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The Whole North Into Gaul - Printable Version

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The Whole North Into Gaul - Flavivs Aetivs - 05-25-2013

I plan on submitting an article to the Journal of Late Antiquity, and as this is my first time ever doing something like this, I'd like to ask for any tips/reccomendations before I submit it. The topic I'm doing is: The Whole North Into Gaul: an Analysis of the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains.

I have a good enough understanding of 5th century military history to do a topic in that era, and also have several primary sources regarding it and several secondary sources as well.

Thanks in advance.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - AMELIANVS - 05-26-2013

Beware of unnecessary vulgarisms :evil:!And immediately when you finish it,give us some link where we can read it ourselves :-).


The Journal of Late Antiquity - M. Demetrius - 05-26-2013

Quote:give us some link where we can read it ourselves
Ditto


The Journal of Late Antiquity - D B Campbell - 05-26-2013

Definitely worth reading a previous issue of the journal, to see whether your piece will fit in: Free sample issue at Project Muse


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Eleatic Guest - 05-26-2013

Quote:Definitely worth reading a previous issue of the journal, to see whether your piece will fit in: Free sample issue at Project Muse

First thing I noticed: the shortest article still runs a full 14 pages. :woot:

Then: the scope is rather wide, almost eclectic: beside historical studies in the narrow sense (politics, war etc.), they also offer archaeological, language and literature studies and technological topics. :-)

I wonder whether it makes sense for you to first contact the editor about the prospects of success for publishing your article. Maybe I am naive, but it could save a lot of time for you to inquire whether your research interest matches with their profile.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Flavivs Aetivs - 05-26-2013

Quote:Definitely worth reading a previous issue of the journal, to see whether your piece will fit in: Free sample issue at Project Muse

I've read several of their articles, but they're not very military oriented.

@Eleatic Guest
I have talked to my Latin Teacher (Dr. Seiler) who worked with Ralph Mathisen for a while, and he heads up the whole thing. I sent Dr. Mathisen an Email but never got a response.

@Pavel and Demetrius
I will post a link when it is finished. I'm still on page one and I write 20 page essays just for my schoolwork! (Funny thing is my teachers hate having more than 2 or 3. Really shows the flaws in our educational system doesn't it?)


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Praefectusclassis - 05-26-2013

Not necessarily: most editors prefer an article where an argument is made clearly in two pages than one where the point is hidden amid a flurry of words and sentences. I'm certainly not saying that's what you do, but quality and quantity are two different entities! Big Grin


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Diocle - 05-27-2013

My suggestion for editors and writers from the reader's point of view:

The best thing is when quality meets quantity!

Bloody Question for editors:

If the poor Marcel Prust was living today, would he found a Publisher willing to publish his 'À la recherche du temps perdu'?

I've so many doubts.......com'on! I can listen the answers to the poor man:

'My dear Mr Proust, the work is good but....(pause hypocrite)...sadly it does not match our editorial line!' or 'The contents Mr proust, the Contents! the public needs love, blood, crime, some strong, clear and simple content and not this...,sorry my dear, this mass of dreams and confused intellectual masturbations!' or 'Mr Prust, I like the work but sadly we publish only works of 300 pages!' or 'Mr Prust if you accept to rewrite the work with our editorial consultant and his focus groups, we may accept to examine the project feasibility' :lol:


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Flavivs Aetivs - 05-27-2013

Quote:Not necessarily: most editors prefer an article where an argument is made clearly in two pages than one where the point is hidden amid a flurry of words and sentences. I'm certainly not saying that's what you do, but quality and quantity are two different entities! Big Grin

I'm going for both, my article will probably be several pages long because it covers a lot, but I am also doing my best to keep it high quality by making statements clear and concise, while still being detailed. It certainly is difficult.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Flavivs Aetivs - 05-28-2013

I just got the formatting guidelines for the article, has to be less than 9000 words (I'm only at 1500 right now). Working on making what I currently have follow suit with the guidelines.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Eleatic Guest - 05-28-2013

Quote:I just got the formatting guidelines for the article, has to be less than 9000 words (I'm only at 1500 right now).

And why do the articles differ so much in terms of length then?


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Epictetus - 05-29-2013

Some ideas that I use:

1) Read it out loud. You will be surprised how you can find awkward phrases or irregular rhythm you would never notice simply reading silently to yourself.
2) Cut out anything that could vaguely be considered a cliché. If a phrase sounds familiar, cut it out or change it.
3) Have some friends or colleagues read it, but demand that they only give you criticism. Make it very clear that no praise or encouragement is allowed. You want to make it better, not get praised.
4) After you have it “perfect”, make a list of at least ten things that would make it better. Force yourself to find at least ten problems. Then fix them.
5) After you have it even more “perfect,” set it down and ignore it for at least a week. Don’t read it or even think about it. Then come back and look at it again.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - M. Demetrius - 05-29-2013

Number Five below is very important. Your brain will tend to remember what you meant, not read what you wrote. Amazingly, you will even fill in missing words in what you've written, but other people will not.

Take it paragraph by paragraph. In the old days, a paragraph was one complete thought that fit neatly between other paragraphs that contained complete thoughts. The first sentence generally contained an introductory thought, the middle sentences developed that thought, and the last sentence was the conclusion. Modern style says that long paragraphs are hard to read and boring. (I wonder if Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne and Charles Dickens knew that?) The "Now Rule" is to write two or three lines, then hit enter twice. A paragraph in modern writing may now be only one sentence. Not so in good writing, though.

And avoid sentence fragments such as we see in this color within this post, or starting a sentence with a conjunction (like this sentence did). Those things are allowed in informal writing like we have here--as it can tend to be more informal. A more formal paper such as you will submit to your professor may not even be read if it contains too many grammar errors.

We have been dumbed down nearly to the bone in the US educational system. If we descend much further, there will be no grammar or spelling rules left. I'm astonished at how quickly this process has accelerated over the last couple of decades. You can, and should, do better. Use specific, colorful words. The Thesaurus is your friend, but not your master.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - Flavivs Aetivs - 05-29-2013

Thanks guys, I will probably put it up on the site for anyone who wants to criticise it to review it first, then I'll send it in. I should have the draft done in a week. I'm taking a break tonight though to play star trek.


The Journal of Late Antiquity - M. Demetrius - 05-29-2013

Quote:for anyone who wants to criticise it to review it first,
Beware, young Jedi...