Author Guide for Legal Publications

Author guide
Thomson Legal & Regulatory 1
Author Guide
1. About this Author Guide
2. Author and Publisher responsibilities
3. Planning your work
4. Structuring your work
5. Writing your work:
6. Writing for electronic media
7. Saving your work
8. Style
9. Production process
10. Updating an existing manuscript
11. Coding
12. Sample Chapter
13. Manuscript
14. Marketing
15. Checking procedures

Author guide
1 About this Author Guide
This Author Guide explains various publishing and editorial processes for both new and
established authors. Our aim is to publish your work quickly and efficiently, thereby
providing the marketplace with a top quality finished product that is as accurate and up-to-
date as possible.
Timely delivery of manuscript maximises sales. If delivery is late, competition may reach
the market first, potential customers may buy an existing alternative work and advance
promotion loses immediacy and effectiveness.
We use the contractual delivery date to prepare budgets for revenue and expenditure on
production and marketing. Late delivery of the manuscript will affect these estimates. So,
when agreeing to your delivery date, please ensure that it is realistic. Take work, family
and other commitments into account. Do not underestimate the time it takes to structure,
research, draft and polish a text.
If you encounter problems, or if you would like some help or advice to keep delivery on
schedule, please contact us.
Good planning can ensure timely delivery and publication. The following tips may help:
1. Set yourself realistic goals.
2. Agree a realistic schedule with your publisher.
3. Set aside time to write. Enter it in your diary.
4. Set deadlines for completion of sections (use the writing schedule template
included).
5. Monitor your progress and tell your publisher if the agreed delivery date looks
unachievable.
Consistency of style throughout any manuscript is essential. Spelling conventions,
hyphenation and the use of numerals and case references should be agreed before work
begins.
If you have any technical queries that are not covered or would like help in any way,
please contact your publisher, product developer or editor.

Author guide
2 Author and Publisher responsibilities
The AUTHOR is responsible for:
1 The factual content of the manuscript (including checking statutory material and
citations). It is the author’s responsibility to check the spelling and accuracy of judge’s
names, place names, case names, references, etc.
2 Basic coding as required.
3 Bibliographies and tables of abbreviations.
4 Completing cross-references.
5 Obtaining necessary copyright permission.
6 Supplying accurate information for author accreditation, including degrees,
honorifics etc.
7 Providing electronic copy and matching hard copy and maintaining backup files.
8 Proofreading and correcting all proof pages.
The PUBLISHER will:
1 Prepare a Publishing Agreement.
2 Edit and style the manuscript, and generally prepare it for publication. This includes
correcting spelling and obvious grammatical errors, marking typesetting
instructions, checking page proofs, raising editor’s queries, adding running heads
and page numbers.
3 Style preliminary and end pages, insert page references in contents list and finalise
details of imprint pages etc (which includes obtaining the CIP, ISBN etc).
4 Code the manuscript.
5 Prepare the cover or equivalent.

Author guide
3 Planning your work
Planning is an essential element of a successful publication. Before starting to write:
3.1 Plan the structure of the publication
o What is the subject matter of the publication?
o What does the publication aim to do?
o Who is the target audience?
o Why do they need the information?
o How will they use the information?
o How is the publication likely to be available (eg Paper, Online, CD)? Read the section
on writing for electronic media below.
Please keep the reader in mind at all times. Think about getting your message across in the
clearest, simplest way possible.
3.2 Prepare a draft table of contents
o What is most important for the readers to know?
o What is the most logical way to structure the information?
o Is there information the reader needs to understand first?
o What are the relationships between information units?
o What cross-references need to be included, so that the information “flows” logically?
o What is the logical format of the introductory chapter (this must introduce the work
and tell the reader where relevant information can be found)?
o How many levels of heading should be used? (Discuss this with your editor.)
3.3 Prepare a writing schedule
Try to make your writing schedule as realistic as possible. Take into account work and family
commitments, Public holidays, etc. Discuss the writing schedule with your publisher, product
developer or editor.
3.4 Inform us if you wish to include primary materials
If you need to include primary materials, eg legislation, judgments, etc, or would like any
other help or assistance, please advise your publisher, product developer or editor.

Author guide
4 Structuring Your Work
As well as the language you use, the way you structure your work can help you to get your
message across clearly.
4.1 Headings
o Headings should be used to break up the text as much as possible and to direct the
reader’s eye quickly to the relevant information. Index quality is improved by good use of
headings.
o Avoid the use of more than four levels of heading.
o The same system of headings must be used in each chapter throughout the book — this
is particularly important if there is more than one author.
o The manuscript must also include a table of contents. This helps to provide the in-house
editor with a guide to the heading levels.
o All headings, at any level from chapter to paragraph, should:
✳ be short;
✳ never have full stops at the end;
✳ not start with “The” or other undirected word, unless required for sense, eg The
Crown;
✳ have an initial capital letter only for the first word and proper nouns. (The published
style can be automatically adjusted eg to all capitals.)
o A subheading covers all subsequent material until a heading of at least equal importance
occurs.
o Ensure the hierarchy of headings is clear to the editor. A final check of equivalence of
heading levels throughout the publication is recommended.
4.2 Keywords
Keywords at the top of each Chapter and page may be used to identify the major themes
covered.
4.3 Lists
o Where items in a list need to be numbered, the hierarchy should run:
1
2
(a)
(b)
(i)
(ii)
(A)
(B)
o Numbered items can be inappropriate, eg for lists of examples. Use bullets as follows:
•
–
–

Author guide
4.4 Tables
It may be that the information is best presented visually, for example:
Do Don’t
use everyday language use unnecessary foreign or obscure words
try to keep sentences short use long and convoluted sentences
break text up with short paragraphs write in page-long paragraphs without a
break
put your key points at the beginning of the
paragraph
make readers wade through lots of text to get
to your key point
Tables can pose difficulties for typesetting or electronic presentation, so please set out the
tables very clearly, carefully aligning items exactly as they are to appear. Manuscript will be
used to confirm layout.
4.5 Checklists, Precedents and sample documents
The use of Checklists, Precedents and sample documents is to be encouraged.
Examples of where Checklists, Precedents and sample documents are useful include:
o the elements which the prosecution must prove in a particular offence;
o the steps necessary to file a matter before a particular court.
4.6 Summaries
Include a summary outlining the key points to be covered at the beginning of a chapter with
cross references to related material.

Author guide
5 Writing your work
Please keep the reader in mind at all times when writing your work.
5.1 Plain language
Plain language:
♦ is expressed clearly;
♦ uses only necessary words;
♦ avoids obscurity, inflated vocabulary and convoluted sentence construction;
♦ lets the audience concentrate on the message, rather than the language;
♦ is based on the need to adapt language and structure according to the composition of the
audience;
♦ can still contain technical language.
Plain language techniques include:
♦ using short sentences;
♦ using the active rather than the passive voice (“you should do …” rather than “… should
be done”);
♦ writing directly to the audience;
♦ writing positively (that is, avoiding negative questions and multiple negatives);
♦ using words familiar to the audience;
♦ using technical words carefully, so that it is clear what the technical words mean;
♦ using headings to break up the text.
5.2 Gender neutral language
It is ATP and LBC policy to avoid the use of gender-specific language (the use of masculine-
gender words to refer to members of both genders, for example using “man” to mean all
people, or referring to all lawyers as “him”).
To avoid using gender-specific language use a combination of these techniques:
♦ use the plural form
♦ delete the pronoun
♦ replace the pronoun with a noun, or with an article
♦ recast the sentence
♦ use the imperative or “you” or “one”
♦ use the passive voice
♦ substitute gender neutral words and phrases
♦ use the double pronoun : “he or she”, he|she.
See further, Fact Sheet 1 — Gender Neutral Language.

Author guide
6 Writing for electronic media
People access information differently in paper and digital format:
♦ People tend to read paper publications in a linear, sequential way. It can be assumed that
information in an earlier part of the publication has been read and understood. People
tend to read all or most of the information on the page.
♦ People tend to read digital publications in a spatial, non-sequential way. Search tools are
used to access information within a document and “jump” into part of the text without
knowledge of what has come before. Links may lead to other unrelated parts of the
document, moving forward and back.
♦ In electronic media, people tend to scan material looking for information they are
interested in. People read information approximately 25% more slowly on computer
screens. Most users will not scroll through and read long chunks of text on-screen.
For these reasons, the author writing for the electronic media has to ensure that material is
capable of being quickly scanned. Information should be organised in shorter chunks with
hypertext links, graphics and colour allowing access to related material.
✳ Paragraphs must stand alone. Each chunk of information must be able to be understood
without having to go to another page or paragraph for context.
✳ Each paragraph should be numbered and deal with one point. Each paragraph should
not be longer than one page. Cross-references to related information should be included.
✳ Lots of headings must be used. Headings help people to find the information they are
looking for quickly. They are also useful for hypertext linking.
✳ The first sentence should summarise the information contained in the rest of the
paragraph. Readers will then be able to decide whether to continue reading or move on.
✳ Provide keywords at the top of each Chapter.and page identifying major themes covered.
6.1 Checklist
o Always provide context. For example, when referring to a piece of legislation refer to the
full title (and relevant provisions) at the start of every new paragraph or logical section.
o When referring to a number of Acts within a paragraph, be absolutely clear which you are
referring to. (This also applies to cases and other citations.)
o Divide information into small logical chunks, including ample cross-references to related
sections of text.
o Limit chunks of information to one A4 page if possible.
o Include tables of contents and paragraph numbers.
o Never refer to page numbers.
o Use specific cross-references, use “see [1010]”, do not use “on the following page”.
o Avoid the use of capitals and bold.
o Headings:
✳ make them brief
✳ use an initial cap only (unless the word needs to be capitalised)
✳ do not include full stops at the end
✳ do not include italics.

Author guide
7 Saving your work
Important
LBC Authors should italicise case names and underline legislation
♦ Please save material as Word files.
♦ Please avoid PostScript and PDF files, Framemaker, Quark Xpress, PageMaker or
Ventura as these do not provide text in easily editable form.
♦ You should supply your script as a standard word processing document presented in a
single typeface and double spaced. You may:
q use automatic page numbering
q embolden and italicise text, and
q use a different typesize for headings.
Please avoid:
q headers and footers
q underlining text (apart from legislation for LBC authors)
q locked capital letters
q formatting commands (such as centreing, justifying and indenting)
q hard returns (except at the end of paragraphs)
q multiple spaces, and
q tabbing.
♦ Create a new file for:
q every major subdivision of text (Chapter, etc)
q graphics and other non-text elements
♦ Identify files with clear filenames eg INTRO, CHAP 1or as instructed by the editor.
♦ Keep a backup copy of all files.
It may be a good idea to use the autotext feature in the footer field to keep track of when the
file was last updated.
Delivery of manuscript
Manuscript (preferably in Word) should be submitted on disk, as well as paper
Please supply:
• a copy on disk in a format agreed with the editor; and
• a copy via email in a format agreed with the editor; and
• a paper copy with the disk.
Keep a copy of the manuscript and have backup disks available if required.

Author guide
8 Style
All publishing houses have their own “style” covering such areas as:
♦ spelling
♦ capitalisation
♦ use of italics and other emphasis
♦ abbreviations
♦ modes of citation.
Do not “style” primary source material (such as legislation).
8.1 Spelling
♦ Macquarie Dictionary recommendations are preferred.
♦ Avoid use of American spelling eg organisation not organization; sceptical not skeptical.
♦ inquiry not enquiry.
♦ interstate not inter-State.
♦ moneys not monies.
♦ federal not Federal (but Federal Court).
♦ judgment, acknowledgment, lodgment not judgement, acknowledgement, lodgement.
♦ connection not connexion.
♦ subject matter not subject-matter.
♦ first, second not firstly, secondly.
8.2 Capitalisation
♦ Use sparingly. Never use for emphasis; use italics.
♦ Standard uses are acceptable: proper names, nationalities, place names and proprietary
names, etc.
♦ Use where the lower-case version of a word has a different and possibly confusing
meaning eg Bill, Act, Cabinet, Crown, State.
♦ Type all headings in lower case, except opening word and proper nouns.
♦ Use for titles of legislation.
♦ Use for references to judges or courts where specific, eg a reference to a particular court
or judge (such as the Federal Court, or Needham J) is capitalised whereas a reference to
a court (meaning any court) or a judge (meaning any judge) is not.
♦ Use for names of people or institutions (eg the Commonwealth Bank, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Parliament, etc).
♦ Use for days of the week, months, feasts, ceremonies, etc.
♦ Use for titles and forms of address (eg the Lady Mayoress).
♦ Use for names of States, or the word “State” when used as a proper noun.
♦ Do not use small capitals.

Author guide
8.3 Italics
The following will be formatted to appear in italics:
♦ legislation titles (where referred to by the full title); eg Acts, Codes, Regulations, Rules,
Ordinances, etc.
♦ titles of publications: eg books, newspapers and periodicals, looseleaf services, journals,
Government publications and Gazettes and CD ROMs
(Note that articles contained in a publication should be enclosed within double quotation
marks.)
♦ movies and television shows
♦ case titles
♦ names of ships
8.4 Emphasis
♦ Never use bold for emphasis; use italics.
♦ Never use CAPITALS for emphasis.
♦ Restrict use of italics for emphasis.
8.5 Abbreviations
Do not to use points in abbreviations.
8.6 Hyphenation
Use hyphens sparingly. Hyphens should be used:
♦ to avoid confusion where there are two distinct uses of a word, eg recover and re-cover
♦ for adjectival uses of words, eg an icy-cold drink.
♦ to avoid misconception where words are linked, eg green-looking glass and green
looking-glass
♦ to join a prefix to a word, eg non-, pre-, etc
♦ in fractions and compound numbers
♦ when joining spans of subsections or numbers, eg 1-9, 21-29, 121-129.
Many compound words begin as two distinct words, become hyphenated as the term gains
acceptance in everyday usage, then become one word. An example of this would be the
term childcare centre.
8.7 Dates
♦ 30 September 1991 not 30th
September, 1991 or variations.
♦ 1971-1972 not 1971-72 or 1971-2.
♦ 1990s not 1990’s.
♦ 20th century not twentieth century (except at the beginning of a sentence)
♦ 1.6.2000
8.8 Numbers
♦ LBC: Numbers one to nine spelt out unless in a unit of measurement. Numbers 10 or
larger in numerals. Use words at the start of a sentence.
♦ ATP: All numbers (including one to nine) are numerals unless at the start of a sentence.

Author guide
8.9 Fractions
♦ Spell fractions out when they stand alone, eg, three-quarters.
♦ Vulgar fractions are not acceptable in metric statements of quantity, eg, use 1.25 km
instead of 1¼ km.
8.10 Per cent
♦ LBC: Spell out per cent in text.
♦ LBC: Use % in tables and footnotes.
♦ ATP: Use % always.
8.11 Quoted material
♦ The source of all quoted material should be accurately identified.
♦ Quoted material in the text is enclosed within double curly quotation marks. For quotes
within quotes, single quotation marks are used to contain the inner quote. Further quotes
within quotes are double, then single, etc.
♦ Short extracts up to two typed lines may be included in the main body of the text. Longer
extracts should be separated from the text, typed as indented blocks, with an extra line
space above and below.
♦ Omissions from quoted material should be indicated by the use of ellipsis (three full
stops).
♦ Author’s additions within the original quote should be enclosed in square brackets.
8.12 References
Refer first to any appropriate ATP or LBC publication.
8.13 Case citations
The author is responsible for ensuring that case references are correct.
♦ Cases names should be italic, the year and reference roman, ie Smith v Jones (1989) 57
FCR 78.
♦ Authorised references should be used. A case cited in the text should have the best
reference.
Authorised Australian references
♦ CLR (High Court), FCR (Federal Court).
♦ NSWLR, VR, SASR, WAR, etc (authorised State reports).
Tax cases
♦ Pre 1969: Authorised; AITR; ATD*
♦ Post 1969: Authorised; ATR; ATC*
Preferred Australian references
FLR, A Crim R, LGERA, IR etc (specialist reports as appropriate)
Preferred references (English reports)
♦ AC, QB, P, Ch
♦ WLR
♦ All ER

Author guide
♦ Nominate reports also require an ER reference.
Unreported cases
♦ The media neutral citation should be cited: Black v White [1999] FCA 36.
♦ Unreported cases that do not have a media neutral citation should be cited: Jones v
Smith (unreported, court, judge, date).
Use of round and square brackets
If the Report can be located by volume number alone, then round brackets are used. If the
year is necessary (where there is more than one volume in a year), square brackets are
used, eg (1983) 127 S.J. 483; [1983] 2 All E.R. 1031.
Case names
Case names are to be consistent and should follow House style:
♦ deletion of The where it begins a case name;
♦ deletion of and Anor/and others/and another;
♦ use of Re not In re;
♦ use of Co, Co-op, Corp, Inc, Ltd, Pty, NL, (in liq);
♦ use of Attorney-General (Vic) not Attorney-General of Victoria.
8.14 Citation of Articles
♦ Author, “Title of Article” (1991) 65 ALJ 265 at 272. If the journal name is not abbreviated it
is to be in italic.
8.15 Citation of Books
♦ Author, Title (2nd ed, 1984), Vol 1, p 25 (or para 49)
♦ Author’s initials are not necessary but if they are supplied they should be supplied in
every instance.
♦ The place of publication and publisher are not required except in a bibliography and/or
when citing books of a general nature. If required it should be cited thus: Author, Title (ed,
publisher, place of publication, year).
8.16 Citation of Statutes
♦ All legislation titles are to be in italics.
♦ The jurisdiction is in parenthesis after the year.
♦ Do not use a comma before the year.
♦ Use s 3(1)(a) not subs 3(1)(a) or para 3(1)(a).
8.17 Citation of Rulings, Determinations and Guidelines
Rulings, Determinations and Guidelines are normally indicated by the type of Ruling,
followed by the year and number in sequence eg, Determination SGD 96/1 stands for the
first Superannuation Guarantee Determination issued in 1996. Draft Determinations are
indicated by “D” after the year. The word “Taxation” and “Superannuation” are omitted when
citing the ruling, but the words Ruling, Guideline, Determination or Draft are included. Do not
italicise.
eg Ruling IT 2112 or Ruling TR 96/12
Draft Ruling TR 96/D4 or Draft SGR 94/3

Author guide
Determination TD 96/12
Draft Determination TD 96/D4
8.18 Footnotes and endnotes
ATP: do not use footnotes and endnotes. All references appear within the text of the
material. Any difficulties with this requirement should be discussed with the editor.
LBC: use footnotes in books.
8.19 Cross-references
♦ Cross-references within the work (paragraph numbers) are the responsibility of the
author. Where material is delivered progressively, cross-references to as yet incomplete
sections should be sufficiently specified to allow easy insertion on proofs. You may be
required to review cross-references once the work has been edited.
♦ A colon precedes cross-references at the end of a sentence, while those within the text
are enclosed in parentheses (round brackets).
8.20 Multiculture
Please include names from other cultures in worked examples.

Author guide
9 Production process
Author Publisher
♦ Concept
♦ Planning
♦ Preliminary Proposal
♦ Formal market investigation
♦ Initial agreement
♦ Financial evaluation
♦ Formal Business Case approved
♦ Negotiation of terms
♦ Writing schedule agreed
♦ Contract signed
♦ Draft Production schedule
prepared
♦ Review and design of
sample manuscript
♦ Sample Chapter prepared
♦ Publication planned
♦ Writing schedule written
♦ Manuscript written
♦ Permissions obtained
♦ Delivery and handover of
Manuscript
♦ Progress monitored
♦ Production schedule
finalised

Author guide
Steps in publishing process
Manuscript edited by In-house Editor:
♦ Designs, edits and codes manuscript
♦ Arranges preparation of Tables and Index
Manuscript typeset and output as page proofs
Page proofs checked by in-house Editor
♦ Proofread
♦ Checked by Editor
♦ Headers and footers checked or inserted
♦ Cross-references checked or inserted
Author and in-house Editor’s corrections done
Final page proofs checked and corrected
Page proofs output in print, online and/or
CD ROM

Author guide
10 Updating an existing manuscript
Discuss the best process to be followed for updating an existing manuscript with the editor as
early as possible. The process will vary depending on the extent of changes since the
previous edition and how the work is currently stored.
The editor may provide you with a copy of the existing publication on disk or as a template.
Riders
A rider is a segment of material to be inserted into existing material. All riders should be
numbered according to the page or paragraph where they will be inserted. The place where
the rider is to go should be clearly indicated.
11 Coding
Basic coding instructions can be provided by your editor. These include codes for riders, for
headings and chapters as well as indicating quoted material.
12 Sample chapter
♦ The sample chapter should be representative of the entire manuscript in terms of
headings and structure. The introduction and conclusion are not good sample chapters
because they are usually structured differently to the rest of the publication.
♦ You should provide a list of legislation you will refer to in the publication as early as
possible. We will then be able to include this list in any author templates.
♦ The sample chapter will be reviewed and feedback given on design and structure and
technical accuracy.
♦ The sample chapter will be typeset and a copy shown to you for your feedback.
13 Manuscript
♦ LBC: Manuscript, including quotations and footnotes, should be double-spaced and
typed on one side of the page only.
♦ ATP: Manuscript, including quotations and footnotes, should be single-spaced and typed
on one side of the page only.
♦ It is the author’s responsibility to check the spelling and accuracy of judge’s names, place
names, case names, references, etc.
♦ The manuscript should be in its final form, not a draft. Extensive corrections to proofs are
expensive and give rise to new sources of error.
♦ Bibliographies and tables of abbreviations are to be presented with the manuscript.
♦ A consistent system of headings should be used. Number or code the headings to
indicate the level.
What happens next
Upon delivery of a completed manuscript, it will be reviewed internally and/or externally. An
in-house Editor assigned to the publication will assume day-to-day responsibility for seeing it
through the production process, from editing the manuscript to final output. Indexes and
Tables (cases, statutes, etc) and Preliminary and End pages will be organised by the in-
house Editor.

Author guide
14 Marketing
♦ At this stage, the publication’s promotion and marketing campaign will commence.
♦ New Product Development will brief Marketing on the project.
♦ Marketing will get a copy of the Proposal form. Please send us any additional information
you feel will help to market the product or resubmit the Proposal form provided with
updated information.
15 Checking procedures
♦ Corrections to proofs are expensive and time-consuming and a potential source of error.
♦ Corrections to proofs should be limited to:
✳ literal errors (spelling mistakes, typing errors, factual errors)
✳ the insertion of cross-references
✳ essential changes necessitated by legislative developments.
♦ There should be no rewriting to clarify sense or improve expression as this can
significantly delay publication and increase costs.
♦ If substantial changes are necessary (eg where there is significant legislative change),
this should be discussed with the in-house Editor to ensure that the production schedule
is not affected. Substantial changes can affect pagination, which in turn has an effect on
internal cross-references, Tables and the Index.
♦ You must ensure that all queries have been answered.
♦ All amendments to page proofs should be clear and in house style. If you notice a large
number of typesetting errors please alert the in-house Editor.
♦ If a substantial amendment is unavoidable, it should be typed on a separate piece of
paper (called a “Rider”) and attached to the necessary page. Clear indication of the
exact position it is to be inserted must be given.

Author Guide for Legal Publications

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Author Guide for Legal Publications