ARCHAEOLOGY is the official "public voice" of the Archaeological Institute of America. We reach more than 200,000 nonspecialist readers interested in art, science, history, and culture. Our reports, regional commentaries, and feature-length articles introduce readers to recent developments in archaeology worldwide.
Communicating your scholarly experience to the general public
requires deft writing. Please keep the following in mind as
you prepare your manuscript:
1. Keep technical terms to a minimum and explain those that
you do use.
2. Assume a fairly minimal knowledge of your subject on the
readers' part, but don't talk down to them.
3. Be interesting and entertaining, with a strong opening
that hooks readers and leads them into your main discussion;
avoid the dramatic lead that slips into a site report by page
two.
4. Keep in mind that certain articles require a broad
historical framework if the reader is to comprehend the
importance of the archaeological work.
5. Keep it personal, without being egocentric. Readers are
interested in what you do, why you do it, what you have
learned, and why they should be interested. They should be
led through your material in a way that creates for them the
same sense of awe that you have felt about your work.
6. In some form or another, a finished manuscript should
contain an exposition (guess what?), development (here's
what), and a conclusion (so what?).
7. You should discuss your story idea with an editor before
submitting a manuscript. A brief outline, accompanied by
samples of available slides or photographs, is helpful.
Other Requirements:
- No footnotes
- Separate captions
- Color photographs should be in the form of 35mm original
slides or 4" x 5" transparencies. Please supply captions and
photo credits.
- Maps can be sketchy, but must show locations accurately.
Our art director will make up a final map.
- Permission for reproducing published material must be
obtained by the author directly from the publisher.
- Include a brief biographical statement.
- Include a brief, annotated bibliography (up to seven
entries). In your bibliography, include remarks on the
significance and quality of the references. Categorize and
list entries in alphabetical order at the end of your article
under the heading "Further Reading." Be sure to include
publishers, date, and city of publication as well as title
and author.
Examples:
Junius B. Bird, "Treasures from the Land of Gold," Arts
in Virginia 24 (1969), pp. 23-33. An uneven but useful
review of Peruvian gold.
Samuel K. Lothrop, Inca Treasures as Depicted by Spanish Historians (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1938). An authoritative, specialized study, 40 years old but still the most complete treatment of breastplates.
- Measurements must be in miles and feet. While
archaeologists usually use the metric system, our readers are
most comfortable using English measurements.
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