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The Surtees Society

Memorandum of Agreement

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On the acceptance of a title for publication by the Society, the following is a list of expectations on the eventual submission and are accepted by the Author.

The Author will submit a manuscript to the society’s general editor in one of the principal word processing programmes. The edition will usually consist of an edited text of the MS with a word-for-word translation into modern English, if the MS language is not English. The edition will accurately reproduce the text on the MS pages or folios. In the case of MS documents which are repetitive and formulaic it is accepted that English abstracts rather than word-for-word translations may be more suitable for the edition.

The edition will generally respect the society’s published guidelines for presenting MS texts (see the ‘Editing’ page of the Society’s website).

As well as the edited text, the Author will also provide an introduction to the edition. This will usually include a description and provenance of the MS, material reflecting on the MS’s historical antecedents and value, and a section on editorial method. Additional auxiliary documents reflecting on the MS may be provided in Appendices. 

Maps and plans are welcomed, though it is the responsibility of the Author to draft and source them.

It is the responsibility of the Author to secure permission to publish the edition of the MS and to incorporate and publish copyright material in the edition.

An index or indexes to the edition will be promptly provided by the Author during the proofing and production process of the volume. The format of such an index will usually respect the conventions followed in comparable titles previously published by the Society. If the Author is unwilling or unable to provide an index, then it is the responsibility of the Author to provide one from a third party.

The Society’s general editor will be responsible for submitting the final text to the printer and will liaise between the Author and the copy editor and publication team of the Society’s publisher and printer.

In the event of a disagreement between the Author and the Society over the standard or layout of the submitted edition, either or both are at liberty to withdraw or refuse the title for publication if there is no scope for reconciliation of the differences.