Author Guidelines

TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

§ 1. Swedish Dialects and Folk Traditions welcomes manuscripts of the following categories:

1. Original research articles. Manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review and should not exceed 150 000 characters including spaces.
2. Notes and documents. Manuscripts do not undergo a double-blind peer review. Manuscript length is assessed individually. This category includes the following types of texts:
   • shorter scientific specimens reaching (or exceeding) a minimum level regarding originality and theoretical and scientific integration
   • text editions of various kinds within the journal’s field of interest, including previously unpublished archive collections and dialect transcripts
   • communications of various types.
3. Reviews of doctoral theses/published examinations. Authored only by the faculty reviewer in question. Manuscripts do not undergo a double-blind peer review and should not exceed 150 000 characters including spaces.
4. Book reviews. Manuscripts do not undergo a peer review and should not exceed 40 000 characters including spaces.
5. Obituaries. Manuscripts should not exceed 15 000 characters including spaces.

§ 2. Swedish Dialects and Folk Traditions is an open-access journal. No processing or publication fees are charged. All texts that are published in Swedish Dialects and Folk Traditions are done so under the conditions stipulated in the Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0, which allow the use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is cited correctly.

§ 3. Manuscripts (with numbered pages throughout) are to be submitted in Word format using the journal’s manuscript submission system on its website at https://publicera.kb.se/svlm.

ANONYMISATION AND REVIEW

§ 4. Research papers are peer reviewed in a double-blind peer review process. An anonymised version of the manuscript is to be submitted along with the standard version. Care should be taken to remove all information in the anonymised version that might reveal the name of the author(s). This includes rewriting sequences such as “in a previous article (Smith 2021), I have […]” into e.g. “Smith (2021) has […]”. By avoiding unnecessary references to their previous work, the author(s) may reduce the workload associated with anonymising the manuscript. Remember to remove information about the author(s) from the document’s metadata.

FONTS

§ 5. Use Times LT Std, Times or Times New Roman for general body text. For IPA characters, use Times LT Std or Times New Roman; for characters from the Swedish dialect alphabet (Landsmålsalfabetet), use Stig Isaksson’s font (mlandsm.ttf). Use 12 point for the body text and higher for headings.

PAPER TITLE, AUTHOR INFORMATION, ABSTRACT AND KEYWORDS

§ 6. State the paper’s title and subtitle at the top of page 1, followed by the name(s) of the author(s) in the preferred order. Provide the academic title and affiliation for each of the authors, along with their ORCID-IDs. In addition, please provide the email address of the corresponding author here. Use a shorter running title for the page header if the paper has a very long main title.

§ 7. Insert an abstract in English of a maximum of 250 words along with up to 10 keywords in English. For papers in any language other than Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, a longer summary of approximately 1 000 words should be given. The editors will then arrange for a translation into Swedish.

HEADINGS

§ 8. Use up to three heading levels. Number headings hierarchically, using full stops, e.g. “1.1. Introduction”. If the heading numbers are to be removed at typesetting, make sure to notify the editors, e.g. in a margin comment inserted in Word.

CERTAIN STYLE ASPECTS

§ 9. Use acronyms sparingly and avoid uncommon acronyms altogether. If you need to use an uncommon acronym, it must be explained in the paper. Meta language and titles of printed works are to be set in italics. If necessary, italics can also be used for emphasis. Avoid increasing character spacing. Notes, which are to be kept to a minimum, should be footnotes, not end notes. Distinguish between hyphen (-) and en dash (–) and use each correctly. For example, use an en dash when indicating a range of values, e.g. 1–10, Monday–Friday. 

FIGURES AND TABLES

§ 10. Figures and tables are to be numbered. They must not exceed the width of the printed page (113 millimetres). Please indicate in the manuscript where they are to be inserted conceptually (final placement will depend on text flow and layout). Supply vector graphic versions of figures when suitable (i.e. almost always, except for photos) in PDF format. Bitmap images must have a resolution of at least 300 DPI and be supplied in TIFF or PNG format. When submitting obituaries, please attach a portrait of the subject of the obituary. Maps need to be carefully designed in such a way as to be appropriate for the subject matter of the paper. Avoid screenshots from road maps such as Google Maps. The author must ensure that the necessary permissions for publishing the submitted figures (including photos and maps) under the CC BY 4.0 licence are in place and that the author of the figure(s) is duly credited.

QUOTATIONS

§ 11. Double quotation marks are to be used for quotes and (if necessary) to denote the author’s reservation or doubtfulness of the use of a word or sequence. Single quotation marks are to be used to delimit the sense or definition of a word or sequence and for quotations within quotations. Omissions in a quotation are marked by an ellipsis: […].Supplements in a quotation are also given in square brackets. Elements of a quotation that may wrongfully be perceived as quotation errors should be followed by “[sic]”.

§ 12. Quotations exceeding three lines in the typeset paper will be converted into block quotes. However, if quotations exceed three lines in the manuscript, this formatting must be implemented at the manuscript stage. Block quotes should be set at to 10 points and be preceded and followed by a blank line.

REFERENCES IN THE MAIN TEXT

§ 13. Referenced and cited works are normally denoted by the surname(s) of the author(s) immediately followed by the year of publication, e.g. “Strandberg 2014”. Two authors’ surnames are separated using the ampersand, e.g. ”Cocq & Skott 2017”. If there are more than two authors, state the first author’s name only, followed by “et al.”. References to specific pages are preceded by “pp.” itself preceded by a comma, e.g. “Strandberg 2014, pp. 99”. Use “f.” to refer to an interval of two pages directly after the number of the first page: “Strandberg 2014, pp. 99f.”. For intervals of three pages or more, use “ff.”: “Strandberg 2014, pp. 99ff.”. A specific interval exceeding two pages may also be given: “Strandberg 2014 pp. 99–130”. However, “f.” is always used for intervals of two pages: “Strandberg 2014 p. 99 f.”. Note that “f.” and “ff.” are always preceded by blank space and followed directly by a full stop.

§ 14. Journal articles are also denoted in the way described above (e.g. “Strandberg 2009”), and not by referring to the title of the journal (e.g. “Strandberg in Swedish Dialects and Folk Traditions 2009”).

§ 15. In some cases, such as when there is no named author, it is appropriate to refer to a work by using the title of the work, either abbreviated or in full, e.g. “SAOB”. The title of a published work is given in italics, e.g. “Svenska Akademiens ordbok”. In contrast, abbreviations of titles, article titles, and titles of non-printed works such as blog articles are not italicised.

§ 16. Literature references involving more than one work are listed chronologically and separated by a comma (with no “and” preceding the final reference). If several works by the same author are referenced, only write the name of the author once. Page numbers are treated in the same way in sequences of references as in single references: “Malmberg 1972, Bruce 1973, p. 4f., 1974, Delsing & Holm 1988, p. 34–45, Frid 2000, Ström 1998, Wikström 2004”.

§ 17. It is often appropriate to place a reference (or part of it) within parentheses. This needs to be done with attention to the syntax and semantics of the sentence. Note that “Wessén 1932” refers to a work whereas “Wessén (1932)” refers to its author. 

§ 18. When referring to an individual author – as in the case of “Wessén (1932)” above – it is recommended that both the person’s first name and their surname are given in the text the first time the person appears, or if the person needs to be reintroduced: “Elias Wessén (1932, p. 88f.) argues that […]”. In multidisciplinary articles in particular, it is advised that the person in question be given a brief introduction: “linguist Elias Wessén (1932 p. 88f.) argues that […]”.) In the text that follows, the person is referred to by their surname only.

§ 19. For clarity (and also economy), the work and page should, if possible, appear directly after the full name. In other words, write “Elias Wessén (1932 p. 88f.) argues that […].” rather than “Elias Wessén argues that […] (Wessén 1932 p. 88f.)”.

§ 20. Use the section sign, “§” to refer to a numbered section of a work: “Olsson 1916 § 3”. Alternatively, page or page range can be given (or “f.” or “ff.”) according to the principles explicated above, e.g.: “Olsson 1916 p. 9ff.”.

REFERENCE LIST

§ 21. Authors must ensure that the bibliographic information in the list is correct; the editors will not be able to verify bibliographic information.

§ 22. The first word of each entry in the list of references normally corresponds to the first word of the short reference appearing in the main text. Typically, this word comprises the surname(s) of the author(s) of the work in question. Be sure to write the names as they appear in the work. In the list of references, surnames are followed by comma, followed by first names and/or initials. After the full name, another comma follows and then the year of publication, which is in turn followed by colon: “Wessén, Elias, 1932:”. The title of the work comes after the colon. Published works are italicised, titles of articles and all non-printed works are not. Quotation marks should never be used with titles. Volume numbers are always written with Arabic numerals, and they are never italicised, even if they appear between the main title and the subtitle:

Brøndum-Nielsen, Johs., 1928: Gammeldansk Grammatik i Sproghistorisk Fremstilling. 1. Indledning. Tekstkildernes Lydbetegnelse. Vokalisme. København.

§ 23. Titles are given exactly as they appear in the work in question, except all-caps titles, which are always modified. In such instances, the distribution of capitals and lower case letters should adhere to the principles observed in the main text of the work in question. Consequently, if (as is the case in Brøndum-Nielsen 1928) all nouns are written with initial capitals, the nouns in the title are also to be written with initial capitals. Please note that this principle – always follow the source – comes with no exceptions, not even when the outcome may cause discomfort to a present-day reader, as with older titles in German where nouns do not begin with capital letters:

Kock, Axel, 1901: Die alt- und neuschwedische accentuierung unter berücksichtigung der andern nordischen sprachen. (Quellen und forschungen zur sprach- und culturgeschichte der germanischen völker 87.) Strassburg.

§ 24. Truth to the source is also crucial when it comes to how main titles and subtitles are separated. This means that a colon or a dash appearing in the original has to be included. However, if there is no separator between a main title and a subtitle – main title and subtitle are often delimited only by a paragraph break in a work’s title – use a full stop (“.”) to separate, and begin the next word with a capital letter.

§ 25. If a work is part of a series, the title of the series is included within parentheses directly after the full title of the work in question. Series titles are not italicised, and numbers are written with Arabic numerals. The full title (and the series title, if there is one) is followed by the place of publication (or place of issue for unpublished works). The name of the publisher is not included.

§ 26. If there are several places of publication, they are to be separated by an en dash: “Berlin–New York”. Be sure to spell the place name as it appears in the source, even if the given name is no longer in (frequent) use or has become an exonym. For instance, write “København” if it occurs in this form in the work at hand rather than translating the place name to “Copenhagen”. Historical names such as Kristiania should not be replaced by their present-day equivalents (e.g. Oslo). If a name is misspelt, if there is a typo, or if the source deviates from what would be the conventional way of writing a place name at the time of publication, insert “[sic]” accordingly.

§ 27. Page span is always included in entries involving an article or a chapter in a book. In the latter case, the page span is given after a capital “P.”, which comes directly after the place of publication. The title of the book is preceded by the name(s) of the editor(s), which in turn comes after “In:”. All editors are to be included (i.e. no “et al.” in the list of references). The last and second to last name are separated by “&”. The sequence of editors is followed directly by “(eds)” (or “(ed.)” if there is only one editor), followed by a comma and the title:

Strandberg, Mathias, 2020: Lövestad och Ledåsa. In: S. Nyström, S. Strandberg & M. Wahlberg (eds), Namn och namnvård. Vänskrift till Annette C. Torensjö på 60-årsdagen den 18 november 2020. (Namn och samhälle 31.) Uppsala. P. 181–187.

§ 28. The page span for journal articles is inserted after the title of the journal and the volume number. The page span is preceded by a comma and lower case “p.”:

Strandberg, Mathias, 2018: Arlöv. In: Namn och bygd. Tidskrift för nordisk ortnamnsforskning 106, p. 33–41.

§ 29. In entries involving journal articles, no place of publication is given. However, both volume number and issue number should be included when such information is available. Volume number and issue number are separated by a colon and blank space: Language. Journal of the Linguistic Society of America 91: 4.

§ 30. If an abbreviation of the title of a work is used to refer to the work in the main text, the abbreviation must appear as the first word of the entry in the list of references. If there is no named author or editor, the title of the work in question is given after an equal sign:

SAOB = Svenska Akademiens Ordbok. 1893–2023. Lund.

However, if the there is a named author or editor, the abbreviation is followed by a comma and a reference to the surname(s) of the author(s)/editor(s). The full bibliographic information (including the abbreviation) is given under a separate entry introduced by the names in question:

GOB, see Gustavson et al. 1918–1945.
[…]
Gustavsson, Herbert, Carl Säve, & Per-Anders Säve 1918–1945: Gotländsk ordbok. På grundval av C. och P.A. Säves samlingar (GOB). Uppsala.

§ 31. Online resources are referred to within square brackets, ending the entry in question. Be sure to include the date of retrieval using the format exemplified below:

Nyström, S., S. Strandberg & M. Wahlberg (red.), Namn och namnvård. Vänskrift till Annette C. Torensjö på 60-årsdagen den 18 november 2020. (Namn och samhälle 31.) Uppsala. [URL: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1471784/FULLTEXT01.pdf. Retrieved 10 february 2021.]

§ 32. Blog posts and similar appear in the list of references as monographic entries. However, the title is not in italics, and no place of issue is given. Instead, an online link to the text is given within square brackets as described above:

Magnusson Petzell, Erik, 2022: Passiv på flera sätt – gutnisk passivering i ett nordgermanskt perspektiv. [URL: https://www.isof.se/lar-dig-mer/bloggar/dialektbloggen/inlagg/2022-04-01-passiv-pa-flera-satt---gutnisk-passivering-i-ett-nordgermanskt-perspektiv. Retrieved 1 december 2022.]

§ 33. All works referred to in the text must also appear in the list of references, including online texts. URLs are only to be included in the list of references. Only referenced and cited works may be included in the list of references.

REVIEWING, EDITING, AND PROOFS

§ 34. All submitted manuscripts are reviewed by the editors. If the editors deem the manuscript a thematical match for the journal and of satisfactory scientific quality, it will be sent for external double-blind peer review. Based on the external review, the editors will:

1. accept the manuscript for publication after a minor revision;
2. accept the manuscript for publication after a major revision; or
3. decline publication of the manuscript.

In the cases of a) and b) it is the responsibility of the author(s) to revise the text in accordance with the requests of the editors. If the author(s) is/are unable/unwilling to meet certain requests, the author(s) must raise the issue with the editors without delay in order to arrive at a solution.

Once the revised manuscript has been submitted, the text will be reviewed by the editors who will determine whether the revision is satisfactory or needs to be subjected to another round of external review. However, even if the revision is satisfactory, it is normal procedure that the manuscript is sent back and forth between author(s) and editors a couple of times. Major editorial adjustments are always checked with the author(s), whereas minor changes may be performed without informing the author(s) in advance. The author(s) will have a chance to respond to any minor changes when the first proofs are distributed (please note that minor changes will not be highlighted by the editors or the typesetter in the proofs). Normally, there is only one round of proofs, but in some cases, a second round of proofs may be required. In the proofs, the author(s) can make corrections, but at this stage in the process, there is no room for revisions. Authors will be invoiced for corrections after the second round of proofs that are not due to editorial mistakes.

Last updated 16 April 2024.