Publications

E-Newsletter: MGS Connection

Newsletter: MN Families

Journal: Minnesota Genealogist

Minnesota Genealogist is the quarterly educational journal of the Minnesota Genealogical Society.

MGS invites members and readers to submit articles for publication. Submit articles to jfonkert@aol.com. Please read Writers’ Guidelines below before submitting your article.

Submission Deadlines

Writer’s Guidelines

The Minnesota Genealogical Society invites submissions of several kinds of articles:

• Genealogy research articles reporting findings from research into ancestral or descendant lines of families with Minnesota or Upper Midwest connections; research articles should use footnotes or endnotes to document sources; preferred length: 1,500 to 3,000 words.

• Family history research stories describing a researcher’s path of discovery, including what the researcher knew at the outset, how one piece of information led to another, and how a particular problem was solved; articles should clearly identify sources in the narrative, or in footnotes or endnotes; preferred length: 1,000 to 2,500 words.

• Family history heritage travel stories describing trips to ancestral sites; stories should include advice on planning a trip, how to find ancestral sites, and how to use travel to advance genealogical research; preferred length: 500 to 1,500 words.

• Genealogical source guides describing how to find new or under-utilized genealogical sources; preferred length: 500 to 1,500 words.

• Technology and software reviews describing software programs for research, writing, image management and other genealogical activities; preferred length: 500 to 1,500 words.

• Book reviews summarizing and evaluating books of interest to genealogists and family historians; preferred length: 300 to 750 words.

Research articles, research stories and heritage travel stories should have some connection to Minnesota or the Upper Midwest. Preference is given to MGS members, but non-member submissions are welcome.

Submission requirements:

Submit articles digitally in file formats readable in Microsoft Word, preferably Word 2003 (.doc files). Place tables or charts at the end of your file. Photographs and images are invited, but please do not embed in your text file; send each image as a separate file. Clearly identify each image. Unless asked, do not send paper copies of articles or photographs. Use a descriptive file name such as: yourname yourtopic draft 21Jun2010.doc, using your name, topic and date of submission to identify your file. Submit digital files via email to: jfonkert@aol.com.

Please include the following information in your submission email:

- email address
- postal address
- phone number
- list of photos or other images, with proposed captions
- Short biographical statement (max: 75 words)

Agreements and Editing

If your article is accepted for publication, you will be asked to a sign writer’s agreement giving MGS exclusive one-year right to publish your article. You will retain copyright ownership.

All articles will be edited for style and length. The editing process includes several steps:

1) The Managing Editor will acknowledge your submission.
2) The Managing Editor will inform you of a decision to use or not use your article, and send you a Writers’ Agreement if your article is accepted for publication; the Managing Editor may ask you to make changes in length or organization of the article.
3) The Managing Editor will send your article to a Minnesota Genealogist copy editor for editing.
4) The Managing Editor will review the copy editors suggestions and return the edited version to you for review; this is your last chance to make any substantive changes to the article.
5) You will return the article to the Managing Editor, with any requests for changes.
6) The Managing Editor will send your article to the Layout Editor, who will place your article (and any images) into a final page layout; space limitations may require minor adjustments to your article at this point.
7) The Layout Editor will send a “proof” of your article to you and Minnesota Genealogist proofreaders for final review. Substantive changes are not permitted at this point; only spelling, grammar or serious errors will be corrected.
8) You will notify the Managing Editor and Layout Editor of any problems by the date requested.
9) The Layout Editor will send the final product to the printer.
10) MGS will send you two complimentary copies of the published journal.

Style and Format

We do not expect our authors to be professional writers; our editors are here to help, with the goal of making you look good to your readers. We do not expect you to have a style manual or Evidence Explained at your finger tips, but we do urge you to keep a dictionary handy. Do not let fear of making a mistake keep you from writing – if you have a good story, we will help you fix the grammar and style.

Spelling: Spell-check your document; consult a recent dictionary when in doubt.

Style: refer to Chicago Manual of Style , 15^th Edition or later.

Citations: refer to Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained. Citations are an art, not a science – variations in format are permissible, but use consistent form within your document. Provide enough information that readers can evaluate the source and find the source if they wish to view it for themselves. Endnotes, rather than footnotes, are preferred. Remember: anything that is not general knowledge should have a source citation.

Formatting: Please do not include special formatting in your file. Use bold-face type only for section headlines. Use italics only when essential. Extra formatting makes it more difficult for others to work with your file.

Verbs: Make sure verbs match your subjects in tense, person and number. Avoid passive voice.

Numbers: Spell-out numbers under 10. Consult the Chicago Manual of Style for details.

Dates: Unless you are using a direct quote from another document, use the standard genealogical form: “21 June 2010.”

Abbreviations: Avoid abbreviations. Do not use postal state abbreviations (MN), except in postal addresses. Rather, use standard abbreviations: e.g., Minn., Ia., Mich., Wisc. or Wis.

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