Articlo
Format a manuscript

UJ Press

Prepare your manuscript for Southern African Field Archaeology.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-07-26
Check readiness freePrepare this manuscript

Article types

Review
Letter

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 100 words.
  • Include a short abstract (an additional abstract in any African language is welcomed) briefly presenting the topic in ~100 words.
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  • Include an abstract in English (an additional abstract in any African language is welcomed), briefly presenting the topic, scope, aims and outcomes of the contribution (~150 to 300 words).
  • Include an abstract (an additional abstract in any African language is welcomed), briefly presenting the topic, scope, aims and outcomes of the contribution (~150 to 300 words).
  • All submissions should be in English (UK spelling) and may take the form of a: Non-peer-reviewed short notes at the discretion of the Editorial Board (no abstract, ~1000-3000 words excluding reference list).
  • All submissions should be in English (UK spelling) and may take the form of a: Non-peer-reviewed editorials and opinion pieces (no abstract, ~2000-3000 words excluding reference list).
  • Structure your revised contribution as follows: Abstract (where required according to contribution type).

Keywords

  • Structure your revised contribution as follows: Keywords (supply five keywords where required according to contribution type).
  • Provide five keywords.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • All submissions should be in English (UK spelling) and may take the form of a: Peer-reviewed research report (~3000-8000 words excluding reference list), which may include additional online supplementary files.
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  • All submissions should be in English (UK spelling) and may take the form of a: Peer-reviewed concise comparative study, synthesis, or overview (~5000-10 000 words excluding reference list), which may include additional online supplementary files.
  • All submissions should be in English (UK spelling) and may take the form of a: Peer-reviewed critique/discussion of an article published in FIELD or elsewhere that is relevant to the themes of the journal (~2000-5000 words excluding reference list).
  • Supporting online material should be submitted as separate Microsoft Word files and/or Excel files (for raw datasets), and named accordingly (e.g., SOM 1, SOM 2) with corresponding in text citations (e.g., see SOM 1 for typological descriptions).
  • All citations in the text should refer to: Single author: the author’s name and the year of publication (without initials, unless there is ambiguity, e.g., where two authors with the same surname publish regularly in the same disciplines/years, present as, e.g., Deacon HJ 1999; Deacon J 1999).
  • All citations in the text should refer to: Personal communications should be avoided, but where unavoidable should be presented as follows: “…assumptions based off the data (Sally Smith pers. comm. March 2022).”.
  • All citations in the text should refer to: Two authors: both authors' names separated by ‘&’ and the year of publication.
  • All citations in the text should refer to: Three or more authors: first author’s name followed by ‘et al.’ and the year of publication.
  • Groups of references should be listed first chronologically then alphabetically, but the same author/s is/are not listed more than once.
  • Reputable repository links (Sabinet, JSTOR, etc.) can be used in place of DOIs should they not be available, but please avoid links to Academia and ResearchGate.
  • Inclusive language statement: The contents of all submissions should be concise, well-organised, jargon-free, reader-friendly to a broad range of readers and make proper reference to the relevant literature.
  • Irrespective of whether a paper has been accepted for publication, manuscripts with references that are not formatted to the required journal style will be returned to the author/s for corrections.
  • As with all referencing software, end users should still verify the accuracy of in-text citations and reference lists to ensure compliance with the required journal style (as indicated below).
  • References should be listed at the end of the paper in alphabetical order using the Harvard system, following the conventions below.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
  • Tables must be prepared in Microsoft Word, fit within the normal/default (2.54 cm) document margins with portrait orientated pages only, and be embedded in the manuscript at the appropriate place (rather than at the end).
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  • Bulky tables and mass raw data should be uploaded separately as consecutively numbered sections of supporting online material (SOM; submitted in Microsoft Word and/or Excel file format), for example: SOM Table 1, SOM Table 2, SOM Figure 1, or SOM Method 1.
  • Figures and graphs should be embedded in the manuscript at the appropriate place in the text, fit within the normal/default (2.54 cm) document margins with portrait orientated pages only, and be in the appropriate size with captions below the graphics numbered according to their appearance.
  • Tables should be designed to be as simple and as informative as possible with all lines visible, and no special formatting.
  • Table headings should be understandable without reading the text of the manuscript.
  • Figure captions should be self-explanatory without reading the text of the manuscript.
  • Use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.

Funding statement

  • Include or confirm the funding statement required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Competing interests

  • Add or confirm the author-written Conflict of interest statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Important: Details are provided in the ‘Comments for the Editor’ section during submission for: (a) referee suggestions and contact details for at least three referees (current affiliations and email addresses; for peer-reviewed submissions only), and b a declaration of conflict of interest, and c clear confirmation that the manuscript does not include AI-generated text, and d if AI or LLM tools were used in the preparation of the manuscript, that the appropriate supporting details are provided here (i.e., name of the AI tool, version, manufacturer, date accessed, and a copy of the prompts/instructions used).

Data availability statement

  • Include or confirm the data availability statement required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Ethics statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • In cases of suspected misconduct (such as plagiarism or deliberate misrepresentation), a manuscript and its authors may be revealed to members of the Editorial Board (who serves as the ethics committee of the journal) and institutions/organizations that may require the information for the resolution of the misconduct.

Cover letter

  • Letter: Provide the claims and editor-specific context for the cover letter; Articlo creates an editable companion without inventing content.
  • Letter: The cover letter should comprise the first few pages of the revised Word file submission.
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  • Letter: Together with the revised submission, authors are required to submit a cover letter responding to the Specialist Editor’s recommendations and all the points raised by the reviewers.

Supplementary files

  • Letter: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Review: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
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  • Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.

Title page and author information

  • Provide your manuscript with a brief title that accurately describes the contents of the paper, followed by the authors' names and affiliations.

Preprints and prior publication

  • Place of publication: Publisher (if known).

Other submission requirements

  • Pages should be numbered serially, with 1.5 spacing for all text.
  • Radiocarbon dates should be accompanied by a laboratory index number and a statement of probable error, e.g., 15 000±500 BP (Pta-456), 2500±100 BC (Pta-789) and AD 200±50 (Pta-123).
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  • For example: “A combination of multiple lines of evidence is therefore needed to build more-or-less feasible interpretations for the use of either weapon-delivery system” (Smith & Smith 2021: 20).
  • A Turnitin or iThenticate Report file must be uploaded with your submission.
  • You must upload at least one Turnitin or iThenticate Report file with your submission.
  • Units should conform to the SI convention and be abbreviated accordingly.
  • Use BP, BC or AD for calibrated dates, but bp for uncalibrated dates.
  • The Acknowledgments of people, grants, funds, etc. should be brief.
  • Graphics should be prepared using applications capable of generating high resolution TIFF, JPEG or PowerPoint before pasting in the Microsoft Word manuscript file.
  • Submit a manuscript.
  • Review: Submit a review.
  • Provide five key words.
  • The submission protocol requires that accepted manuscripts should be prepared according to the style and specifications of Southern African Field Archaeology (unformatted manuscripts will be returned to authors).
  • All submissions must meet the following requirements.
  • As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • Edited book that cannot be cited by a specific chapter.

Language and text style

  • Format your revised contribution as follows: Manuscripts must be prepared in Microsoft Word using the English (UK) language setting.
  • Format your revised contribution as follows: Title in bold capitals, headings in bold, sub-headings in italics (further subdivision should be avoided).
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  • Each abbreviation should be spelled out and introduced in parentheses the first time it is used in the text, e.g., marine isotope stage (MIS).
  • Use italics for non-English words and bold to emphasise words, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses).
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What your package checks

Abstract: 100 words
Paper: 5,000 words
References: Harvard
Declarations: Conflict of interest, Ethics
Format: 1.5-line spacing

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source