Articlo
Format a manuscript

Open Library of Humanities

Prepare your manuscript for Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal.

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

Checked 2026-08-02
Check readiness freePrepare this manuscript

Article types

Research Article
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 150 words.
  • The Abstract and Keywords should also be added to the metadata when making the initial online submission.

Keywords

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

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • Include a comma for all numbers above 999, excepting in-text citations.
Show 20 more
  • A short paragraph should be placed before the references.
  • It must be clear from the text and/or citation where the quote is sourced.
  • Use the acronym for all subsequent references.
  • General references to ancient antiquity, e.g. 'In antiquity, things were different', should be lower-case.
  • Figure titles and legends should be placed within the text document, after the paragraph of their first citation.
  • References In-text citations Every use of information from other sources must be cited in the text so that it is clear that external material has been used.
  • Multiple citations should be separated by semi-colon and follow chronological order.
  • If one or two authors are cited from the same citation then all should be listed.
  • If three or more authors are part of the citation then ‘et al.’ should follow the first author name.
  • If citations are used from the same author and the same year, then a lowercase letter, starting from ‘a’, should be placed after the year.
  • Please do not include URLs in parenthetical citations, but rather cite the author or page title and include all details, including the URL, in the reference list.
  • For subsequent citations of the same text, the abbreviated citation should be given following The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th edition.
  • The full bibliographic reference should still be supplied in the bibliography.
  • Abbreviations If in text abbreviations have been used (CIL, RIB etc), an abbreviations list should be located above the Reference List.
  • References All citations must be listed at the end of the text file, in alphabetical order of authors’ surnames.
  • Please note: The required bibliography style mandates the full inclusion of author first names.
  • If a source has not been accepted for publication/is not publicly available, please do not include this in the reference list.
  • Decades should be referenced as follows.
  • If in-text citations cannot be used, a source can be cited as part of a note.
  • If citations are from the same author, then the author’s name does not need to be repeated.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript. Keep figures embedded; Articlo also extracts numbered source files for the package.
  • Place each figure after its first clear citation.
Show 21 more
  • NOTE: All figures must be uploaded separately as supplementary files during the submission process, if possible in colour and at a resolution of at least 300dpi.
  • Tables should not include: Multiple parts (e.g. ‘Table 1a’ and ‘Table 1b’).
  • These should either be merged into one table, or separated into ‘Table 1’ and ‘Table 2’.
  • Please use figures for numbers 10 or higher.
  • If the sentence includes a series of numbers then figures must be used in each instance.
  • If the number appears as part of a dataset, in conjunction with a symbol or as part of a table then the figure must be used.
  • Figures & Tables Figures Figures, including graphs and diagrams, must be professionally and clearly presented.
  • Each figure must have an accompanying descriptive main title.
  • This should clearly and concisely summarize the content and/or use of the figure image.
  • If the figure is the authors own, (Source: Author) should be inserted.
  • Tables: must be created using a word processor's table function, not tabbed text.
  • Each table must have an accompanying descriptive title.
  • This should clearly and concisely summarize the content and/or use of the table.
  • The table title and legend should be placed underneath the table.
  • Tables should not include: Colour to denote meaning (it will not display the same on all devices).
  • Tables should not include: Vertical or diagonal lines.
  • Tables should be included in the manuscript.
  • Tables should not include: Rotated text.
  • Tables should not include: Images.
  • Units of measurement Symbols following a figure to denote a unit of measurement must be taken from the International System of Units (SI).
  • The following figure terms should be used before the source.

Funding statement

  • Funding Information (optional) Should the research have received a funding grant then the grant provider and grant number should be detailed.

Competing interests

  • Add or confirm the author-written Competing interests statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Competing interests If any of the authors have any competing interests then these must be declared.
Show 1 more
  • If there are no competing interests to declare then the following statement should be present: The author(s) has/have no competing interests to declare.

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.
Show 2 more
  • Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.
  • Supplementary Files (optional) Any supplementary/additional files that should link to the main publication must be listed, with a corresponding number, title and option description.

Title page and author information

  • Author names should include a forename and a surname.
  • The affiliation should ideally include ‘Department, Institution, City, Country’, however only the Institution and Country are mandatory.
Show 1 more
  • The names of all authors, affiliations, contact details, biography (optional) and the corresponding author details must be completed online as part of the submission process.

Article type and manuscript length

  • Research Article: Research articles should be supported by relevant figures and tabulated data and be no more than 10,000 words in length, including the bibliography; Abstract Research articles must have the main text prefaced by an abstract of no more than 150 words summarising the main arguments and conclusions of the article.
  • All figures must be cited within the main text, in consecutive order using Arabic numerals (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.).
Show 10 more
  • All tables must be cited within the main text, numbered with Arabic numerals in consecutive order (e.g. Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
  • This must have the heading ‘Abstract’ and be easily identified from the start of the main text.
  • Main text The body of the submission should be structured in a logical and easy to follow manner.
  • Acknowledgements (optional) Any acknowledgements must be headed and in a separate paragraph, placed after the main text but before the reference list.
  • References All references cited within the submission must be listed at the end of the main text file.
  • Headings within the main text: First level headings in the text should follow the same rule as the main title.
  • Quotation Quotations that are longer than three lines in length must be in an indented paragraph separate from the main text.
  • If the author is already mentioned in the main text then the year should follow the name within parenthesis.
  • If the author name is not mentioned in the main text then the surname and year should be inserted, in parenthesis, after the relevant text.
  • All reading materials should be included in ‘References’ – works which have not been cited within the main text, but which the author wishes to share with the reader, must be cited as additional information in endnotes explaining the relevance of the work.

Other submission requirements

  • Editorials should be no longer than 3,000 words in length.
  • Numbers that are less than zero must have ‘0’ precede the decimal point.
Show 58 more
  • Date ranges should be given in full: e.g. 1400–1475 and not 1400–75.
  • Excavation nomenclature should be lowercase: well 8328.
  • Excavation nomenclature should be lowercase: layer 45.
  • Please note: The names of authors of multiple-authored publications should be spelt out in full for 1–5 authors.
  • For 6 authors or more, the first author should be followed by et al.
  • Each file should not be more than 20MB.
  • Submissions should be made electronically through this website.
  • These should make a substantial contribution to the overall understanding of the subject matter as well as add to general knowledge in the wider field.
  • Editorials should introduce a volume of the journal.
  • The full name, Joe Bloggs is required (this will enhance the 'findability' of your publication).
  • Note: additional files will not be typeset so must be provided in their final form.
  • Use lowercase for all articles, coordinate conjunctions and prepositions.
  • However, do not use an Oxford comma unless needed for clarity.
  • If two or more points of the compass are used together, they should be hyphenated: e.g., The provinces of the north-western empire.
  • Font The font used should be commonly available and in an easily readable size.
  • Underlined text should be avoided whenever possible.
  • Bold or italicized text to emphasize a point are permitted, although should be restricted to minimal occurrences to maximize their efficiency.
  • If the list indicates a specific sequence then a numbered list must be used.
  • Lists should be used sparingly to maximize their impact.
  • The standard, non-italicized font must be used for all quotes.
  • If some of the original quote is being omitted then an ellipsis with a space on either side must be used to break the text.
  • Words added to the original quote text, to enhance clarity, must be placed within square brackets.
  • Common examples from Latin origin do not follow this rule and should be lower case and can include full stops.
  • All notes should be used only where crucial clarifying information needs to be conveyed.
  • Place names and legion names should not be italicized.
  • Greek characters can be used but must be in a Unicode Greek font (preferably Orthos).
  • If they are present, they should denote emphasis, change of thought or interruption to the main sentence and can replace commas, parentheses, colons or semicolons.
  • If a sentence starts with a number it must be spelt, or the sentence should be re-written so that it no longer starts with the number.
  • Multiple dimensions should be cited as follows.
  • BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) should be used.
  • Chronological periods should be capitalized (e.g. Roman, Classical Antiquity, Late Antique, Late Iron Age).
  • Dating protocols Radiocarbon dates should be presented following 14C community endorsed guidelines (Millard 2014).
  • Archaeological terminology Specific monuments, buildings, groups of objects should be capitalized.
  • Formula Formulae must be proofed carefully by the author.
  • Photos taken by the author must include the year that the photo was taken.
  • If specific pages are being cited then the page number should follow the year, after a colon.
  • If a range of pages are being cited then both full page numbers should be typed out, separated by an en dash.
  • For classical authors, the author, Latin title, and page range should be cited.
  • A full stop should separate book, chapter, and line numbers.
  • Multiple books should be listed in numerical order and separated with a semi-colon.
  • Multiple chapters and/or lines within the same book should be separated with a comma.
  • Note: Books with multiple editions should be cited by the year of publication of the edition used.
  • Please note: Roman should always be capitalized in article titles.
  • Please note: Page ranges should be typed out in full.
  • German titles should capitalize nouns and proper-nouns.
  • Titles in Romance languages should only capitalize proper nouns.
  • Please note: When referencing book chapters, the full book title should be listed in full every time.
  • Forenames cannot include only initials.
  • Em dashes should be used sparingly.
  • No space should surround the dash.
  • Do not use a comma for a decimal place.
  • Dates should be written as.
  • Do not use ibid or ff.
  • Years should be separated with a semi-colon.
  • A range should be denoted with an en dash.
  • When a date is quoted, the following details must be provided.
  • Hyphenation, em and en dashes Please do not hyphenate between words unless it is strictly grammatically necessary.
  • Place of publication: Publisher.

Manuscript structure

  • Headings should preferably be under 150 characters.
  • Research Article: Research articles must present unpublished original research and clearly describe the research context, theoretical basis, methodologies used, and conclusions drawn.
Show 2 more
  • A clear introduction section should be given that allows non-specialists in the subject an understanding of the publication and a background of the issue(s) involved.
  • Use of footnotes/endnotes Use endnotes rather than footnotes (we refer to these as ‘Notes’ in the online publication).

Language and text style

  • Up to three level headings may be present and must be clearly identifiable using different font sizes, bold or italics.
  • Spelling Submissions must be made in English.
Show 9 more
  • When referring to proper nouns and normal institutional titles, the official, original spelling must be used.
  • English forms of place-names should be used where they exist: Seville rather than Sevilla, Padua rather than Padova.
  • A number of abbreviations are so common that they do not require the full text on the first instance.
  • Abbreviations should usually be in capital letters without full stops.
  • Latin and Greek text Foreign words, notably Latin and Greek, should be italicized, e.g. civitas (although those in common English usage need not be, e.g. villa).
  • Dimension abbreviations should be used as follows.
  • Please note: Capitalization of non-english book titles should follow the rules of that language.
  • Please note: Non-UK publisher locations should be written in English, e.g. Rome not Roma.
  • Acronyms & Abbreviations With abbreviations, the crucial goal is to ensure that the reader – particularly one who may not be fully familiar with the topic or context being addressed – is able to follow along.

Submission forms and permissions

  • The source of the image should be included, along with any relevant copyright information and a statement of authorization (if needed).
  • If quoting from material that is under copyright then permission will need to be obtained from the copyright holder.
Save journal and get updates Download complete checklist

What your package checks

Abstract: 150 words
Paper: 3,000 words
References: Harvard
Declarations: Competing interests

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