The University of the West Indies
Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies

Guidelines for Contributors

Guidelines for Contributors

House Style  

  •  All manuscripts should be double-spaced, using Times New Roman font, with a font size of 12.
  •  The length of articles should not exceed 7,000 words.
  • The length of book reviews should be between 750 and 1,000 words.
  • A brief abstract detailing an insightful overview of the entire paper is required. The abstract should be between 400 and 500 words. The abstract should also include three key terms/words (not included in the 400 to 500 word count).
  • The UWI QEF uses British grammar and spelling, e.g. behaviour is used instead of behavior. Manuscripts should be written using British grammar and spelling.
  • All titles, subheads, and other display elements, must be typed using initial caps only and lower-case letters, e.g. Academic Literacies in Higher Education instead of ACADEMIC LITERACIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION.
  • All manuscripts must conform to the specifications set forth in the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.

Manuscript Submission

  • With the exception of pictures or images containing no supporting text or graphs, artwork and any other figures, all written work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.docx). Work submitted in any other format will NOT be accepted.
  • Each manuscript submission must be compiled in the following order: Title page (including author’s name); abstract; main text; appendices (where necessary); references; table(s) with heading(s) on individual sheets; figure caption(s) (as a list); artwork.
  • All artwork or images should be supplied in the highest quality and in an electronic format that helps us to publish your article in the best way possible.
  • Pictures containing no text or graphs must be submitted as PNG or JPEG.
  • All artwork, pictures, figures and other files included in the manuscript that are not in the format of a Microsoft Word document (.docx), including but not limited to Excel, PowerPoint, JPEG, PNG, and PDF formats should be submitted separately from the manuscript. A placeholder note must be appended in the manuscript and in the running text of the artwork, picture, figure etc. (i.e."[insert Figure 1]")
  • If changes are made to any component of the manuscript (i.e. the title, the abstract, bio note), contributors are asked to inform the Editorial Assistant with the submission of each draft of their manuscript in which these changes appear. This does not include revisions made to the main text.
  • A biographical note on each author, of no more than 60 words must be submitted. Biographical notes should include the author’s full names, academic credentials, recent or current professional affiliations and research interests. Contributors are asked to write the biographical note not as a list but in narrative form.
  • All manuscripts and correspondence must be submitted to qef.obus@uwimona.edu.jm.

Additional Guidelines

  • Manuscripts should reflect sound scholarship and research design with appropriate and intelligently interpreted references to other authors and works.
  •  Contributors are encouraged to use language and organize their papers in a way that is clear and concise. Thesis statements, objectives, terms and claims should be stated explicitly.
  • The QEF will not accept previously published papers or papers that are due to be published in another journal or anthology.

NB. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in the rejection of the manuscript.