Stylesheet

TRANSIT generally adheres to Modern Language Association (MLA) style. However, online publication entails some particular considerations which are addressed below. Please adhere as closely as possible to the formatting guidelines supplied here.

Authors are expected to be their own copyeditors. This means that authors need to pay attention to the editing and formatting of their manuscripts. While we do proofread articles and check for compliance, we strongly encourage authors to submit articles that have been carefully proofread and formatted and are prepared for publication.

Formatting Requirements

  1. Write your article in English or German.
  2. Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file (Word, RTF, or HTML files are accepted).
  3. Page size should be 8.5 x 11 inches.
  4. All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1 inch (2.5 cm).
  5. Double-space your text.
  6. Use a single column layout with both left and right margins justified.
  7. Font size for the body of the text should be 12 point for main body text and 10 points for footnotes. Times New Roman is preferred
  8. Include a bibliography
  9. Consistent citations in any standard citation format welcome
  10. MLA format is the default format in TRANSIT
  11. Copyedit your manuscript.
  12. Use the following document structure (remember, there is no title page):
    1. Introduction (titling this section is optional)
    2. Subsequent sections, including all tables, figures, and footnotes referenced in the text
    3. Appendices (if any)
    4. References

Additional Recommendations

Article Length: We prefer articles between 15-25 pages (4000-6000 words) including footnotes/endnotes. As this journal publishes electronically, we will consider exceptional scholarship that is of greater length, but please remember to adhere to a concise, journal-appropriate style.

Indenting, Line Spacing, and Justification: Indent all paragraphs except those following a section heading. An indent should be at least 2 em-spaces.

Do not insert an extra space between paragraphs of text with the exception of long quotations, theorems, propositions, special remarks, etc. These should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below. All text should be justified.

Colored text: Set the font color to black for the majority of the text. We encourage authors to take advantage of the ability to use color in the production of figures, maps, etc.; however, you need to appreciate that this will cause some of your readers problems when they print the document on a black-and-white printer. For this reason, you are advised to avoid the use of colors in situations where their translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible.

Emphasized text: Whenever possible use italics to indicate text you wish to emphasize rather than underlining it. The use of color to emphasize text is discouraged.

Font faces: Except, possibly, where special symbols are needed, use a single serif font (e.g., Times New Roman). If you desire a second font, for instance for headings, use a sans serif font (e.g., Arial or Computer Modern Sans Serif).

Font size: The main body of text should be set at 12 point. Footnotes should be 10 pt.

Foreign terms: Foreign terms should be set in italics rather than underlined.

Headings: Headings (e.g., start of sections) should be distinguished from the main body text by their fonts or by using small caps. Use the same font face for all headings and indicate the hierarchy by reducing the font size.

Main text: The font for the main body of text must be black and, if at all possible, in a serif font such as Times New Roman.

References: The default style for referencing resources used either directly or indirectly in work published in TRANSIT is the Modern Language Association style (MLA). English translations (in addition to the original text) are encouraged.

Titles: Whenever possible, titles of books, movies, etc., should be set in italics rather than underlined.