Before you start writing/editing

Your manuscript should not exceed the length specified in the contract. Figures and tables should be included in the word count with each figure counting as 500 words and each table as 300 words. We will undertake a word count when your manuscript files are delivered and may ask you to remove material if you exceed the contracted word count.

Please bear in mind that missing your delivery date will inevitably delay publication. If you think you may miss your deadline, please contact your commissioning editor as soon as possible to discuss the implications of this.

Please also be aware that this deadline refers to delivery of all the material included in the book and that it won’t be possible to make more than very minor changes to the files once you have delivered them. We need to receive all the files at once.

The editor’s role is to commission, shape and ensure their book makes a new contribution to the literature. Editors will arrange a review process for the chapters in their book. They will be responsible for the integration, narrative and voice of the book and will provide an introduction and conclusion drawing the material together to make an original research contribution.

This role is made easier by careful planning and setting clear guidelines and expectations for contributors at an early stage. In order to save you work later on, you, as editor, will need to share the following with your contributors. The Editor is responsible for all correspondence with the contributing authors, including matters relating to Contributor Agreements, chapter formatting, house style, and manuscript submission' so the section would look like this:

• A timeline for chapter delivery including dates for first drafts, second drafts and final delivery. If contributors are reviewing one another’s chapters (recommended) you also need to build in a timeframe for this.
• A link to this author portal with instructions to review the guidelines.
• Each chapter’s allocated word count (including 500 for figures and 300 for tables).
• The decisions you have made on consistency, referencing and style.
• A link to The Elgar Copyright and Legal Policy and instructions to provide you with copyright permission documentation when they submit.
• The contributors’ agreement. They will need to sign and return this to you.

Please be aware that indexes such as the WoS have rejected projects on the basis of unusually high levels of citations to a single source, such as the editor.

We are delighted to welcome you as an Elgar author. The first thing to note is that you should feel free to contact your commissioning editor if you have any queries along the way. The broad things to bear in mind before you write are:

• Plan your work. Keep your structure and narrative arc in mind as you write.
• Who are you writing the book for? Keep the reader in mind throughout the process.
• The three C's - clarity, coherence and conciseness.

You may have more specific questions and queries and it is important to read through these guidelines before you start. This could save you time and energy later on. Good luck!

Missing copyright permissions are the most common cause of delays to publication once a manuscript is complete. It is a legal requirement that authors and contributors obtain all necessary copyright permissions for third party materials including their own work. The link to Elgar copyright policy: Your guide to the essentials provides further information about copyright and clearing permissions.

Editors must also obtain documentation from contributors to show that they have cleared copyright permissions for third party materials in their chapters.

Please also bear in mind other serious legal considerations including libel and defamation, plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) and the importance of anonymising individuals and their data to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation legislation that applies to publications sold in Europe.

More information about these requirements can be found in the Elgar copyright policy page, and in the 'As you write your book or chapter' section of the author portal.

Please contact your commissioning editor if you have any questions.

Edward Elgar Publishing is committed to upholding high standards of ethical behaviour at all stages of the publication process. These guidelines set the minimum standards and responsibilities for book authors, editors and contributors.

Authors should work to discipline-specific rules for acquiring, selecting and processing data.

The submitted work should be original and copyright owned by the author.

The work of others and previously published work should always be properly acknowledged and cited and the appropriate written permission obtained from the copyright holder where required (for further information please see our Author Hub).

To comply with strict UK and EU data protection legislation, any personal data on individuals, including photographs, must be anonymised or written consent obtained from that individual to publish it in the work.

Any funding sources (including funding for Open Access) should be clearly identified in the submitted work in an appropriate acknowledgement.

The confidentiality of any correspondence, information or material supplied during the publication process should be respected.

Listed authorship should accurately reflect who carried out the research and wrote the book or chapter.

Authors must ensure their book or chapter does not contain any libellous material.

Book authors, editors and Edward Elgar Publishing and our staff agree to engage with each other with respect and in a professional and courteous manner, ensuring communications are appropriate in both volume and tone and to address all queries received relating to the work in a timely manner. Book editors and contributors agree to communicate with each other in the same way.

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and do not tolerate any discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

We ask our authors and editors to consider diversity and inclusion in the selection of contributors, case studies, references, images and language. We may question material which could be considered discriminatory, bigoted, prejudiced, or triggering. If such material is necessary for the purpose of critical analysis please discuss this with your Commissioning Editor in advance.

We have been working across the business to ensure the content of our books is accessible for partially sighted and blind readers who use screen reading software. For guidelines on making your content accessible for screen readers please see the Accessibility section on the Author Hub, link here. 

1. The use of Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude to generate substantive content, such as the analysis of data or the development of written arguments, is not permitted.
2. If authors choose to use Assistive AI tools to assist in their research for a book, chapter, or article, they must disclose this in the manuscript and on submission. An author's final written text should be their own and reflect their own ideas, arguments, and conclusions, and for this reason AI and LLM Models may not be listed as an author.
3. The publisher reserves the right to verify the use of Generative AI and to reject manuscripts that violate this policy.
4. Use of AI should in no way invalidate the warranties the author provides in the publishing contract including ownership of copyright, originality and factual accuracy. It is worth bearing in mind that in highly specialised research areas Generative AI tools draw from a small number of published sources and there are real risks of unoriginality, plagiarism, copyright infringement and factual inaccuracy.
5. This policy does not refer to spell and grammar checking tools (such as Grammarly) which may be used without acknowledgement.