Author Guidelines

Preparing your manuscript

Once the project progresses to manuscript preparation, agree the scope, structure and submission arrangements with your editor. Prioritise clear, consistent source files over a finished page design.

Chapters that work on their own

Readers may encounter an individual chapter before the whole book. Give each chapter a clear title, define essential terms and make cross-references understandable outside the surrounding text. For an edited collection, include a short chapter abstract and keywords, and make each chapter’s references self-contained. For an authored book, agree the approach to abstracts and references with your editor.

Figures and supporting material

Supply original figure files separately, alongside their captions, source credits and alternative text. Use the highest-quality originals available and retain editable versions where possible. Discuss extensive datasets, multimedia, code or other supplementary material with your editor before preparing the final files.

Edited collections

An edited collection should make a coherent contribution as a book. Its rationale, structure and editorial introduction should explain how the chapters connect and what the collection achieves together.

Volume editors should:

• Give contributors a shared brief covering scope, chapter length, referencing, accessibility and deadlines.
• Confirm each contributor’s agreement to participate and maintain accurate author and contact details.
• Review chapters for relevance, quality and consistency before submitting the complete collection.
• Address unnecessary overlap, gaps and inconsistent terminology across chapters.
• Coordinate responses to editorial feedback and peer review.
• Ensure each chapter has complete references, permissions, disclosures and author approval.

Identify one corresponding editor to coordinate communication with OAPA Press.

References and permissions

Referencing

Use a recognised referencing style appropriate to your discipline and apply it consistently. Check that every citation has a matching reference and that names, dates, titles and publication details are accurate. Include persistent identifiers, such as DOIs, where available.

Third-party material

Identify material you did not create, including images, diagrams, maps, substantial quotations and previously published tables. Record its source, rights holder, licence and any permission obtained. Attribution alone does not establish permission to reproduce material.

Tell your editor about any restrictions early. Permission must cover the intended use and publication formats. Material published under different terms from the book’s main licence must be clearly identified. Keep copies of permissions and provide them when requested.

Previously published material

Disclose any overlap with your own published or publicly available work, including journal articles, reports, theses and earlier editions. Explain what is new and identify any rights or contractual restrictions.

Accessible books

Accessible source material helps more people read, navigate and use your work. Build accessibility into the manuscript from the beginning.

• Use a logical heading structure and descriptive chapter and section titles.
• Provide alternative text for informative images. Add longer descriptions for complex diagrams when a short description cannot convey the essential information.
• Explain significant findings from charts and figures in the text. Do not rely on colour alone to communicate meaning.
• Use simple table structures with clearly identified column and row headings. Avoid merged cells where possible.
• Use descriptive link text that identifies the destination or resource.
• Supply equations as editable equations rather than images wherever possible.
• Provide captions or transcripts for accompanying audio and video.

Discuss specialist notation, complex layouts or other accessibility requirements with your editor early in the project.

Authorship and research integrity

Authorship and approval

Agree authorship, contributor roles and author order before submission. All named authors should approve the submitted work and accept responsibility for their contributions. Acknowledge other contributions appropriately.

Research ethics and disclosures

Where relevant, describe ethical approval, consent arrangements, funding and competing interests. Protect confidential information and identify any restrictions affecting the publication of research materials, participant accounts or images.

Use of artificial intelligence

Disclose substantive use of generative artificial intelligence in developing text, images, code or analysis. Describe the tools used, their purpose and how the outputs were checked. Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, references, permissions and the integrity of the submitted work.

Do not list an AI tool as an author. Do not upload confidential, personal or third-party material to an external tool unless you have the necessary authority and appropriate safeguards.

Before you submit

• Make the project clear. Include the book’s purpose, readership, contribution and proposed contents.
• Identify the people involved. Provide author or editor details and nominate a corresponding contact.
• Describe its current stage. State what is complete, what remains to be written and your proposed timetable.
• Flag matters that need discussion. Identify previously published material, permissions, accessibility requirements and any other submission or publishing commitments.
• Check the files. Use clear filenames and include all material referred to in your proposal.