Submission of articles to Ancient TL

Reviewing System

In order to ensure acceptable standards and minimise delay in publication, a modification of the conventional refereeing system has been devised for Ancient TL :

Articles can be sent directly by authors to a member of the Reviewers Panel chosen on the basis of subject matter, but who is not in any of the authors' laboratories. At the discretion of the Editor, reviewers who are not listed in the Panel may be used.

The reviewing system aims to encourage direct dialogue between author and Reviewer. The Editor should be kept advised of the progress of articles under review by sending him copies of all correspondence. He is available for advice where reviewing difficulties have arisen. Authors whose mother tongue is not English are required to have their manuscript revised for English before submitting it.

We ask reviewers to specify (where required) the minimum of revision that is consistent with achieving a clear explanation of the subject of the paper, the emphasis being on rapid publication; reviewers are encouraged to make comment for publication. Where a contribution is judged not to meet an adequate standard without substantial modification, the author will be advised that the contribution is not suitable for publication. Articles that are not considered to be of sufficient interest may also be rejected.

Procedures

  1. Articles should be submitted to an appropriate member of the Reviewing Panel or Editorial Board, chosen on the basis of subject matter, but who is not in any of the authors' laboratories.
  2. Articles should not normally exceed the equivalent of 5000 words inclusive of diagrams, tables and references. Greater space will be appropriate for certain topics ; for these the Editor should first be consulted.
    Short notes and letters are also invited. These should not exceed two printed pages in Ancient TL, including diagrams, tables and references (equivalent to ~1400 words of text).
  3. Diagrams and labels should be ready for direct reproduction and not normally exceed 12 cm wide x 10 cm high. Separate figure captions should be supplied. Inappropriately scaled drawings and labels will be returned for alteration.
  4. Authors are asked to submit the paper, including diagrams, to the Reviewer and a duplicate copy to the Editor.
    The final version of the text must be submitted to the Editor electronically using a standard format (Microsoft Word for PC is currently used for producing Ancient TL). Electronic copies of Diagrams and Tables should also be submitted.
  5. Upon receipt of an article, the Editor will send an acknowledgement to the author. If the Reviewer is unable to deal with the contribution within 4 weeks he/she will send it to another member of the Reviewers Panel, advising the Editor; alternatively the paper will be sent to the Editor.

Requirements for various situations

When agreement concerning an article has been reached :

  • The Editor should receive a copy of the final version of the paper, both hard copy and on disk.
  • The Reviewer sends final decision, including comments for publication if any, to the Editor.

If the article has not been rejected, but agreement on its final form cannot be reached or where there are protracted delays in the reviewing process :

  • The Editor may request an assessment from the Reviewer and responsibility passes to the Editor.

If an article is rejected :

  • The Editor and author receive notification from the Reviewer, with an indication of the reason for rejection.

Thesis abstracts are to be sent to the Editor and in principle do not need reviewing; but authors are kindly requested to make sure that English is correct before sending the manuscript. Thesis abstracts should not exceed 750 words ; figures and tables are not accepted.

Advertising. Formal information on available equipment can be published in Ancient TL. It should not exceed one printed page. It is charged at the rate of £100 per page.