dfb Dictionary of Falklands Biography
Guidance to contributors
Thank you for agreeing to contribute a biographical essay to the Dictionary of Falklands Biography. These notes are designed to help you in preparing your contribution. They will also ensure that the completed volume has a uniformly high standard of entries and presentation.
General
The Dictionary of Falklands Biography is a joint venture, a cooperative project. While the Editorial Board have selected contributors in the belief that each is the person best suited to the subject, we recognise that no-one can be certain that they have covered all the material available in Stanley, London or elsewhere. So we ask all contributors to keep an eye out for interesting material on subjects other than their own. The DFB will only become the authority on the personalities whose life-stories make up the history of the Islands and South Georgia if contributors co-operate and pool material, insights and analysis to ensure that every entry is as complete as possible.
Presentation
Contributions should be typed or word-processed on A4 paper in double spacing with generous margins. One copy should be submitted by post or preferably by e-mail to the Editor, in Ledbury. Please ensure you keep a least one copy for reference and security.
The Factual Base:
We require the fullest possible base of factual material. The entries should include, wherever possible:
Full name, with nicknames if any.
Date of birth (or of Christening)
Place of birth
Names of parents (mother’s maiden name) and occupations
Number of siblings and place (seniority) in list.
Education, including apprenticeships.
Religion
Date of marriage(s)
Name and age of spouse(s)(or partners other than spouse)
Spouse’s parents
Names and years of birth of children
Date of arrival or visits to Falkland Islands (or South Georgia)
Date of departure from Islands (if applicable).
Posts, jobs, offices or ranks held, with date of appointment.
Honours, decorations, awards, with dates.
Date and place of death. Cause of death.
Date and place of spouse’s death.
Will — amount left if significant and to whom.
Publications. For books: title, publisher and date.
Portraits, photographs, record on film or video.
Commemorative place names or stamps.
Narrative
You should present a chronological narrative of the subject’s life. Please include any stories, anecdotes or quotations which shed light on the subject.
At least half of every entry should cover the subjects’ time in the Islands or involvement with the Islands. This is a Dictionary of Falklands Biography and a subject’s concerns elsewhere should only be briefly touched on. A full account of the subject’s life can be left to standard works of reference or biography.
The assessment
As well as a narrative of the subjects’ life, to conclude we require an assessment of what sort of person he or she was and why the subject is of interest or importance in the history of the Falkland Islands. In the assessment the contributor should describe the challenges or problems which the subject faced and assess how far he or she overcame them.
We need to know what sort of people our subjects were — how they were regarded by their contemporaries, what they looked like and what sort of a presence they had. You should neither emphasise nor suppress aspects of a subject’s career which might be considered discreditable.
Style
Please aim for a simple and straightforward style, suitable for the general reader. Do not pad out your text; the word-length figure is not a target which has to be fulfilled. What we publish should be interesting and of significance.
Quotations should normally be used sparingly and be from contemporary sources.
For dates please use the form: 1 January 1842, not 1st or 27th.
Please refer to the subject throughout by his or her surname. Others may be introduced by title and full name — Governor Sir Miles Clifford — but should thereafter normally be referred to simply by their surname.
Please include a computer word count figure after the main body of your text and before the sources.
Illustrations
We aim to provide one illustration per subject: either a portrait or photograph or if none is available a picture of their house or ship. We should be grateful if you could send a photocopy of one or two possible illustrations, ideally with a note on any copyright restrictions or fees to be paid to owners.
Sources
We do not expect to publish sources, but we would be grateful if you could note the main sources which you have used. For example:
Please contact the Editor with any queries at the address below:
David Tatham February 2005
e-mail: editordfb@onetel.com
Wisteria Cottage South Parade Ledbury
Hereford HR8 2HA UK
Telephone and fax: [0044] 01531 634 085