
http://support.brightcove.com/en/video-cloud/docs/supported-video-codecs-and-containers
Labeling of illustrations
1. Electronic files should have file names that include a key word from the article’s title, online
and/or print edition, and figure number. For example: Smith, online and print, fig. 2.
3. After you upload an electronic image, ScholarOne Manuscripts will prompt you to supply a “file
tag”
and a “caption/legend.”
The file tag will create a link between the image and a specific word (like “Figure 13”) in the HTML
version of your article.
The caption/legend (which should include the image’s figure number) can be copied and pasted
from your caption/source list and will appear with the image in the HTML and PDF versions that we
make available to editors and reviewers.
Guidelines for Obtaining Images and Image Permissions
SAH requires that authors clear rights to images for reproduction in the Journal of the Society of
Architectural Historians. You may need to obtain both a loan permission from an image lender (e.g., a
museum or a photo bank such as Art Resource or Corbis) and a copyright permission from the rights
holder for the work (e.g., an artist, artist’s estate, or agent such as the Artists Rights Society).
Artworks whose creator died more than 70 years ago are no longer in copyright. For such works, the
only copyright may be that of a photographer who created the photo of the artwork. Or there may be
no photographer’s copyright—if, for example, you take the photo yourself. If there is no copyright, then
you only need to rent or purchase or take a photo, and the paperwork need only cover that transaction.
If the artist or architect died less than 70 years ago, or if the work was created by a corporate entity (e.g.,
an architectural design firm creating a floor plan) less than 125 years ago, copyright is still in effect.
(Copyright has this length of term in most countries worldwide.) In such cases, you need to obtain
permission from the rights holder as well as rental of a photo.
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
For example, if you wish to reproduce a drawing in the collection of an archive, you must obtain
permission from the copyright holder (the architect’s estate, which may be managed by the
Artists Rights Society), and you must obtain a digital file of the drawing from either a photo bank
or the archive. The latter transaction may include you signing a permission form with
restrictions or terms—that form is not a copyright permission but a rental contract.
Fair use law may allow for the use of copyrighted materials for scholarly purposes. For more information
about Fair Use and when it may be invoked, see the College Art Association’s Code of Best Practices in
Fair Use for the Visual Arts http://collegeart.org/programs/caa-fair-use/best-practices.
Tips for Obtaining Image Permissions:
•
Begin to request pictures and permissions as early as possible. Some sources are slow to
respond to requests. You can find a Sample Permission Request for Illustrations and/or Cover Art
on the SAH website under Research Resources.
•
Find out who handles permissions for a given artist, artwork, or museum. For example,
the image permissions for the Réunion des Musées Nationaux in France are handled in the
U.S. by Art Resource in New York. Many 20th-century artists and artists’ estates are handled
by the Artists Rights Society in New York. Image rights holders may be listed in a credits
section in a book that reproduces the work. Museums and archives may also supply such
information.
•
Scope of rights: request world English-language rights. (The Journal of the Society of
Architectural Historians is sent to libraries and other member organizations and individuals
overseas.)
•
Request online/digital permission as well.
•
As a scholar publishing in a nonprofit academic journal, you can and should negotiate
fees. Many rights holders ask high fees, but most will lower them for a scholarly purpose. You
can tell the rights holder that The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians is not sold,
but is available only to subscribers
•
When submitting your final manuscript and images, enclose copies of all the permissions
and any other documents you receive from rights holders and image lenders. Since you are
legally responsible for clearing rights, you should
keep the originals permanently. If the deadline
for the images has arrived and you have the
images but not all the paperwork, please send the
images with your manuscript, those documents you have, and a letter explaining the status of
the outstanding permissions. Forward copies of the remaining documents as soon as they arrive.
•
Art photographed from a book. Most books print “picture credits” in the front or back,
indicating the source of each image. Be sure to consult the credits section of a book before you
scan an image from it. If there is no credits page, and the work or photo of the work is not out of
copyright, then you may need to write to the permissions department of the publisher to request
contact information for the rights holder.
•
The publisher of a book is usually not the copyright holder for an artwork reproduced in
the book. The museum that owns an artwork is usually not the copyright holder for that
artwork, though it may assert copyright over a photo of that artwork. Thus, loan forms for the
rental of a photo, scan, or transparency are not necessarily the same as copyright permissions.
•
Lengthy text excerpts may also be in copyright. Fair-use laws permit you to quote within
reason (and at length in a review of the book); if you quote at length from a copyrighted text
you should request permission from the copyright holder (usually the author or publisher).
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
Author’s Agreement and Permissions
When a manuscript is accepted for publication, the author will be sent an author’s agreement that must
be signed and returned to the editor. Authors must also obtain permission to reproduce illustrations
when necessary and pay copyright fees and other costs. Copies of the written permissions should be
attached to a copy of the captions/sources lists and accompany the signed author’s agreement. Advice
for obtaining permissions and a sample permission request letter are given in “Guidelines for Obtaining
Images and Permissions,” posted on the JSAH page at www.sah.org.
The Publishing Process for Accepted Articles
When an article is accepted for publication, the editor will provide detailed instructions about the
requirements for final submission, which will be uploaded to the JSAH ScholarOne Manuscripts website
(http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ucpress-jsah). The final submission must include illustrations for both
editions that meet the standards outlined above.
Upon submission, the manuscript will be copyedited to conform to the JSAH house style. The copy editor
will send copyedited articles to the author to review and approve; copyedited book, exhibition,
multimedia, and website reviews will be sent to the author and the commissioning review editor for
review and approval. The first page proofs, laid out with illustrations, will also be sent as PDFs to article
and review authors for approval.
Authors may not normally make changes in their texts after the type has been set; such changes should occur
during the copyediting stage. The cost of alterations after typesetting will be billed to the author. Printer’s
errors will be corrected without charge.
Article Offprints
Authors may access their published articles online and purchase reprints. To do so:
1. Go to http://jsah.ucpress.edu/
2. Navigate to the issue in which your article was published.
3. Click the link for your article. On the right, click Request Permissions. A new window opens, in
which you will be asked to create an account, a requirement for accessing content online. With
Rightslink® you can pay by credit card and monitor your account.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your article will be available online when the journal issue goes to print.
Bound Journal Copies
Authors will automatically receive a final PDF of their articles and a gratis bound copy. They may
purchase additional bound copies at a discounted price. For information on purchasing discounted
copies of the journal, visit the UC Press website: http://jsah.ucpress.edu/content/authors
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Society of Architectural Historians
Guidelines for Authors Submitting to JSAH and JSAH Online
Updated 30 March 2023
Notes to Contributors of Field Notes
Introduced in June 2007, Field Notes is a section of short texts (under 4,000 words), including opinion pieces
and commentaries on topics relevant to the historical study of the built environment, including preservation
issues, alterations of historic monuments and landscapes, and public policies that impact the field.
Authors are invited to propose topics to the Editor. The purpose of Field Notes was discussed in JSAH,
vol. 66, no. 2 (June 2007), 152.
Notes to Contributors of Findings
Introduced in June 2017, Findings is a section of short texts (under 3,000 words) on new research
discoveries and conclusions in architectural history, including short summaries of research in progress,
commentaries on specific historical questions, reflections on research methods, and presentations of
evidence that sheds new light on received scholarship. Authors are invited to propose topics to the
Editor. Texts will be peer-reviewed. The purpose of Findings was discussed in JSAH, vol. 76, no. 2 (June
2017), 139.
Notes to Writers of Letters to the Editor
A letter that comments on an article or review should be sent to the editor, who may forward the letter
to the author for reply. Letters will not necessarily be published; if published, they will be subject to
editing. Letters and subsequent correspondence between letter writers and the JSAH are supported by
the JSAH ScholarOne Manuscripts website (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ucpress-jsah). If you are
unable to submit your letter through the website, you may send your letter by email directly to the
editor of the journal. Please do not mail your letter to the SAH office and do not send it by post to the
Editorial office.
Notes to Writers of Book, Exhibition, and Media Reviews
Reviews are solicited directly by the review editors. Reviewers are free to express their own opinions,
but the editors retain normal editorial responsibilities, including the right of rejection.
The length of reviews will be determined by the editor but does not generally exceed 1,500 words.
Book reviews should include a description of the book's contents as well as the reviewer's critical
assessment. Book reviews must be headed with this information: author of the book, title, place of
publication, publisher, date, number of pages, number of color and black-and-white illustrations,
price, and ISBN. The review author’s name and institutional affiliation should appear at the bottom
of the text.
All text, including book review headings, shall be double-spaced. Reviews manuscripts should
conform to the requirements described in the "Notes to Contributors of Articles."
Queries
If you have questions about the format of a submission or you wish guidance as to whether a subject is
appropriate for JSAH, please write directly to the editor.
