Submissions

Author Guidelines

MANUSCRIPTS

Authors are encouraged to submit the following types of manuscripts on Pennsylvania politics and policy:

• General interest pieces
• Applied research
• Practitioners’ or expert analysis
• Research notes
• Essays
• Book reviews

 MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

 Please ensure that

• Manuscripts are submitted in Microsoft Word format. The preferred length is 15–30 double-spaced pages, including notes, references, figures, tables, and appendices
• No tables, charts, or halftones are embedded in the manuscript.
• No tracked changes or embedded comments are included in the manuscript.
• Display text is not enclosed in boxes.
• Callouts are included for all tables, charts, and halftones—e.g., {Insert Figure 1 here}, {Insert Table 4 here}.
• Manuscripts are accompanied by a captions and credit list that includes
  • Captions for all halftones and line drawings, including graphs and charts (for tables, please do not create a list of captions; include a table number and title at the top of each table)
  • Credits for all images that require permission (for tables, please include any necessary credits as a source note at the bottom of each table)
  • Content notes are used sparingly and are contained in endnotes rather than footnotes.
  • Appendices are placed before the content notes.
  • The list of references is placed last.
  • The author’s name and affiliation appear only on a separate cover page.
  • An abstract of no more than 150 words accompanies the manuscript.
  • A description of each illustration (charts, halftones, and all other images) and of each table accompanies the manuscript (this is necessary for ADA remediation).

 Illustrations and Tables

• All halftones (photos, paintings) are saved as individual files.
• All halftones are TIFF or JPEG files.
• All halftones are at least 5 inches x 7 inches at 300 dpi.
• All line drawings (charts, graphs, maps) are saved as individual files.
• All line drawings are EPS files.
• All line drawings are at least 5 inches x 7 inches at 1200 dpi.
• Tables are collected in a Microsoft Word file, with each table within the file separated by a page break, and are saved with the file name “[Article Title] Tables.”
• A complete inventory list of illustrations, tables, and/or charts is included. This list will not be included in your article; we will use this list to make sure that we have received all of the illustrations, tables, and charts that should be included in the final article.

For additional guidance, authors should consult the American Political Science Association’s Style Manual for Political Science, previous issues of COMMONWEALTH, the American Political Science Review, or the editor. Manuscripts should be submitted as e-mail attachments (no paper copies) to:

Dr. J. Wesley Leckrone
Department of Political Science
Widener University
Chester, PA 19013
Phone: 610-499-4633
Email: jwleckrone@widener.edu

Book Reviews

COMMONWEALTH will consider proposals for reviews of texts that examine politics and policy in Pennsylvania. The books’ primary focus should be on the Commonwealth, its regions, or local politics in the state. We also welcome proposals about books that place Pennsylvania in a comparative context with other states in the region or country. Reviews should not be undertaken until the book review editor has accepted a proposal. Submit proposals and brief curriculum vitae to:

Dr. Tom Baldino
Department of Political Science
Wilkes College
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766
Phone: 570-408-4474
Email: thomas.baldino@wilkes.edu