Guidelines for Contributors
Who’s who at Thomas Telford
Commissioning
Daniel Keirs
Jennifer Barratt
Matthew Lane
Commissioning Editor
Development Editor
Development Editor
+44 (0) 20 7665 2477
+44 (0) 20 7665 2461
+44 (0) 20 7665 2471
Production
Stephen Nixey
David Atkins
Production Editor
Editorial and Production Manager
+44 (0) 20 7665 2479
+44 (0) 20 7665 2455
Marketing
Catherine de Gatacre
Market Development Executive: Books
+44 (0) 20 7665 2490
E-mail addresses take the form: firstname.surname@thomastelford.com
Institution of Civil Engineers
Guidelines for contributors
Guidelines for contributors
Before you start to prepare your manuscript, please take time to read these
guidelines.
They are intended to provide you with the practical guidance you will require in order to produce your
manuscript. Please take time to review the requirements to ensure that you present the material in a
way that not only conforms to your contractual agreement, but that will make production a
straightforward process. If you have any queries please consult with the editorial or production teams.
Contents
Preparing your chapter
Length of typescript
Chapter structure
Illustrations and tables - preparation
Line illustrations
Halftones
Tables
Captions and numbering
Preparation of references
General points of style
Supplying your manuscript
Copyright and permissions
Checking proofs
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Copyright permission request form
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Guidelines for contributors
Preparing your chapter
Length of typescript
It is important that the length of your typescript is in accordance with that agreed with your
editor. You should plan your work carefully to ensure that the overall length of the final work
(including illustrations, references, appendices and other items) conforms to that agreed. You are
encouraged to use the “word count” facility of your word processor to keep track of progress.
Chapter structure
This section aims to provide guidance on how to put together your chapter. Your chapter should
include the following elements in the order given below.
Title
The title and main sections will have been provided by your Section Editor, however, there is
some flexibility in layout. A chapter title should definitively describe the material that follows,
and be no more than 10 words in length.
Abstract
Abstracts should be a maximum of four sentences in length, roughly 200 words. Abstracts
should be able to be read as standalone items and should avoid phrases such as “this chapter
discusses…”. An abstract should not contain citations or references. It will often be used as a
primary point of search, so the abstract should contain the key words relating to the chapter.
Key words
Up to five key words; these can be used for indexing and linking.
Introduction
Background information: so as to introduce the reader to the topic of the chapter.
Main text (body text)
The body text should incorporate main headings and sub-headings to a maximum of 3 levels
(“a” heading – main heading, “b” and “c”). ICE manuals are designed to be highly referenced
and illustrated. Line drawings, photographs, tables, case studies and key learning points should
be used wherever possible.
References
All references must be cited in the text. Refer to source material in the text by citing author
surname and year in parenthesis e.g. (Bloggs and Jones, 1999).
For references with more than two authors please use et al., for example (Bloggs et al., 1999).
A full reference list should be set at the end of your chapter using the Harvard conventions. (see
Preparation of references)
Further reading list
These are titles not cited in the text but are provided for additional background and should be
listed at the end of the chapter – they may be journal papers, reports, standards, book chapters or
whole books. Please include a full reference.
Web references
Please include any website references which may offer up salient further information for the
reader in relation to your chapter.
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Guidelines for contributors
Illustrations and tables – preparation
Please do not embed illustrations within the text document but include a figure flag e.g. <fig 1.1
near here>. All electronic illustrations should be supplied separately; either as electronic files or
as hardcopy. Each figure should be cited in the text.
To ensure that illustrations are prepared in an appropriate format for reproduction, please refer to
the guidance below. In production terms, illustrations are divided into two categories:
 Line illustrations
 Halftones (including photographs).
Line illustrations
Line illustrations are those that contain only lines and text, with some areas of solid colour or
tint, e.g. graphs, pie charts, flow charts, plans, diagrams.
Thomas Telford Publishing can accept figures as either hardcopy original or as electronic files
(not less than 600 dpi).
Sketches
If authors do not have access to illustration facilities, or the illustrations are very simple in
format, authors can supply a clearly drawn sketch of each figure on white paper, ensuring that
any lettering is legible and that any important features are clearly identified. We will redraw
these inline with our house style and suitable for publication.
Line illustrations to be re-lettered
Authors may wish to provide material that has been drawn to an appropriate standard, but which
is either not annotated, or is annotated in an inconsistent style. We are able to scan artwork and
electronically re-letter, incorporating any new lettering required. This option requires that the
original artworks are in a format suitable for scanning, i.e.:
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Draw at actual (final) size of use in the printed book, or allow for reduction/enlargement
if bigger/smaller than page size.
Use line thicknesses no less that 0.25 mm/0.5 pt (after enlargement/reduction).
Avoid using tints (these reproduce poorly from scanned material).
Type size should be consistent, and allow for reduction/enlargement of the figure (type
size after re-sizing should be 8pt).
Spelling, punctuation etc must be accurate and consistent (with each other and with the
text).
Supply on white paper.
Electronic artwork formats
The preferred format for electronic line artwork is EPS (encapsulated postscript). This format
allows for correction and alterations to artwork by typesetters and illustrators, and can be resized without loss of quality. PDF format is also recommended. TIFF format is suitable for
figures that are to be re-lettered, though please ensure that the resolution is not less than 800dpi
at final size. TIFF format files may lose quality when enlarged, so please aim to supply TIFF
format figures at final size (or larger). The principal advantage of EPS over TIFF is that the
annotation in EPS files can be edited, whereas in TIFF files the annotation is part of the graphic
and can not be directly edited.
Line figures prepared in Word or other word-processors can not be used as electronic
artwork – such illustrations will be scanned and re-lettered or redrawn from print-outs.
When preparing electronic line artwork, please note the following:
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Avoid supplying JPEG, GIF and AutoCAD files.
Avoid supplying application files without prior consultation with your commissioning
editor or production editor.
When supplying electronic artwork, please also supply hard copies for reference.
Use a consistent and obvious file naming system.
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Guidelines for contributors
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Supply individual figures and individual parts of multi-part figures in separate files.
Do not use tints of less than 20% or more than 80%.
Halftones
'Halftone' is the term used to describe illustrations that are made up of continuous tones, but
which are broken down into small dots to produce the illusion of continuous tone. In practice
this term applies to reproduction of photographs, but may also be relevant for maps, engravings,
X-rays, or diagrams that include continuous tones or tints.
Hardcopies
Authors are requested to supply original hard copies of such items, with an indication of how the
images should be cropped and orientated (if not clear). It is helpful if the author can suggest the
final size of the image (in terms of size on the page).
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Black and white (b/w) originals are preferred for b/w reproduction, however colour
originals can also be used (the conversion from colour to greyscale may result in the loss
of important detail – especially where elements are differentiated solely by colour).
Transparencies are preferred for colour reproduction.
Ensure that originals are of good quality and contain good definition and contrast.
Label all photographs clearly with the author's surname and the figure number.
Indicate on a photocopy or overlay sheet any annotations that are to be added to the
image.
Avoid supplying images that are already printed halftones (e.g. newspaper cuttings or
pictures taken from other books, journals, brochures etc).
Electronic images
If images are only available to you as electronic files (e.g. screen shots or computer-generated
images), please note the following guidance:
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Provide images at a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots or pixels per inch) at the final
published size. (Enlargement or reduction of images will affect the final resolution - 300
dpi is required for a good quality of reproduction in a printed book.)
If images require large areas to be cropped this should be taken into account when setting
resolution.
TIFF and EPS formats are preferred to GIF or PDF.
JPEGs files, if supplied, must not be compressed.
Greyscale images are preferred to colour (unless submitted for colour reproduction).
Digital camera images should be taken at a minimum of 1.5 mega pixels (approx 14001100 pixels).
Please supply electronic files or original images rather than scanned images.
Tables
Tables should be supplied separately at the end of each chapter, or as separate files. It is not
necessary to make table layouts perfect in the manuscript – tables will be reviewed by the copyeditor and re-set by the typesetter.
Illustration and Table captions and numbering
Provide captions for all illustrations and tables at the end of each chapter or as separate text files.
This is preferred to the inclusion of captions within the text. All illustrations and tables must be
referred to (cited) in the text.
Captions for tables and figures that are not original to the authors must include a reference to the
original source – (see Copyright and permissions section).
Tables and Illustrations must be numbered independently but sequentially:
e.g. Figure 3 and Table 3
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Guidelines for contributors
Preparation of references
All references must be cited in the text. Refer to source material in the text by citing author
surname and year in parenthesis e.g. (Dempsey and Jones, 1999).
For references with more then two authors use et al., e.g. (Dempsey et al., 1999)
When citing more than one reference, list references chronologically and separate with a semicolon, e.g. (Dempsey, 1996; Jones, 2001; Dempsey et al., 2007)
A full reference list, listed alphabetically by first author, should be set at the end of your chapter
using the Harvard conventions.
Citing journal articles
Author, Initials. (Year) Title of article. Full Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue/Part
number), Page numbers.
When there are more than two authors - give first author only followed by “et al.” in italics.
Example
Taylor C. and Offord R. S. (1969) Design of outfalls in tidal waters. Proc. Instn Civ. Engrs
Structs & Bldgs, 3, 811–840.
Citing books
Single author book
Author surname, Initials. (Year) Title of book. Edition. (only include this if not the first edition)
Place: Publisher.
Example
Bloggs J. F. (1969) A survey of reactors. 2nd edn. New York: Wiley.
Chapter of an edited book
Chapter author(s) surname(s), Initials. (Year of chapter) Title of chapter followed by “In:”
Book editor(s) initials and surnames with ed. or eds. after the last name (Year of book, if
different to year of chapter) Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher. Chapter
number or first and last page numbers followed by full-stop.
Example
Smith, S. (1969) Data collection techniques. In J. Bloggs, ed. A survey of reactors. 2nd edn.
Wiley, New York. Ch. 10, 24–26.
Citing conference proceedings
Author surname, Initials. (Year) Full title of conference paper. In Editor or name of organisation.
Full title of conference. Location, Date, Publisher: Place of publication
Example
Bloggs F. (1969) A survey of sewage. In Institution of Civil Engineers. Storm sewage overflows.
Beijing, P.R. China, 01-03 Nov. 1969, Institution of Civil Engineers: London, UK.
Citing websites
Authorship or Source, Year. Title of web document or web page. [Medium] Available at: include
web site address/URL(Uniform Resource Locator) and additional details such as access or
routing from the home page of the source. [Accessed date].
N.B. the URL should be underlined
The title of a web page is normally the main heading on the page.
Example
Environment Agency (2003) What does the Foresight report show? [Online] (Updated 04 Dec
2008)
Available at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/publications/40697.aspx
[Accessed 06 April 2009].
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Guidelines for contributors
General points of style
Equations and special characters
Simple, single line equations can be set directly in Word, though an equation editor program will
be required for more complex equations.
If you have problems producing equations or special characters (Greek, mathematical symbols
etc) due to a limitation in your word processor you should identify on the hard copy of the print
out the symbol required. (Ideally, all special characters should be set using an equation editor,
even where single characters appear in the text.) (LaTeX files can be accepted.)
Headings
Use a consistent system – hierarchy in which levels of headings are clearly discernible; for
example a-head, b-head, and c-head. All headings should be on a separate line and first words of
each heading only should be capitalized. You may use heading numbering but please note this
may be removed when the material is published.
Spelling
We will employ British English spelling (Oxford) throughout, though 'ize' endings will be used
rather than 'ise'.
Abbreviations and acronyms
Spell out in full in first mention in the text followed by abbreviation or acronym in brackets. Use
lower case when spelling out in full except where it is a noun.
Units
For general use in the text please spell out units, abbreviate when preceded by a definite
quantity. Use SI units correctly. No full points after abbreviations and there should be a space
between numerals and units.
Supplying your manuscript
Text and image files should be submitted via the online submission site, you will receive an
email invitation to submit your chapter.
www.editorialmanager.com/icem
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The preferred format for supplying text is Microsoft Word, though other word processor
formats can be accepted, with pages consecutively numbered from page 1.
Text styling, such as use of italic and bold fonts, will be retained so should be set
correctly in the typescript.
Automatic text formatting
Please do not use automatic text formatting options (e.g. automatic footnote numbering) – these
can cause problems when converting text for typesetting.
Illustrations
Do not embed illustrations within the text document but include a figure flag e.g. <fig 1.1 near
here>. All electronic illustrations should be supplied separately; either as electronic files or as
hardcopy. Each figure should be cited in the text.
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Guidelines for contributors
Copyright and permissions
When using text and illustrative material from other sources, you should be aware that it may be
in copyright. If so, permission of the copyright holder will be required before the material can be
reproduced.
We cannot use an illustration or photograph that belongs to somebody else without obtaining
permission. It is important that authors take all necessary steps to ensure that they have
permission to reproduce material for which they do not hold copyright.
General
If an illustration appears on the Internet or a newspaper this does not mean that it is in the public
domain and therefore free to use. Written permission must be obtained (email is sufficient
appropriate, though please use the draft permission form below as a guide).
Photographs are generally the property of the photographer. In some cases photographers will
charge a fee which is payable by the author. In most cases line drawings are allowed free of
charge (TT does not normally charge for their inclusion if requested by other publishers).
Please start the clearance procedure as soon as possible, as the process of copyright clearance
may take some time.
TT require ALL permissions to be cleared before the manuscript enters the production
process, therefore to avoid delaying the book it is strongly recommended that copyright
permission is sought as early as possible.
Rules governing copyright
The term of copyright currently stands at 70 years from the end of the year of death of the writer,
artist or photographer; or from the year of publication if copyright rests with a publisher. It is
also worth noting that copyright law in the UK has a provision known as ‘fair trading’ allowing
up to 400 words in a single quotation or 800 words in more than one quotation from a single
publication to be used without permission. However an exception to this rule will apply if an
extract is more than a quarter in length of the full article, in which case permission will be
required.
Seeking permission
The author must obtain permission to reproduce all material protected by copyright. This
basically refers to any material that has been published elsewhere – whether it has appeared in a
printed or electronic format. This might include quotations of substantial length, illustrations,
halftones or tables. All copyright holders (usually an author, illustrator or the original publisher)
should be approached either by email or in writing requesting permission to reproduce their
item – you should also enclose a copy of Thomas Telford’s standard permissions request form
(provided at the end of this document).
A copy of this letter and the rights holders reply should be submitted with your manuscript.
Adaptations
Permission to use a figure or a diagram may not be necessary if you decide to ‘adapt it’. This
course of action refers to substantively altering an existing figure or diagram. However, the
level of adaptation is subjective so it is best to err on the side of caution and apply for
permission to reproduce an adapted version of the original.
It is important to acknowledge the original source of any artwork by applying the wording
‘Adapted from... in the caption. Again the original source will need to be listed in your
reference section.
‘All rights in all media’ and subsequent editions
It is important to identify on the completed permissions letter the figure, table or quote to which
it refers to in your manuscript.
Please ensure that you request both print and electronic rights and permission for subsequent
editions from the copyright holder.
***Note to new edition authors***
Permissions cleared for the previous edition may not cover subsequent editions – permission
letters should be checked and where necessary permission applied for.
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Guidelines for contributors
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement to the source of the material i.e. figures or tables should be made in the
caption using the standard wording:
‘J. Smith 1999. Reproduced by kind permission of … (publisher).
However please note it is also a common insistence for copyright holders to specify a specific
form of written acknowledgement and this must be followed to the rule.
Acknowledgement for copyright material may also appear in an Acknowledgement section at
the end of the chapter.
Tips on clearing permissions
 Start clearance at least 3 months before delivery of the final manuscript. It may be best to
request permission as soon as you decide you wish to use the copyrighted material.
 List the material you need to clear so you can keep a check on what you’ve cleared.
 Chase responses
 Keep replies with your checklist (we need copies of permission cleared for reference).
Where a specific form of words is requested, insert it into the figure/table caption.
 When your manuscript is ready, send checklist and copies of the permissions cleared, we
will check all acknowledgements are correct.
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Guidelines for contributors
Checking proofs
Authors will always receive a set of page proofs for any chapter in production. The purpose of
the proofs is to show the edited text and redrawn illustrations as they will appear on the printed
page.
The proofs are provided to allow the author to:
 Review the copy editing
 Ensure the typeset text is correct and complete
 Identify any problems with layout of material
 Identify errors in the illustrations and text.
The proofing process is not intended to allow the author to
 Re-write material
 Insert new material
You will be asked when checking page proofs to identify any factual or typographical errors in
the text and to indicate any corrections that are required. It is important that this is not an
opportunity to review the text and make revisions – correcting text at this stage is prohibitively
expensive and time-consuming (for this reason, it is important that the author is satisfied that the
manuscript is complete and final when handed over to your editor).
A freelance proofreader will be employed to read a duplicate proof, providing an objective
expert review of the typesetting quality. Authors will only see this one set of proofs. TT will
ensure that the text is revised to incorporate the author’s and proofreader’s corrections and then
checked and prepared for printing.
It is important that the author identifies all corrections at this stage as anything missed at this
stage can not be corrected later.
Contributor guidelines: Apr 09
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(For Author use only)
Figure No/Table No in
original manuscript
(For TTL office use only)
Figure No/Table No in
TTL book or journal
COPYRIGHT PERMISSION REQUEST FORM
DATE:
……………………….
FROM:
Name
............................................................. TO:
Name
.................................................................
Address ..............................................................
Address .................................................................
..............................................................
..........................................................…...
I am preparing for publication:
* (1)
an original work entitled ……………………………….. ………………………………….…………………
* (2)
an original work entitled ……………………………………………………………….…..as part of a work
entitled
………………………………………………………………………………………..………………
edited by ................................................................................................................... .......................……...……
* (3)
an original work entitled …………………………………………………………..…………….as an article in
the journal entitled ........................................................................................................ ......................................
(* Author to delete whichever is not applicable)
to be published by Thomas Telford Limited, Thomas Telford House, 1 Heron Quay, London, E14 4JD
I request your permission to include the following in the work referred to above, in all subsequent editions of the
work and in all derivative works based on the work, in any and all media of expression now known or later
developed and in all languages, to be published by Thomas Telford or its licensees throughout the world
..........................................................................................................................................................................……...
............................................................................................................................. ....................................……............
............................................................................................................................. ..........................................……......
The usual form of acknowledgement is to quote the author(s) and publication title of the original material.
Thomas Telford will include the words:
“Reproduced by permission of [the owner of the publishing rights] ”
Please would you therefore confirm the owner of the publishing rights to be quoted as granting permission.
Please indicate your agreement by signing and returning the enclosed copy of this form. In signing, you warrant
that you are the sole owner of the rights granted and that your material does not infringe upon the copyright or
other rights of anyone. If you do not control these rights, I would appreciate you letting me know to whom I
should apply.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
I/We hereby grant permission for the use of the material requested above.
Date .......................................... Signed ............................................................................
Publishing Rights Holder ..................................................................................................
Publisher ...........................................................................................................................