The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Scandinavian Culture

Guidelines for Contributors

The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Scandinavian Culture will be one in a series of reference works published by Routledge (where possible, contributors may like to consult one or more of the volumes already published to familiarise themselves with the series). The encyclopaedia is a response to the growing interest in cultural studies, and the broadening of the traditional syllabus in higher education language institutions, away from the traditional emphasis on language and canonical literature towards a broader cultural studies perspective. It is intended that the encyclopaedia will be an essential resource for teaching and independent study in the field; reliable for fact-checking and a first source for further exploration of particular topics. To this end it is vital that authors:

Keep strictly to deadlines, word-lengths and scope agreed with the editors;

Read and follow the instructions below on style, format and submission of entries.

1. Scope

For the purposes of the encyclopedia, the 'contemporary' period will begin with the end of the Second World War. Of course, this date is inevitably rather arbitrary, and it will be necessary to include some material on the pre-1945 period, but this material should be presented in terms of its relevance and significance to contemporary society. Where possible the content of overview articles should be weighted towards the present day.

'Scandinavia' is defined as including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, together with Greenland, Faroe and Åland. Some contributors will of course think of this region as 'Norden', but the more fluid term 'Scandinavia' is preferred for the encyclopaedia (the reasons for this choice will be discussed by the editors in the introduction.) Although some entries will be country-specific, material should, as far as possible, be presented in a way which reflects this pan-Scandinavian perspective, and discussed in terms of its significance and relevance across Scandinavia.

Culture is defined very broadly; understood as 'that entire range of institutions, artefacts and practices which make up our symbolic universe…' (A Milner, Contemporary Cultural Theory: An Introduction, London: UCL Press, 1994).

2. Readership

The encyclopaedia will be a valuable resource for a wide range of readers seeking different types of information. It is extremely important therefore that entries are written in a style which is lucid and accessible, and avoids the use of jargon. Broadly, the entries should be at a level accessible for first year undergraduates, but the readership of the encyclopaedia is likely to include the following:

Students of the Scandinavian languages seeking a broader cultural context to their studies.

Teachers of Scandinavian Studies, Comparative Literature, History, Cultural Studies etc.

Students within the humanities and social sciences with no knowledge of a Scandinavian language taking an optional course in an aspect of Scandinavian culture, history or society, or studying Scandinavia in a comparative context within their own specialism, e.g. film, literature, politics.

Teachers and students within Scandinavia seeking information with a cross-national perspective not always covered by Scandinavian-produced referenced works.

Anyone considering a period of study or work in Scandinavia.

Educated lay readers with an interest in Scandinavian culture.

Anyone seeking up-to-date information on contemporary Scandinavian culture.

3. Structure and content

i. Length of entries
The encyclopaedia as a whole will be approximately 400,000 words long, and include approximately 1000 entries. Individual entries will range in length from a few lines, to short essays of no more than 3000 words. It is extremely important that contributors stick to the word length agreed with the editors and specified in their contracts. The number of words commissioned includes the text of your article, all references and further reading information, and cross-references. Please indicate the number of words in your contribution(s), at the end each entry.

There will be three main types of entry:
A 150-500 words
B 800-1500 words
C up to 3000 words

Category A entries will be short sketches, providing a quick, factual introduction to the topic. Many entries of this type will be biographical.

Category B entries will take the form of longer surveys. Most entries will call for a pan-Scandinavian survey of a particular topic (e.g. rock music, children's literature, corporatism). Entries should begin with a short paragraph providing a factual overview of the topic for those readers requiring a rapid source of information on a particular topic. Where appropriate, the entry will discuss developments in the different Scandinavian countries, paragraph by paragraph. In each case, contributors should assess the cultural significance of the phenomenon across the Scandinavian countries as a whole, and not merely present factual details.

The same applies for category C entries, which are short essays providing an overview survey of particular topics (e.g. architecture, film, welfare state).

ii. Biographical entries
These should follow a standard format, to include the following information:
Surname
Forename(s)
Place of Birth (town and country)
Date of Birth (year only)
Place of Death (town and country, if appropriate)
Date of Death (year only, if appropriate)
Description (e.g. writer, designer, painter)

Please follow the sample entry closely.

iii. Cross-referencing
The cross-referencing of entries is a vital part of all works of reference of this type. When writing your entry please refer to the complete list of entries and include cross-references where they may be useful. Please bear in mind the different types of potential user when deciding which cross-references to include.

Cross-references may be included in three ways:

Where the text includes cross-references, terms should be preceded by a single asterisk. The asterisk should precede the headword (e.g. *social democracy). In the case of names the asterisk should precede the surname (e.g. Kerstin *Ekman). Terms should only be cross-referenced when they first appear in an entry, and not thereafter.

If a cross-reference is desirable but is not integrated into a sentence, please indicate it in brackets at the end of the sentence, preceded by see. (see Alvar Aalto).

At the end of the entry, other relevant headwords should be listed in alphabetical order, separated by semi-colons. See also ice hockey; bandy.

As the Encyclopaedia will also include an index, it is not necessary to provide more than the most useful cross-references in the individual entries.

iv. Bibliographies, references and further reading
Bibliographic details should be given as indicated in Bibliographical Details in the Style Guide.

a) Bibliography/filmography/discography
In the case of biographical entries, the subject's most important or interesting works, whether books, films, records or similar, should be cited in the text. There is no need to provide a full publication history. In each case, the title should be given in the appropriate language, underlined, with date of publication. Where a published translation exists, this should be given in brackets, underlined, with date of publication. For example, an entry on Kerstin Ekman might refer to Händelser vid vatten (1993) (Blackwater, 1995). Where no published translation exists please provide an English translation in brackets (in this case, do not underline). E.g. Elisabet Hermodsson, Disa Nilssons visor (1974) (The Songs of Disa Nilsson).

b) Citations from works of other scholars, critics etc.
References to the works of other scholars, critics etc. on the subject of the entry should be used very sparingly, and avoided if at all possible. Any references which are included should follow the 'Harvard' system (see Style Guide).

c) Suggestions for further reading
While the Encyclopaedia is not intended to be a comprehensive bibliographic source, it will provide suggestions for further reading for each entry. Suggestions for further reading should be included at the end of the entry. Further reading should not exceed one text for A entries; five texts for B entries, and seven texts for C entries. Where appropriate, for B and C entries texts should be annotated, i.e. they should include a line of description in brackets following the publication details. See the Style Guide for information about how to set out the further reading.

Where possible, suggestions for further reading should be in English, although for the longer entries it may be appropriate to include the most important Scandinavian language work. Works in another major European language may be included where there is no suitable English text. General volumes should be avoided wherever possible; if citation of a general volume is necessary then please provide details of the pages or chapter most relevant to your subject.

Reference to material on the internet should be avoided, as it is impossible to guarantee that the site will still be available when the volume goes to press.

v. Sub-headings
Only the longer B and C category entries require sub-headings, and in these cases they should be used sparingly. Sub-headings should be on a line of their own, underlined and preceded and followed by a line space.

vi. Notes
Footnotes and endnotes should not be included.

vii. Copyright
Please be aware of copyright regulations and avoid using matter that is in copyright (e.g. quotes from lyrics, poetry). Should this be unavoidable, please note that the author of the entry is responsible for tracking down the copyright holder and obtaining permission. All documentation must be submitted with the entry. If you have any doubts about this, please contact the relevant editor.

viii. Language
If your first language is not English, it is essential that you get your entry or entries checked and corrected by a native-speaker of English before submission. The editors have no budget for specialist proof-reading, and reserve the right to reject any entry if they do not consider the English to be of a good standard.

ix. Submission of entries
The manuscript should preferably be submitted via e-mail in Microsoft Word attachments to the project e-mail box at scandinavianculture@taylorandfrancis.com as a Microsoft Word (or Word compatible) file as an email attachment. Please note the following:

Please retain a copy of the file yourself.

The text should be double-spaced, and numbered consecutively on each page.

Include your name at the end of each article.

Please email with your submission your name (as you would wish it to appear in print), academic affiliation, title, full address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address. It is important that the editors should have an up-to-date contact address for you at all times.

If there are problems opening your email attachment it may be necessary for you to send hard copies of your submission by post.

Once your submission has been accepted by the editors, payment will be made as agreed in your contract.