Submissions

• Please consult the Canadian Oxford Dictionary (Second Edition, 2004) to confirm correct spellings. If the dictionary recognizes alternative spellings, the first one listed is preferred. Spelling mistakes will be assumed to be typist’s errors and will be corrected before typesetting unless followed by [sic].

Style and format

Authors are advised to conform as closely as possible to suggested guidelines for consistency of style, as follows: please submit manuscripts double-spaced, in Times New Roman font, and justified on the left margin only. Text and footnote style should follow CMS (The Chicago Manual of Style) 16th Edition or online version. For Notes and Bibliography sample citations, please visit:

https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html

The following examples are provided to illustrate general rules. However, CMS should be consulted for detailed comments on exceptions to these rules.

• all text doubled-spaced (including footnotes/endnotes, if possible).
• footnotes are preferred, but endnotes are acceptable.
• font: Times New Roman preferred.
• margins: justify left.
• block quotes: indent one tab (0.5 inches) and single-space; right margin not justified.
• italicize (not underline) titles of books, foreign words, etc.

Punctuation

• dashes within a sentence: double hyphens with a space on both sides ( — ). Or use an en-dash ( – ) with a space on both sides.
• insert a comma before the last item in a series: Simpson, Ogden, and Douglas.
• periods and commas at the end of quoted matter: to be placed inside the closing quotation marks, for example: he said the legislation was “hopelessly inadequate.” If a page number is required: the legislation was “hopelessly inadequate” (119).
• spaces: initials of people’s names have no spaces between: E.W. Hamber, k.d. lang, W.A.C. Bennett. This applies to the text, footnotes, and bibliography.

Dates

• format is 28 February 2009 (day precedes month); 27 September; September 1940 (no comma); 1960s (no apostrophe); nineteenth century (spell out).

Numbers

• spell out numbers less than 100 that indicate quantity: eighteen kilometres; fifty-two years; ninety-nine copper kettles; 127 marten pelts. Use figures for numbers that do not indicate quantity: grade 6; 8 percent (not %); 2 o’clock. For year ranges, always use two digits in the second year (1872–78), unless in full in an original title or quote, or different centuries, for example, 1858–1914.

Abbreviations

• British Columbia is rarely abbreviated to BC, but BC is used when it functions as an adjective (BC politics); otherwise, use British Columbia. US takes no periods.
• acronyms, omit periods: e.g., CBC, NATO, BC, HBC.
• avoid WWI, WWII, World War One, and World War Two in favour of First World War and Second World War.
• scholarly abbreviations: do not italicize the following: ibid., et al., ca., i.e., e.g.

Capitalization

• generally, only proper nouns and formal titles should be capitalized, except when capitalization is necessary to avoid ambiguity.

Quoted matter

• quoted matter less than four lines long is generally run into the text.
• block quotes: indent one tab.

References

• references to page numbers are not preceded by “p.”
• in reference to articles or books the title is italicized: A Crossroad in the Forest: The Path to a Sustainable Forest Sector in BC; The Resettlement of British Columbia.
• in references to newspapers, the city name is italicized, the article omitted: Vancouver Sun, 7 July 1990; Victoria Colonist, 17 April 1989.
• in references to newspapers please include article title and pages: “More New Vessels,” Victoria Colonist, 19 January 1898, 8.

Metric vs. Imperial measurements

• all measurements are metric: please convert miles into kilometres, feet to metres, acres to hectares, etc.

Geographical terms

• interior British Columbia, the Interior; coastal islands, the Coast; northern British Columbia, the North; the North Pacific, the northern Pacific.

Nationalities and groups of people

• capitalize specific national, linguistic, tribal, cultural, and other groupings of people: Indigenous, Asian, Italian, Caucasian, Indo-European, Black, First Nations, Aboriginal.

Terminology for Indigenous peoples

• Indigenous is the preferred general adjective (e.g. Indigenous people(s), Indigenous rights). First Nations, Aboriginal (adjective), Inuit, and, Métis may also be appropriate and their usage should accord with their specific constitutional and legal meanings. “Indian” is rarely used, unless for Department of Indian Affairs, Indian Act, Indian Agent, Indian Reserve, etc.
• Unless quoting earlier authorities, use specific modern cultural or political names of Indigenous peoples, e.g., Kwakwaka’wakw (not Kwakiutl), Nuu-chah-nulth (not Nootka), Nlaka’pamux, (not Thompson), and so on. For a listing of Indigenous peoples within BC, see First Nations A-Z listing (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/first-nations-negotiations/first-nations-a-z-listing).
• Include current/contemporary First Nations names. We wish to acknowledge self-designations. Example: Tsay Keh Dene First Nation (also known as ‘Tsay Keh Dene Band’, formerly known as ‘Ingenika Indian Band’).
• In order to acknowledge current naming conventions, territorial areas, and languages please refer to the following maps: First Nations of BC (https://bcstudies.com/?q=first-nations-bc-0); First Nations Languages of BC (https://bcstudies.com/?q=first-nations-languages-bc); and Language Map of British Columbia (https://maps.fpcc.ca/)
• For reference please visit Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines, available at: https://assets.brand.ubc.ca/downloads/ubc_indigenous_peoples_language_guide.pdf

Graphics & Images

• BC Studies welcomes the addition of illustrations, maps, graphs, or photographs to your article. BC Studies has a preferred style for illustrations and maps, and may ask for illustrations and maps to be reworked by a cartographer familiar with this style. If your article includes graphs, please be prepared to provide either the original data, .eps or .tiff files. We encourage the inclusion of photographs with manuscripts. If you would like to use photographs, we require scans at a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch). If you have prints or old-fashioned slides, please scan the image to meet our specifications above. The author is responsible for obtaining permission (copyright) and any costs associated, but BC Studies may be able to assist in particular, exceptional cases. Please note that BC Studies is a non-profit organization, thus not-for-profit rates and discounts apply when seeking permissions or prints.