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Books and Manuscript Submission Guide

General

The Army University Press (AUP) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, publishes original, interpretive research on topics pertinent to the current interests and concerns of the US Army.  We welcome manuscripts covering military history, leadership, doctrine, organization, tactics, operations, and logistics, as well as personal experiences and memoirs. Every manuscript submission undergoes review and revision process designed to prepare it for publication.  AUP does not accept previously published materials or unedited thesis or dissertations.

Mission

The goal of AUP is to foster discussion among members of the US Army concerning topics of immediate and enduring interest to the profession of arms.   To do this, AUP will offer a variety of publishing formats including monographs and articles.  All AUP publications will be released in digital format onto the press’ website. Depending on the topic and interest, some titles will also be printed and distributed by the press.

Categories of Manuscripts

Historical Monograph Series:  Original interpretive research on historical topics relevant to the current doctrinal and operational concerns of the US Army.  This includes but is not limited to Military History, Doctrine, Command, Branch/Unit Histories, Recent/Current Operations, and Miscellaneous.  Manuscripts are typically 80-300 pages double spaced, and contain primary and secondary sources.  Final format will be determined by AUP.

Staff Ride Handbook Series:  "Leavenworth Model" staff rides examine universally applicable examples of leadership, operational and tactical principles, communications, use of terrain, and the psychology of the participants in significant campaigns and battles.  These guides are typically 80-100 pages double spaced and contain secondary sources, although primary sources are encouraged.

Assessment of Manuscripts

AUP will contact the author upon receipt of the manuscript confirming receipt and offering an estimation of time needed before assessment of the manuscript will be complete.   AUP staff will then conduct an initial assessment to determine if the submission meets basic guidelines. Those manuscripts that pass through initial assessment will then be considered by an editorial board. The board will review the manuscript, seek comments from subject matter experts, and make a final decision about revisions required. AUP staff will then contact the author to discuss any necessary revisions and establish a timeline for that process.  At this stage of the process the author may be required to enter into a legal agreement to publish the finished work via The Army University Press in order to remain faithful to the Joint Ethics Regulation.

Publication

A number of variables affect our publication process. These include manuscript length and quality, author availability to work with the editor, and the workload and priorities given to the editing staff.  Once the author’s manuscript has been assigned to an editor, the author will be notified and provided an estimated publication date. The editor will contact the author for clarification on various issues and a prompt response is expected. If the author is unable to provide timely input and/or response the project is subject to removal from the publication process.

Rejection by the Editorial Board

Rejection by the board at any time is final.  AUP will inform the author of the rationale behind the decision.  Authors may resubmit for reconsideration only after substantial revisions are made and any recommendations by the board are complete.  A resubmission requires a statement/description of the changes and improvements.  If a manuscript is rejected by AUP, the author is free to seek other venues for publication.

Publication of Theses and Dissertations

AUP does not consider unrevised theses or dissertations. At a minimum, authors must eliminate the sections required by thesis/dissertation programs - abstracts, review of scholarly literature, and any detailed explanations of methodology – before AUP will make an assessment.

Writing Style and Manuscript Length

Style. Manuscripts should be written using the active voice and using the Chicago Manual of Style.

Length. Manuscripts should be 65,000-100,000 words. Edited collections of essays should also aim for this word count and let contributing authors aim for chapter contributions between 8,000-12,000 words.

Copyright permissions.  All material-photographs, maps, charts, must be public domain.  There will be no exception.  Remember, although a picture or image appears on the Internet this does in no way mean they are public domain material.  Most of these posted items are in direct violation of copyright laws.  Even if you obtain a photograph taken by a co-worker or friend, there will be a detailed analysis of the image and source, and there will be no guarantee that it will make it into the final publication.  AUP cannot proceed with publishing of copyrighted material.  If your manuscript is accepted, the assigned editor can assist you with the details.

Endnotes and Bibliography. Place notes at the end of each chapter - not at the bottom of the page or at the end of the book. Begin note numbering with “1” for each chapter.  Place the complete bibliography at the end of the manuscript. For examples of notes and bibliography entries, see Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. All endnotes and bibliographies for AUP publications will be formatted according to this manual.

Responsibility for accuracy and reliability of research. Manuscript authors are solely responsible for document accuracy and source documentation. AUP will conduct a review of each submitted monograph for clarity and copyright issues but will not check each fact in the work. AUP will actively review submitted manuscripts for plagiarism and reject those in which plagiarized sections are found.

Payment. AUP does not pay authors for manuscripts published. Additionally, as AUP is a government agency its publications are in the public domain. No copyright will be granted to either the author or to AUP.

Security and Policy Review. AUP does not publish classified material.  Authors are responsible for insuring their work contains no classified information.  If in doubt, authors should submit their manuscript to their local security office for review prior to submitting it for consideration to AUP.

Publisher's Note on the use of Civil War Terms

The Army University Press supports the professional military education of Soldiers and leader development. Books are published by our press that describe the historical facts pertaining to the American Civil War and acknowledges that the legacy of that war is still at the forefront of our national conversation. We intend to describe the political and social situation of the Civil War in a neutral manner. For example, the traditional terms to describe the opposing sides, North and South, are only used for grammatical variety, as they ascribe generalities that certainly did not apply to the totality of the "North" or the "South." Many local citizens who resided in states that openly rebelled against the United States government were not in favor of secession, nor did they believe that preserving slavery warranted such a violent act.

Similarly, citizens in states who remained loyal to the United States did not all feel a strong commitment towards dissolving the institution of slavery, nor did they believe Lincoln’s views represented their own. Thus, while the historiography has traditionally referred to the "Union" in the American Civil War as "the northern states loyal to the United States government," the fact is that the term "Union" always referred to all the states together, which clearly was not the situation at all. In light of this, the reader will discover that the word "Union" will be largely replaced by the more historically accurate "Federal Government" or "U.S. Government." "Union forces" or "Union army" will largely be replaced by the terms "U.S. Army," "Federals," or "Federal Army."

The Reconstruction policy between the Federal Government and the former rebellious states saw an increased effort to control the narrative of how and why the war was fought, which led to an enduring perpetuation of Lost Cause rhetoric. The Lost Cause promotes an interpretation of the Civil War era that legitimates and excuses the secessionist agenda. This narrative has been wholly rejected by academic scholars who rely upon rigorous research and an honest interpretation of primary source materials. To rely upon bad faith interpretations of history like the Lost Cause in this day and age would be insufficient, inaccurate, and an acknowledgment that the Confederate States of America was a legitimate nation. The fact is that Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Congress were very careful not to recognize the government of the states in rebellion as a legitimate government. Nonetheless, those states that formed a political and social alliance, even though not recognized by the Lincoln govern-ment, called themselves the "Confederacy" or the "Confederate States of America." In our works, the Army University Press acknowledges that political alliance, albeit an alliance in rebellion, by allowing the use of the terms "Confederate," "Confederacy," "Confederate Army," for ease of reference and flow of the narrative, in addition to the variations of the term "rebel."

How to submit your manuscript

Format and Electronic Submission. Submit manuscript in electronic MS Word format as an attachment to: usarmy.leavenworth.tradoc.mbx.armyu-aup-rp@army.mil.  Our phone number is 913-684-2147, or send the files on a CD labeled with your last name, manuscript title, and date to:

The Army University Press
Truesdell Hall, 290 Stimson, Unit 1
(ATTN: AUP Manuscripts)
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027

Final Decisions. Although AUP reserves the right to make final decisions about cover designs for book-length submissions, authors are encouraged to submit ideas about artwork.

Reference Material. AUP editors use the following references.  Authors can speed the assessment and publishing process by adhering to these as close a possible prior to submitting a manuscript for consideration.

  1. The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition is the current primary writing guide for AUP.
  2. US Government Printing Office (GPO) Style Manual is the overall guide for editing AUP products. It has specific sections on formatting (paragraph 2.3.), capitalization rules (chapter 3) and examples (chapter 4), compounding rules (chapter 6) and examples (chapter 7), and numbers (chapter 12). Website: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/browse.html.
  3. Webster’s New World College Dictionary (most recent edition). When there is more than one “acceptable” spelling for a word, always use the preferred spelling. Website: http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm.
  4. Webster’s Biographical Dictionary and Webster’s Geographical Dictionary to confirm and complete names and places.
  5. The Gregg Reference Manual to reconcile questions on grammar, punctuation, and English use.
  6. Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Sixth Edition, Kate L. Turabian, to format endnotes and bibliographies.
  7. Acronyms. Websites: http://www2.arims.army.mil/abbreviation/MainMenu.asp or http://www.acronymfinder.com/.
  8. DOD Dictionary of Military Terms: http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/

Biographical Sketch and Date of Birth. Provide a short biographical sketch or CV when you submit your manuscript to AUP that may be included in the printed publication. Additionally, provide your birth year - the Library of Congress requires it as part of the cataloging-in-publication data.