Accepted Manuscripts

How to Prepare Your Accepted Manuscript for Publication in the Journal of Black Military Studies

Congratulations on your accepted manuscript! Please follow this checklist to prepare a final Microsoft Word manuscript file for typesetting. Following these steps will help ensure smooth, timely publication of your article. Failure to use this checklist will result in the return your manuscript for correction prior to typesetting. Direct any questions to Aimee Diehl, managing and production editor, at jbms@uvm.edu.

Add back any anonymized information.

  • The article title
  • Author name(s)
  • Author affiliation(s)
  • An ORCID iD for each author (We cannot publish without an iD number for every author.)
  • Any text, in-text citations, and/or end references attributed to “Author”

Ensure your document is properly formatted in Microsoft Word.

  • Remove page numbers, headers/footers, page breaks, and bookmarks.
  • Use portrait orientation for all pages.
  • Ensure that the document is double-spaced in 12 point, Times New Roman type. 
    (Take care not to resize smaller type elements such as subscripts and superscripts.)
  • Set all document margins to 1 inch.
  • Align all text flush left with a ragged right margin.
  • Remove any intents placed with the tab key. Replace these by using the ruler to indent the start of each paragraph.
  • Remove any special paragraph formatting, such as hanging indents in your reference list.
  • Remove any automatic numbering and replace it manually. (Bulleted lists are okay.)
  • Remove any paragraph returns that appear at the end of lines. (These are most common in the reference list. Each reference should be treated as a single paragraph, not as a series of single lines. It is okay to have a URL run over multiple lines.)
  • Remove any extra paragraph returns between paragraphs.
  • Place any figures or tables directly after the end of the paragraph in which they are first mentioned. Number each in the order they appear. If using both figures and tables, number each category in sequence, separately. Example: the first figure should be Figure 1 and the first table should be Table 1.
      • Tables
        • Place the number and a brief description on a separate line above the table.
        • Insert the table on the next line and align it with the left margin. Create the table in Word; do not place it as an image.
        • Place source information on the line beneath the table.
        • Place any notes on the line directly below the table.
      • Figures
        • Skip one line after the paragraph in which the figure is referenced for the first time, then place the image in line with the left margin.
        • On the next line, directly below the image, start your caption with “Figure” and insert the figure number, followed by a period. Add the complete figure caption starting on the same line.
        • After your caption, provide source information in for photographs, maps, and other material produced by others. If you have reused copyrighted material, you must provide a written release allowing republishing, and you must name the copyright holder and state the image is “reproduced with permission” at the end of your caption.
  • Ensure the colors used in your figures or tables are accessible to readers with disabilities. Use greyscale and patterns whenever possible. If using color, avoid combinations of red and green.
  • Ensure that DOIs and URLs are in place for every source in your bibliography, and that they are active, functional hyperlinks (these will underline when linked and will usually appear in blue). URLs should begin with https:// or http://. DOIs should begin with https://doi.org/. To add a hyperlink, hit the space bar after the last character in the link. If this doesn’t automatically create a hyperlink:
      • Highlight the entire link>use command-C to copy it>use command-K to show the hyperlink pop-up box>use command-V to paste it into the address field>click OK.

Check all document content, including in-text citations and end references. 

  • Check for adherence to the Chicago Manual of Style’s 18th edition Notes and Bibliography system. Refer to the CMS Notes and Bibliography: Sample Citations page for examples of in-text citations, endnotes, and end references.
  • Ensure that all cited references appear in the endnotes and bibliography, and vice versa.
  • Structure your footnotes as endnotes, before the bibliography. Do not place footnotes in the lower margin of each page.
  • Check all bibliography entries to be certain they include all CMS-required information. Be particularly careful to include all required elements when citing websites, webpages, and digital media.
  • Provide a URL or DOI for any reference available online, even if you consulted it in hard copy. Digital publishing requires this information for accurately recording citations in Google Scholar and other indexes. In rare cases, some older books and journal articles may not be findable online.
  • Verify that the bibliography is in proper alphabetical order.
  • Check the formatting, ordering, and numbering (if applicable) of all headings, subheadings, figures, and tables.
  • Make all final edits requested by the editor(s) and reviewer(s).
  • Respond to any queries from the production editor.

Remove software features that can cause technical problems during typesetting.

  • Accept all changes and resolve or delete all comments except responses that you would like the copyeditor to see.
  • Turn off tracking and password protection.
  • Remove any content controls and automatic formatting features, such as numbered lists.
  • Unlink citation manager software from the bibliography.

Name and email your files.

After completing this checklist, email your files to Aimee Diehl at jbms@uvm.edu. Attach all items that apply from the list below, and add any questions or special notes to the body of your email. You do not need to attach this checklist.

  • Your final manuscript, saved as a Word file
      • Name the file with the current date and your last name, as shown:
        2026-01-01_LASTNAME_manuscript_final
      • Do not attempt to create a Word file from a PDF; this causes formatting errors.
  • All high-resolution (300 dpi) images, formatted as .jpg files that are no smaller than 1,200 pixels wide
      • Name each file (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and so on) to match the image numbers in the manuscript, as shown:
        2026-01-01_LASTNAME_fig1
      • For figures with multiple parts (such as “a” and “b” within the same figure, or a map with a separate legend), combine all the elements into a single .jpg file.
      • Create the labels within the image file itself; do not add labels by typing over the image in Word. Do not send the components of multiple-part figures separately.
  • Written copyright releases for any previously published content, if requested

Watch your email for updates on your article sent via the JBMS Janeway publishing platform. The Janeway “from” address is uvm@mail.janeway.systems. Check your spam or junk folder for messages from this address. To ensure you receive important communications related to your article, please add this address and jbms@uvm.edu to your email client’s contact list and “approved” or “safe” senders list.

Thank you for publishing your work with the Journal of Black Military Studies.