Superscript note reference numbers. Insert the superscript note reference number after the punctuation mark. You will therefore write for example:
The best literature review on the topic, second only to Vulpius’, is the one written by Krahehenbuel. The latter does not satisfy Pepper’s standards of «clarity»,3 but is defined by Grumpz as a «model of completeness.»
Foreign accents. In Italian, if the vowels «a,» «i,» «o,» and «u» are accented at the end of a word, the accent is grave (e.g. accadrà, così, però, gioventù). Instead the vowel «e» at the end of a word almost always requires the acute accent (e.g. perché, poiché, trentatré, affinché, né, poté) with a few exceptions: è, cioè, caffè, tè, ahimè, piè, diè, stiè, scimpanzè. All Italian words of French origin also contain grave accents, such as gilè, canapè, lacchè, bebè, bignè, proper nouns such as Giosuè, Mosè, Noè, and others.(When in doubt, consult a good Italian dictionary.) Also in Italian, tonic accents (subìto, princìpi, mèta, èra, dèi, sètta, dài, dànno, follìa, tintinnìo) are omitted, with the exception of subìto and princìpi in ambigious sentences:
Tra prìncipi e princìpi incerti fallirono i moti del 1821.(Between uncertain princes and principles, the uprisings of 1821 failed.)
Also remember that Spanish words have only acute accents: Hernández, García Lorca, Verón.
Abbreviations. Table 6.3 provides a list of common abbreviations. Specific subjects (paleography, classical and modern philology, logic, mathematics, etc.) have separate series of abbreviations that you will learn by reading the critical literature on your thesis topic.
Table 6.3
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS
anon. anonymous
art. article (for parts of a law, not for newspaper or magazine articles)
bk. book (for example, “vol. 1, bk. 1”)
cf. confer, compare
chap. chapter (plural “chaps.”) col. column (plural “cols.”)
ed. edition (first, second, etc.); editor (plural “eds.”); edited by; editor’s note
e.g. exempli gratia, for example
ex. example
ff. and following (e.g. pp. 34ff.) fig. figure (plural “figs.”) fol. folio (plural “fols.”)
ibid. ibidem, on the same page in the previously cited work i.e. id est, that is inf. infra, below
MS manuscript (plural “MSS”)
n. note (plural “nn.”) (for example, “cf. n. 3”) NB, nota bene, pay attention to n.b.
n.d. no date of publication
no. number
n.p. no place of publication
n.s. new series
p. page (plural “pp.”) par. paragraph
r.sec.pseud.[trans.v.sicassim] rsection (alsopseudonym (do nottranslated by; translator(s) (this abbreviation is followed byvidehus, written in this manner by the author I am quotingroughout (use this abbreviation when theo, one, see; verse (plural of the odd-numbered§) confuse this abbreviation with“vv.”); verso (one of the evenpages of a bookuthor treats the-
“concept throughout the work, instead of onthe name of the translator and, sometimes, of the originalnumbered pages of a book, as opposed to recto); versus (inpseudo,” a erm that indicates instead that the authorshipa particular
page)of a worklanguage; it can also indicate a translator’s note)some contexts)s uncertain)
viz. videlicet, that is to say, namely vol. volume (plural “vols.”) vs. versus, as opposed to
6.1.7. Some Miscellaneous Advice
Do not capitalize general concepts, and pay attention when you capitalize proper nouns. You can certainly write «Love» and «Hate» if you are examining two precise philosophical notions of an ancient author, but a contemporary author who talks about «the Cult of the Family» uses the capitals only with irony. In a thesis in the field of cultural anthropology, if you wish to dissociate yourself from a concept that you attribute to others, it is preferable to write, «the cult of the family.» For historical periods, refer to the «Revolutionary» period and the «Tertiary» era. Here are some more examples that are generally accepted: write «North America,» «Black Sea,» «Mount Fuji,»
«World Bank,»»Federal Reserve,» «Sistine Chapel,» «House of
Representatives,» «Massachusetts General Hospital,» «Bank of
Labor,» «European Economic Community,» and sometimes «Central Station.» (Only capitalize the word «station» if it is part of the proper noun. Write «Grand Central Station» for Chicago’s famous central railway station that was recently demolished; but if you are commuting to Boston University from out of state, your train arrives at «Back Bay station.»)
Also, write «Magna Carta,» «Bulla Aurea,» and «St. Mark’s
Basilica.» Refer to «the Letters of St. Catherine,» «the Monastery of St. Benedict» and «the Rule of St. Benedict;» and in French, use «Monsieur Teste,» and «Madame Verdurin.» Italians write «piazza Garibaldi» and «via Roma»; but
Americans write «Washington Square Park» and «Wall Street.» Capitalize German common names, as Germans do:
«Ostpolitik,» «Kulturgeschichte.» You must capitalize proper nouns such as «Italians,» «Congolese,» «the Pulitzer Prize,» and
«the Holy Father,» but you may write «the bishop,» «the doctor,»
«the colonel,» «the president,» «the north,» and «the south.» Generally speaking, you should put everything you can into lower-case letters, as long as you can do so without compromising the intelligibility of the text. For more precise usages, follow the critical literature in the specific discipline you are studying, but be sure to model your text after those published in the last decade.
When you open quotation marks of any kind, always close them. This seems like an obvious recommendation, but it is one of the most common oversights in typewritten texts. A quote begins, and nobody knows where it ends.
Use Arabic numerals in moderation. Obviously this advice does not apply if you are writing a thesis in mathematics or statistics, or if you are quoting precise data and percentages. However, in the middle of a more general argument, write that an army had «50,000» (and not «fifty thousand») soldiers, but that a work is «comprised of three volumes,» unless you are writing a reference, in which you should use «3 vols.» Write that the losses have «increased by ten percent,» that a person has «lived until the ripe old age of 101,» that a cultural revolution occurred in «the sixties,» and that the city was «seven miles away.»
Whenever possible, write complete dates such as «May 17, 1973,» and not «5/17/73.» Naturally you can use abbreviated dates when you must date an entire series of documents, pages of a diary, etc.
Write that a particular event happened at «half past eleven,» but write that during the course of an experiment, the water had risen approximately «9.8 inches at 11:30 a.m.» Write the matriculation number «7535,» the home at «30 Daisy Avenue,» and «page 144» of a certain book.
Underline only when necessary. As we have said, underline foreign terms that have not been absorbed by English, such as «borgata» or «Einfühlung.» But do not underline «ciao,» «pasta,» «ballerina,» «opera,» and «maestro.» Do not underline brand names or famous monuments: «the Vespa sped near the Colosseum.» Usually, foreign philosophical terms are not pluralized or declined, even if they are underlined: «Husserl’s Erlebnis» or «the universe of the various Gestalt.» However, this becomes problematic if in the same text you use Latin terms and decline them: «we will therefore analyze all the subiecta and not only the subiectum that is the object of the perceptual experience.» It is better to avoid these difficult situations by using the corresponding English term (usually one adopts the foreign term simply to show off his erudition), or by rephrasing the sentence.
Wisely alternate ordinal and cardinal numbers, Roman and
Arabic numerals. Although the practice is becoming less common, Roman numerals can indicate the major subdivision of a work. A reference like «XIII.3» could indicate either volume thirteen, book (or issue) three; or canto thirteen, line three. You can also write «13.3» and the reader will understand you, but «3.XIII» will look strange. You can write «Hamlet III, ii, 28» and it will be clear that you are referring to line twentyeight of the second scene of the third act of Hamlet, or you can write «Hamlet III, 2, 28» (or «Hamlet 3.2.28»). But do not write «Hamlet 3, II, XXVIII.» Indicate images, tables, or maps as «fig.
1.1″ and «table 4.1.»
Reread the typescript! Do this not only to correct the typographical errors (especially foreign words and proper nouns), but also to check that the note numbers correspond to the superscript numbers in the text, and that the page numbers in the works you have cited are correct. Be absolutely sure to check the following:
Pages: Are they numbered consecutively?
Cross-references: Do they correspond to the right chapter or page?
Quotes: Are they enclosed in quotation marks, and have you closed all quotations? Have you been consistent in using ellipses, square brackets, and indentations? Is each quote properly cited?
Notes: Does the superscript note reference number in the text correspond to the actual note number? If you are using footnotes, is the note appropriately separated from the body of the text? Are the notes numbered consecutively, or are there missing numbers?
Bibliography: Are authors in alphabetical order? Did you mix up any first and last names? Are all the bibliographical references complete? Did you include accessory details (e.g. the series title) for some entries, but not for others? Did you clearly distinguish books from journal articles and book chapters? Does
