Submissions

Author Guidelines

Notes for Contributors
The primary purpose of this peer-reviewed journal is to publish material on libraries, information
supply and other related matters in South and Southern Africa. Potential contributors are invited to
submit work for consideration as articles (5000 to 6000 words) or shorter contributions (up to 1000
words) which should be written in a lucid style, addressing the needs and concerns of the working
librarian, and demonstrating at least one of the following:
• a practical approach to library issues of general interest
• original, controversial or even provocative viewpoints
• a critical understanding of the socio-political, educational and economic realities of
contemporary South and Southern Africa
Each article should be accompanied by an abstract of no more than 100 words and three to five
keywords e.g. Keywords: web visibility, national libraries, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Book reviews are also welcome. References should follow the example in the Style Summary
below. Contributors will receive one free copy of the issue.
Submissions in Microsoft Word can be attached to an e-mail to: hoskinsr@ukzn.ac.za
CDs or DVDs (accompanied by at least one printed copy of an article) can be posted to:
The Editors
c/o Information Studies Programme
School of Social Sciences
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Private Bag X01
Scottsville
South Africa
3209
Style Summary
Quotations in text
Run in or set off (blocked) quotation. If a quote is five typed lines or more it can be set off as
a block quotation, i.e. indented with no quotation marks. Use no punctuation between a block
quotation and the text if not syntactically required. The text reference is included at the end of the
block quotation prior to the final full stop.
Initial letter of a quotation. If a quotation is syntactically part of a sentence, it begins with a
lowercase letter, even if the original is a complete sentence beginning with a capital letter. If the
quotation is not syntactically dependent, then use a capital initial letter if in the original.
Double and single quotation marks. Use double quotation marks for direct quotes, with
single quotation marks for quotes within a quotation, e.g. “To say that ‘I mean what I say’ is ...”. Use
use single quotation marks for words or phrases used ironically and for a so-called function, e.g.
‘privatising’. If the term so-called is used prior to the term, no quotation marks are needed.
Spelling
Use English (South Africa) or English (UK) spelling. Do not use English (US) spelling.
Previous practice has favoured -ise, e.g. organise rather than organize, but consistency of usage within
an article is the most important consideration.
Endnotes
Endnotes rather than footnotes are used.

References
Reference list
The author-date (Harvard) citation system based on the 15th edition of The Chicago manual of style is
used. The list of works cited, headed “References”, arranged alphabetically by author appears at the
end of the article.
Use minimal or sentence capitalisation for titles of publications, e.g. Innovation: journal of
appropriate librarianship and information work in Southern Africa, Financial mail. Do not use a
capital initial letter after a colon.
List works by the same author(s) chronologically by publication date. Two or more works by the same
author(s) in the same year are distinguished by lower case letters after the date, e.g. 2007a and 2007b.
Reference to a book
Author(s). Year. Title. Place: Publisher.
Case, D.O. 2002. Looking for information: a survey of research on information needs, seeking and
behaviour. Amsterdam: Academic Press.
Reference to a chapter in a book
Author(s) of chapter. Year. Title of chapter. In Editor(s) ed. (or eds) Title of book. Place: Publisher,
page(s).
Fisher, K.E. and Naumer, C.M. 2006. Information grounds: theoretical basis and empirical findings on
information flow in social settings. In Spink, A. and Cole, C. eds. New directions in human
information behaviour. Amsterdam: Kluwer, pp. 93-111.
Reference to an article in a periodical
Author(s). Year. Title of article. Title of periodical volume number (part number): page(s).
Underwood, P. 2009. Supporting the information needs of entrepreneurs in South Africa. Library
review 58(8): 569-580.
In the case of newspapers, day and month are given instead of volume and part number.
References to an unpublished thesis
Author. Year. Title. Description, Place, Institution.
Marumo, T. 2000. Information seeking behaviour of the dental faculty lecturers and students at the
University of the Western Cape’s Oral Health Centre Library, Mitchell’s Plain. MBibl thesis.
Belville: University of the Western Cape.
References to online information resources
These include all the elements required for references to printed resources with the addition of the
Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and the date on which the item was accessed.
Schonfeld, R.C. and Guthrie, K.M. 2007. The changing information services needs of faculty.
Educause review 42(4): 4-7. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0746.pdf Accessed 8
December 2010.
Text references
Text references state the author(s) surname(s), year of publication and page numbers, all or some of
which are within brackets, e.g. (Case 2002: 17). URLs are not included in text references.
Recent issues of Innovation
2019      59 Forthcoming
              58 Open issue
2018      57 Open issue
              56 Information behaviour research in South Africa: an update
2017     55 Open issue
              54 Open issue
2016     53 Digital preservation as a site of contestation
              52 Information ethics
2015      51 Open issue
               50 Open issue