Artwork Submission Guide

This document provides guidance to our authors and editors as they prepare artwork for publication. For information on submitting a manuscript to Dumbarton Oaks, consult our Submission Guide for Byzantine Studies, Garden and Landscape Studies, or Pre-Columbian Studies.

Permissions

Permissions to publish all copyrighted material, photographs, and drawings must be obtained by the author, who is responsible for paying any fees involved. Permissions are required by law if an author uses any copyrighted material that is considered an entity in itself, including photographs, drawings, charts, and maps. Generally, the copyright has now expired on publications issued before 1960 unless it has been renewed; it is up to the author to make this determination (please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style). For the use of material from works published after that date, authors must obtain permission from the publisher. In the case of unpublished photographs and drawings, the author should seek permission from their owners, whether individuals or institutions. For personal photographs of objects in the collection of a museum, library, or other institution, the author should request permission from the institution in which the original is housed. A sample permissions letter is available from the department upon request.

Preparing the Illustrations

After the article has been accepted for publication, submit professional high-resolution scans (see details below) or original artwork.

The publications department will retain all original artwork until the volume is published. In the interests of good production values, authors should send master copies of all original art but also should retain copies of all artwork sent. Digital files on compact disks may be submitted if they are of sufficiently high quality, and accessible via Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. If the submitted digital files do not meet these criteria, the manuscript will be considered incomplete. Labeled hardcopies of each illustration and its original, each on an individual page, must be included with the submitted manuscript.

Consult with the editor about the preparation of your illustrations before any final versions are produced.

Illustrations are counted by discrete images: do not use "Figure 1a, 1b, 1c" (see captions). Figure call-outs should appear in the text in sequential order and accompanying illustrations should follow the same sequence.

Photographs

Photographs can be submitted in three formats: original prints; transparencies (preferably 4 x 5"); or professional high-resolution scans (>300dpi at the scale of publication). The color mode should be grayscale or RGB. The preferred file format is TIFF (with LZW compression) but other file formats like JPEG, PGN, or PDF are acceptable if the file is saved in maximum quality. Please include a hard copy of the image for editorial purposes and a match print for the printer.

Photographs should be identified with the figure number and the author's name; if the possibility for confusion exists, also indicate the correct orientation of the photograph. Please write the information on a separate label and attach it on the reverse of the photograph. Avoid using paper clips, tape, and other adhesive devices.

Illustrations from printed sources such as books and magazines can be reproduced up to half the size of the source.

Line Drawings, Maps, and Plans

Line drawings can be submitted as original artwork or as professional high resolution scans (>1800dpi at the scale of publication). The color mode should be grayscale or bitmap. The preferred file format is TIFF (with LZW compression) but other file formats like PGN or PDF are acceptable if the file is saved in maximum quality. Please include a hard copy of the image for editorial purposes.

Original line drawings should be in black ink on white drawing paper, PET film (mylar), or another standard drawing medium. They should be drawn larger (about twice the size) than the size in which they will be published, because reduction by the printer will make the lines and edges more precise. Please keep writing to a minimum on these illustrations, and wherever possible leave explanatory information for the caption, or better yet, for the text of the paper.

Computer-generated drawings, maps, and plans must be submitted in their native format, which can be altered during the editorial process (Adobe Illustrator or an editable EPS/SVG.)

A north arrow and a scale must accompany all maps and plans. Please check the format and spelling of legends and other identifying text on illustrations carefully, and make sure they are consistent with the text and volume.

Top