Hundreds of manuscripts come to the editorial office of The Ministry each year, the great majority of which are solicited. Now that the journal has been enlarged, and contains twice as much copy as formerly, it is no small task to prepare that copy for the printers and to see it all the way through, from editorial office to the completed forty-eight-page magazine. Our great body of contributors could materially aid us in our work if they would but observe certain time-proved, rudimentary principles in the preparation of their manuscripts. The suggestions here offered by request of the editor are made by one who has spent years in the proofreading and copy-editing field, and who now serves in the latter capacity on The Ministry staff. As none of our contributors are ever paid for their contributions, we feel that it ill behooves us to make arbitrary demands. If it has intrinsic merit, a manuscript is not rejected, no matter how many rules have been disregarded. However, we do believe that many of our writers and readers will be interested in a perusal of the points listed herewith, and will be glad to follow, as far as is consistent, the suggested procedure.—Editor.
There are certain laws peculiar to the field of writing which all who submit manuscripts should observe if they would please the printers and proofreaders as well as the editors. Some of these points may appear so obvious as scarcely to need mentioning, but a glance through almost any editor's mail would prove the opposite true. Following are some of the more important rules of writing technique, particularly adapted to Ministry needs.
The Mechanics of a Manuscript
1. Appearance of Page One.—Several items are desirable to remember in connection with the first page of your manuscript. (a) Leave plenty of space at the top of page one. A number of items of information must be placed in this space at the editorial and publishing offices, such as the name of the department under which the article will appear, the job number that carries it through the process of printing, the name of the periodical in which the article is to be used, the month the article will appear, the serial paging number, the writer's name, position, and location. Therefore we suggest that you drop down a third of the page before starting your article. (b) Feel free to assign a title to your article. The editor may not use the title you give it, but it will have a name by which it can be referred to in correspondence, etc. (c) Give your full name, position, and location on page one, immediately under the title of your article. Tell whether you are a pastor or evangelist, a Bible teacher or a Bible worker, an executive, an editor, a departmental secretary, an institutional worker, etc. THE MINISTRY follows the plan of giving this information with all articles.
2. Kind and Size of Paper.—A good grade of white paper is preferable, of medium weight, standard size (8 x II inches). This is the regular letterhead size, and has proved to be the most convenient for handling, filing, and mailing. Every bit of copy, no matter how small, should be put on a full-sized sheet of paper. Odd sizes—short sheets, legal lengths, etc.—are cumbersome and awkward to handle all along the line. And as previously pointed out, the copy is handled by a number of persons—at least ten. Therefore, in all fairness and kindness to those concerned, you should present your manuscript in the most serviceable form. Contributions that come in on long or short paper, on thin tissue paper, on bright-colored paper, or typed with the red ribbon of the typewriter, or perhaps as a third carbon copy, are just that much harder to handle and are a tax on the eyes and the patience of those who work with your words.
3. Carbon Copies Unwelcome.—Please do not send us your carbon copy, whether it be the sixth or the second, as it is harder to read, smears with handling, and arouses a question as to the use made of the first, or original, copy. Of course, it may be quietly reposing in your files, but cases have been known of writers' sending out copies of the same article or poem to more than one editor. The Ministry does not knowingly accept articles that have appeared elsewhere in print.
4. Write One Side Only,—Writers should never write or type on both sides of the paper. In case something should be inserted on a page of the copy, indicate the place by a star or asterisk, and copy the matter on a separate, full-sized sheet of paper.
5. Double-Space Typing.—Articles should always be typed double-spaced, never single-spaced. This allows room for writing in necessary revisions and additions. In a number of cases, workers have replied to requests in the form of single-spaced letters, and this has caused considerable extra work. If they had had their copy double-spaced, it would have materially helped. We are referring here to inserts of a paragraph or more in length, or to entire articles.
6. Look to Your Margins!—Put the reins on your typewriter lest the letters run away —off the pages—and you leave skimpy margins, or none at all. Leave liberal margins, preferably an inch or more all around each sheet. Six inches is the recommended length for the typed lines on each page, and five to ten spaces for paragraph indention.
7. Top and Bottom of Page.—After page one, number each sheet of copy at the top of the page, and repeat the title. Thus—
When You Write for The Ministry-2
At the bottom of the page, some write the word, "More," until the last page, where they write "End," or "Finis," or "30"—the printer's sign for the end.
8. Typewritten Material Preferred.—It is a great help, of course, to have the manuscripts typed before they reach the editorial office. We realize that some of our workers do not have access to typewriters or stenographic help, and are sympathetic with their situation. A contribution is never rejected merely because it is handwritten; we would only ask that it be written with care and as legibly as possible. To those who have their own typewriters we would suggest that a little thought be given to changing the ribbon and cleaning the keys. This ensures a neater-looking, more readable product than might otherwise be sent out. If the keys are filled with lint and dust, pick out the accumulated substance with a pinpoint or brush them with an old toothbrush and gasoline, or a marketed preparation for this special purpose,
9. Quotations and References,—If an-other's words are used to any extent, due credit should be given and the citation enclosed in quotation marks. A writer may be a petty thief, but never a parrot. That is, you may use a few words from another writer without quotation marks and credit, but if you use more than a few of another's exact words, you are bordering on plagiarism. The sources of a quotation should always be given, either as a direct credit or as a marginal notation to aid the technical worker. This saves much searching on the part of the copy editors. As one editor has stated, we have plenty to do without running down coy quotations. In quoting, be careful to see that you have both the beginning and the closing quotation marks. Verify the passage and make it exactly • like the original, even to punctuation marks.
In the case of reference or allusion to a passage from a certain source, the names of books should always appear in quotation marks, as "The Gospel Worker." And names of periodicals (magazines, newspapers, etc.) should appear in italic. To indicate italic for a periodical, underline its name thus:
Review and Herald, Current History
10. Length of Articles.—Give editors the lengths they like. Most writers are too voluminous. In many articles, as in many sermons, it takes too long to arrive at the real point of discussion. This allows the attention of the readers and listeners to wander, and it may be hard to recapture it. In the case of The Ministry, five pages of double-spaced typewritten material is about the limit for one issue. Longer articles of exceptional value are divided and used as a series. For a single issue, articles of two, three, or four pages are preferred, depending of course on the subject matter and the method of presentation.
Close observation of a Ministry magazine itself, in its new form, will answer many questions on style. Those who follow the foregoing suggestions in the mechanical preparation of their manuscripts will, but with little additional personal effort, put editorial and publishing offices to a minimum of trouble and expense in handling their material, and thereby acquire their everlasting good will.
