Submission Guidelines

We invite you to submit a monograph relevant to California Cultures.  Our purpose is to provide a publishing outlet for monographs that may be otherwise difficult to put into print, but which contain important, original, or recent information. Examples of this type of ‘gray literature' include, but are not limited to theses, research records, cultural resource reports, museum catalogs, photography exhibits, oral histories, historical biographies and ethnographic interviews.  

We have a simple manuscript submission procedure to accommodate our small staff.
 
Please read the 4-step process below for details.

Step 1: Submit an Abstract

Email us with an abstract or description of the completed manuscript you would like to submit, including the number of pages and the number and type of illustrations.  

The following information should also be included:

• Paper title,
• Full author names,
• Full mailing addresses,
• Phone numbers, and Email addresses.

Papers must be submitted with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere and are not concurrently under consideration by another publisher.  The submitting author is responsible for ensuring that the article's publication has been approved by all the other coauthors, and  if necessary by the institutional owners of the work (e.g. cultural resource reports) so copyright can be held.

The editors will review your submission, and send you a return email within a couple weeks telling you if we are willing accept a full manuscript for further consideration. 

Step 2: Submit the Manuscript

When requested we prefer that you email us your manuscript electronically as a attachment (PDF file or a MS-Word file preferred). 

The manuscript should contain your abstract. The abstract should be self-contained and citation-free and should typically not exceed 200 words.

References appearing in the bibliography must be cited in text, and vice versa. In text, citations are presented in parentheses, with last name(s), year of publication, and where necessary, page numbers (e.g. Brown 1985: 43-46). The Bibliography at the end of the monograph should be in the format used by the  American Anthropological Association, which follows the Chicago Manual of Style.  Note: incorrectly formatted citations or bibliography will cause delays in the publishing process.

Figures or photographs should be submitted as TIFF files (or comparable file type) with a high-resolution (300 dpi or greater preferred).  You will provide captions for figures and the correct attribution of its source (which should also appear in the manuscript bibliography). If for some technical reason submission by email attachment is not possible, the author should contact us via email.

Step 3: Peer Review and Publication Agreement

The manuscript then undergoes a peer review to assess quality, appropriateness, and editing needs.  You will be notified by email within a month as to whether the manuscript can be accepted for publication. 

As the author, you are responsible for the content of your work, the accuracy of quotations and their correct attribution.  For copyright purposes, you must clear and document the legal rights to publish any material submitted (including photographs, and supplementary materials such as figures or tables).  

A standard Author Agreement between CCMS and the author(s) will be sent for signature.  Editing and publishing can ensue once the signed Author Agreement is received.  Note that CCMS does not pay authors before or after publication or enter into revenue sharing agreements.