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Guidelines for Contributors

rev. 21 November 2006
Tim Koozin

 MTO welcomes submission files in any electronic format we are able to read. Preferred file formats for text include MS Word, HTML, and PDF. Compressed image file formats, including GIF, JPG, and PDF are fine for submissions. Authors should retain high-resolution original files, as they may be needed after a submission has been accepted for publication.

More information can be found below :

For questions, please contact the Editor ( ).

MTO Editorial Policy

Article Topics.  Music Theory Online (MTO) welcomes submissions on any topic of interest to the music theory community.  The increasing diversity of topics in, and approaches to, theory and analysis opens the way for articles of interest to a wider online audience. In an effort to broaden the topics and music-theoretical and analytical ideas presented in MTO, we especially encourage submissions from authors whose knowledge of other disciplines can contribute to musical understanding. 

MTO also encourages articles on any topic that take advantage of the unique opportunities provided by MTO's electronic format, whether used in an otherwise "traditional" paper, or in a paper that uses new formats.  Among the possible technologies are:

  • Sound files (such as MIDI files of musical examples, digitized field recordings or experimental stimuli)
  • Color graphics (annotated analytic diagrams, new forms of musical visualization)
  • Animation (such as Quicktime or Director movies illustrating musical processes, perhaps linked to audio)
  • Video (such as clips of performances or illustrating teaching techniques)
  • Non-linear presentation (such as articles with variable paths)
  • Interactive elements
  • Use of live hyperlinks to reference online resources

MTO Editorial Assistants and Consultants can provide assistance in some of these areas.   Potential authors are welcome to contact the Editor to discuss their ideas. 

Length of Featured Articles. Length alone is generally not a factor in publication decisions. Innovative formats for longer articles or shorter communications are welcomed.

Submission and Review Timetable.  Authors may submit items for consideration at any time.  Reviews are normally completed within six to eight weeks.  Accepted articles typically appear within 3-6 months of final acceptance. 

Blind Review.  All submissions to MTO are read "blind."  To insure a blind reading, please submit your text to the MTO Editor as described below.  The editor will remove any information that might disclose the identity of an author.

Republication.  Items published in MTO, particularly revised and expanded versions of works in progress, may be republished by their authors in a print journal or as a book chapter provided that one of the following statements is included in the republished version as appropriate:

This article was first published in Music Theory Online Vol/Issue (Year), http://societymusictheory.org/mto/issues/mto.XX.Y.Z/toc.Y.Z.html

This article is based on an article first published in Music Theory Online Vol/Issue (Year), http://societymusictheory.org/mto/issues/mto.XX.Y.Z/toc.Y.Z.html

Questions concerning the MTO editorial policy should be addressed to the Editor ( ).

Preparing Your Text

Formatting Requirements.  MTO is published in HTML format.  Other formats, including PDF, may be used for the final publication format when the content requires it. Authors may submit their articles in MS Word or other readable text format, in HTML, or as a PDF document.  It is appropriate for authors to to include standard footnotes and bibliographic references in files made with MS Word or other word processors. Authors may provide hyperlinks to index their notes to the text, or, it may be left for our staff to do after an article has been accepted.

Ensuring Blind Review.  All article submissions to MTO are read "blind."  The Author's name should be listed only in the Indexing and Author headers described below.  The editor will remove these before sending the item out for review.  Authors are also asked to avoid any references in the body of the text that might suggest their identity (e.g., first-person citations of previous work can be recast as third-person citations: "in a previous article, I suggest. . ." becomes "in . . . Author suggests. . .").  These restrictions apply only to articles.  Reviews and commentaries are not blind-reviewed.

Headers

Every article, review, and commentary must include:

  • an indexing header
  • an author header (for identifying authors by name, institution, and email address)

Indexing Header. The indexing header should appear at the very beginning of articles, reviews, and commentaries, and should be in the following form:

AUTHOR: LastName, FirstName, MiddleInitial
TITLE: ArticleTitle
KEYWORDS: KeywordList
REFERENCE:
[blank line]
[blank line]

  • Separate keywords with a comma followed by a space (e.g. KEYWORDS: form, sonata, Koch, C.P.E. Bach). Keywords should be either topical, or names of composers or theorists. If topical, they should be general in nature (e.g. rhythm, form, acoustics, etc.), or should identify a genre discussed substantively in the article (e.g. sonata, symphony).
  • The REFERENCE: field should be included only by authors of commentaries on MTO articles. It should be filled in with the filename of the article being commented upon, as listed in the issue of MTO in which the article appeared.

Author Header. Following the second blank line after the indexing header, the author header should appear, in the following form:

FirstName MiddleInitial LastName
Institutional Affiliation
Departmental Affiliation
Street Address
City, State Zipcode
Email Address(es)
[blank line]
ABSTRACT: AbstractText
[blank line]
ACCOMPANYING FILES:
[blank line]
[blank line]

The "ACCOMPANYING FILES:" section should be used to list the names of files containing musical examples or graphical (i.e., non-ASCII) figures, such as illustrations, tables, etc. (see Graphics and Musical Examples below).  The text of the article should follow the second blank line after the author header.

Header Example.  Below is an example of indexing and author headers.

AUTHOR: Neumeyer, David, P.
TITLE: Schoenberg at the Movies: Dodecaphony and Film
KEYWORDS: twelve-tone, commutation test, Frankenstein, cinema, film music, Schoenberg


David P. Neumeyer
Indiana University
School of Music
Bloomington, IN 47405
neumeyer@ucs.indiana.edu

ABSTRACT: Composers used the twelve-tone method in film scores from the 1950's and 60's. This article focuses on a much earlier work: Schoenberg's *Begleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene*, Op. 34 (1930), which was, however, commissioned for a cinema-music library, not a specific film. I apply simple commutation tests to gauge how Opus 34 might actually function as background music, and I assess the implications of questions that arise about musical culture and class differences.

ACCOMPANYING FILES: mto.93.0.1.neumeyr1.gif


[1] BEGINNING OF ARTICLE TEXT (starting with numbered paragraph [1])

Reference Style.  Authors should adhere to conventions of scholarly writing and bibliographic form, as outlined in the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.  MTO uses the footnote reference style.  Footnote reference numbers in the body of the essay should be enclosed in parentheses.(1) 

The proper form for citing items published in MTO is as follows:

A. In a bibliography:

Neumeyer, David. "Schoenberg at the Movies: Dodecaphony and Film," *Music Theory Online* 0.1 (1993): 1-20.

B. In a footnote (citing paragraph 3, for instance):

David Neumeyer, "Schoenberg at the Movies: Dodecaphony and Film," *Music Theory Online* 0.1 (1993), 3.

Preparing Supporting Files

Graphics and Musical Examples. Authors are encouraged to make the text of their articles as self-sufficient as possible by using only musical examples and graphical figures that are needed. Musical examples and figures, along with identifying captions, should be included at appropriate points in the text, for instance:

Ex. 1 Chopin, op. 10, no. 6, mm. 1-8.

Where no musical examples will appear, authors should give precise citation of work titles, movement and measure numbers, and describe as fully and as clearly possible the musical procedures and issues under discussion.

Whenever possible, graphical files should be prepared as GIF files (Graphical Interchange Format).  Set the color depth as low as possible. For regular musical examples, this will normally be just two colors (black and white), but images with color annotations are welcome. Those exporting musical images from Finale or Sibelius may submit files in .TIF format.  Provide a logical name for each file, making sure each filename ends with its standard filename extension (e.g. .gif, .jpg, .tif) so that we will know how best to open it.

Those who cannot produce their own examples should submit high-quality drafts by mail, and the MTO staff will prepare the GIF files. Each example should be submitted on a separate sheet of standard-sized typing paper.

Other File Types.  Appropriate use of media formats such as MIDI audio files, streaming audio or video (e.g., Real Audio), animation (e.g., Shockwave), and the like is welcome.  Authors are welcome to discuss their ideas with the Editor in advance.

Submitting your Files

There are several options for submitting articles, reviews, and communications.

Web Submission Form.  The preferred method for submitting your files is to use the MTO File Upload Form (also available through the "Submit your Item Online" link on the MTO home page). This form will allow you to select all relevant files on your computer (text, graphics, etc.) and upload them to the MTO server for review.

Email.  Files may alternately be sent as attachments or in-line text to one of the following email addresses:

  • (for articles and commentaries)
  • (for reviews)

Regular Mail.  When necessary, files on a CD or other readable media may also be sent by regular mail to:

Tim Koozin, Editor
Music Theory Online
Moores School of Music
University of Houston
120 School of Music Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4017

Hard Copy.  Hard copy submissions (without electronic files) are accepted only by prior arrangement with the Editor.  

Requesting Technical Assistance

MTO has staff who can assist authors with technical matters. Contact Brent Yorgason, Managing Editor (byorgaso@indiana.edu).

You may also contact the Editor:

Tim Koozin (University of Houston)
Editor, Music Theory Online