The Portolan, while the journal of the Washington Map Society, does not focus only on Washington, DC and the surrounding region. Just as our membership is very scattered, in many US states and numerous foreign countries, the articles published cover a wide range of topics related to map history, map collecting and cartography. See the Internet index to the contents of The Portolan and you will see the wide range of subjects so far appearing in the journal.
Our articles come from many sources. Some are summaries or articles based on presentations before the society. Some are articles that have won (or received honorable mention) in the society's annual Ristow Prize Competition. Some are contributed by members based on individual research or travels that have included cartographic experiences. Still others are contributed by scholars or researchers from throughout the world who wish to present their writing to a worldwide audience of map aficionados, academics and national and university libraries.
To submit an article for possible inclusion in The Portolan, please refer to the following guidelines.
Manuscript Preparation
Please submit your manuscript as follows:
-- The preferred paper length is 3,000 to 5,000 words. It should be typed on 8 1/2-x-11-inch (or A4 or A5) paper, single or double-spaced, with wide margins on all sides.
-- In addition to submitting paper copy, submit your article on diskette or CD-ROM whenever possible. Your work will be set in type more quickly and accurately. The computer disk label should indicate the format - IBM (PC) (preferred) or Macintosh, for example - and the word-processing program you used, such as Microsoft Word 6.0.
-- Date and title your manuscript. Also put your full name, address, and phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address on the first page. Always put the new date on revised manuscripts.
-- You may use script, italics, or all-caps (all capital letters) as your text typeface or to emphasize words or phrases. Instead, indicate words that you think should be emphasized or italicized (e.g.. book titles. foreign words) or you may underline them. The entries will be converted to italic, as appropriate. Use such emphasis sparingly, however. Frequent switching from roman to italic type disrupts the flow.
-- Indent paragraphs. Five spaces or tabs are fine. Be consistent.
-- Type only one space-not two-between sentences within a paragraph.
-- If you are typing the numeral 1-in 1919, for example, remember to use the 1 key and not the lower-case letter I.
Graphics
In the study of the history of cartography, graphics help so much in the understanding of the material. Thus, graphics are a vital part of every article in The Portolan. Please include camera-ready graphics to support the manuscript, and provide titling of the item that can be used as the caption. Paper copy, clear, black and white images are preferred, but images may be provided digitally on a CD-ROM. No ZIP disks please. Indicate permissions granted (for example from a University Library) so the graphics can be easily incorporated into the journal.
-- The normal article will contain one to three pages of graphics. They may be of varying sizes.
Style References
Follow the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press. The dictionary preferred is Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, which contains an excellent brief style manual.
Contact Information for Inquiries or Submission of manuscripts
Mailing Address:
Thomas F. Sander
Editor, The Portolan
Washington Map Society
P.O. Box 10793
Burke VA 22009-0793
USA.
E-Mail: sanderva@erols.com
Phone: 703-426-2880
Fax: 703-426-2881