Dïaspora Journal Style Guide

Updated: 24/09/2026

This guide is produced by the Editorial Staff of Dïaspora Journal for the benefit of authors. Although it includes all specific elements which pertain to the Dïaspora house-style, it is meant to be used in conjunction with other resources including the Oxford English Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style. Any questions about this guide can be emailed to: info@diiaspora.org.

General

Your writing style should be eloquent but easy to understand. Long sentences are acceptable, but unnecessary jargon should be avoided.

• Always use British English
• Footnotes should not be used under any circumstances
• When in doubt on matters of spelling or grammar, consult the Oxford style guides:
  • Oxford English Dictionary (British English Edition)
  • Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors
  • Oxford Spelling Dictionary
  • Hart’s Rules

Format

• All submissions should be in Times New Roman, 12-point, font
• Line Spacing should be set to Single, with 0pt before and after (Word: line spacing>line spacing options)
• Text should always be left-aligned and should never be justified (Word: alignment>left align)
• Do not use first-line indentation to separate paragraphs, instead separate them with a single line space
• Do not use numbers in subheadings and always keep them as short as possible
• In subheadings, use initial capital letters for appropriate words (e.g. Looking Towards the Future instead of Looking towards the future)
• For an example of a properly formatted submission, see the Dïaspora Article Template

Spelling

• All text should be spelt in accordance with the rules of standard British English. For example, formalise should be spelt with –ise instead of –ize as would be standard in American English. Likewise, colour should be spelt with –our instead of –or.
• When in doubt on matters of spelling, consult the Oxford English Dictionary.

Punctuation

Commas

• Use a pair of commas to surround a non-defining clause (one which adds descriptive information, but which can be removed without losing the meaning of the sentence) – note that only ‘which’ or ‘who’ can be used in this type of clause, not ‘that’.
• Do not use a comma to join two main clauses, or those linked by adverbs or adverbial phrases (e.g. ‘nevertheless’, ‘therefore’, ‘however’). This is referred to as ‘comma splicing’. Either use a semicolon or add a co-ordinating conjunction (e.g. ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’).
• Use a comma after an introductory adverb, adverbial phrase or subordinate clause; or use a pair of commas surrounding it if it is in the middle of a sentence.
• Use a comma between multiple qualitative adjectives (those which can be used in the comparative/superlative or modified with ‘very’, ‘quite’ etc.).
• Always use a comma between the penultimate item in a list and ‘and’/‘or’, unless it will create ambiguity – this is sometimes referred to as the ‘Oxford comma’.

Dashes

• Follow the Oxford style guides on the rules for hyphenation of words.
• Use an unspaced en-dash (not hyphen) between numbers or spans.
• Use a spaced en-dash parenthetically between words.
• When using em-dashes, always add a space either side. Use em-dashes sparingly.

Ellipses

• Do not key in three or a random number of full stops but instead insert the ellipsis symbol (Word: insert > symbol > special characters)
• Leave a space on either side of an ellipsis if it is inside a quotation; do not leave a space if the ellipsis is at the beginning or end of a quotation.

Emphasis

• Use italics, not bold, for emphasis

Italics

• Use italic type for titles of books and for words (but not proper nouns) in languages other than English

Brackets

• Use square brackets only for editorial interpolations within quoted text
• Use of bracket within the bracket is not acceptable

Slash symbol (solidus)

• Use unspaced: Edinburgh/Scotland, not Edinburgh / Scotland

Quotations

Always use single, not double, quotation marks unless it is a quote within a quote, when double should be used (and single again for a third level of quotation). Follow the British convention where in a quote which is not a full sentence, the closing punctuation comes after the closing quotation mark: They agreed that they would ‘call it a day’. In a quote which is a full sentence, the closing punctuation comes inside the closing quotation mark: ‘I think we should call it a day.’

• Quotations of 50 words or more should be displayed as separate indented paragraphs.
• Quotations of fewer than 50 words should run on in the text; they should begin and end with single quotation marks (they can also be displayed if you want them to stand out).
• Any text following a displayed quotation should start on a new line, but it should not be indented if it is continuing on from a previous paragraph.
• Do not impose our house style on quotations; maintain the original spelling and punctuation.

Poetry

Dïaspora only enforces two rules on poetic submissions:

• The piece must be formatted in a way that is easily readable (e.g. the stanzas should not be separated by more than two lines)
• The text must be in 12pt font throughout

These guidelines are mainly for the benefit of our design team since they cannot accommodate poetry which requires extreme formatting.

We kindly ask that all poetry submissions are accompanied by an explanatory note (which does not have to be long) specifying the rhyme scheme you are following, the backstory of your poem, and the image/feelings you want the piece to convey, as well as any other relevant information. This helps us to come to an informed decision when evaluating your piece for inclusion in the Journal.

Translation and Transliteration

When referring to a specific Ukrainian term (or a term in any other language) that is not a proper noun or the subject of your piece, do not use transliteration. Instead, create the most appropriate translation for the situation (note that this may or may not be the literal translation) and insert it immediately after the Ukrainian in parentheses. Please note that any non-English text should be italicised.

When you do use transliterations (e.g. for city or region names, or names of people) always use the official Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine/United Nations guidelines linked here.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Unless an abbreviation is very common, it should be spelled out in full when it is first used, with the abbreviation appearing in parentheses immediately afterwards. Note that while abbreviations are generally in capitals, the term when spelled out does not necessarily require initial caps.

Do not use full stops for:

• Country names and well-known abbreviations (e.g. USA, UK, TV)
• Abbreviations which end with the same letter as the original word (e.g. Mr, Mrs, Dr)

Use full stops for

• Technical abbreviations like e.g. i.e. no. p. pp. vol. ed. trans. esp. id. ibid. et al. etc.

Spell out ‘for example’ and ‘that is’ in running text; use the abbreviations e.g. and i.e. only in tables, notes, or parentheses. The abbreviations e.g. and i.e. are never followed by a comma.

Titles

• Put book and journal titles in italics. Use initial capitals for all important words in book, booklet and journal titles.
• Put single quotes around article, chapter and unpublished document titles.

Figures and Maps

• All photographs, diagrams, charts, graphs, and similar material are called figures. Number them consecutively and refer to them in the text as (Figure 1), (Figure 2), etc.
• Maps should be referred to in the text as (Map 1), (Map 2), etc.
• Both figures and maps should be supplied in JPEG format at minimum 300 dpi at the size at which they will appear. Do not compress the file.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining reproduction permission for their figures and if necessary, paying for it.

Numbers and Dates

• Write one to twelve in words, and above in numbers
• Always use commas to indicate thousands and millions and full stops for decimals: 2,350,000.00
• Page spans: use the fewest figures that will make the span clear without eliding: p. 27–29 or p. 5–37, not p. 05-37
• Use an en-dash (Word: insert > symbol > special characters) between numbers
• Dates should be in the form day (with no ‘th’), month, year: 06 February 2026
• Decades: 1980s, not the eighties, nor the 80s, nor the 1980’s
• Centuries: twentieth, not 20th century
• Use an en-dash for date spans and do not elide: 974–988 not 965–8
• Do not elide any figures for years of birth and death (e.g. 1911–1998, not 1911–98)

In-Text Citations

All sources should be referenced in the Chicago Author-Date format:

• In-text citations should be contained within parentheses and include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and if possible, the page number (separated by a comma). Citations should always be placed at the end of the relevant sentences and be embedded such that the full stop comes after the closing bracket (Poehlmann 2026, 44).
• Works with two authors’ names should be referenced using ‘and’, not an ampersand (e.g. (Poehlmann and Hryshchenko 2024) not (Poehlmann & Hryshchenko 2024)).
• Works with more than two authors’ names should be referred to with only the first author’s name followed by et al.
• When citing multiple sources at the same time, separate them with semicolons
• If no date is available for the source, use n.d. in place of the year

Reference Lists

All reference lists (bibliographies) should follow the Chicago Author-Date Style guidelines and be in alphabetical order. See below for specific examples of how to cite different kinds of sources:

Book

Reference list entry:

Binder, Amy J., and Jeffrey L. Kidder. 2022. The Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today. University of Chicago Press.

Yu, Charles. 2020. Interior Chinatown. Pantheon Books.

In-text citation:

(Binder and Kidder 2022, 117–18)
(Yu 2020, 45)

Chapter or Other Part of an Edited Book

Reference list entry:

Doyle, Kathleen. 2023. “The Queen Mary Psalter.” In The Book by Design: The Remarkable Story of the World’s Greatest Invention, edited by P. J. M. Marks and Stephen Parkin. University of Chicago Press.

In-text citation:

(Doyle 2023, 64)

In some cases, you may want to cite the collection as a whole instead:

Reference list entry

Marks, P. J. M., and Stephen Parkin, eds. 2023. The Book by Design: The Remarkable Story of the World’s Greatest Invention. University of Chicago Press.

In-text citation

(Marks and Parkin 2023)

Translated Book

Reference list entry:

In the following example, note the absence of a comma after “Liu” in the author’s name, which follows Eastern order (family name first) rather than Western order (family name last).

Liu Xinwu. 2021. The Wedding Party. Translated by Jeremy Tiang. Amazon Crossing.

In-text citation:

(Liu 2021, 279)

Book Consulted in and Electronic Format

To cite a book consulted online, include either a URL or the name of the database in the reference list entry. For downloadable ebook formats, name the format; if no fixed page numbers are available, cite a section title or a chapter or other number in the text (or simply omit). For citing a place rather than a publisher for books published before 1900 (as in the Moby-Dick example below).

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order)

Borel, Brooke. 2023. The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press. EBSCOhost.

Kurland, Philip B., and Ralph Lerner, eds. 1987. The Founders’ Constitution. University of Chicago Press. https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/.

Melville, Herman. 1851. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. New York. https://melville.electroniclibrary.org/moby-dick-side-by-side.

Roy, Arundhati. 2008. The God of Small Things. Random House. Kindle.

In-text citations

(Borel 2023, 92)
(Kurland and Lerner 1987, chap. 10, doc. 19)
(Melville 1851, 627)
(Roy 2008, chap. 6)

Journal Article

Journal articles are usually cited by volume and issue number. In the reference list, include the page range for the whole article. In the text, cite specific page numbers. For articles consulted online, include a URL (preferably one based on a DOI; see CMOS 13.7) in the reference list entry; alternatively, list the name of the database.

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order):

Dittmar, Emily L., and Douglas W. Schemske. 2023. “Temporal Variation in Selection Influences Microgeographic Local Adaptation.” American Naturalist 202 (4): 471–85. https://doi.org/10.1086/725865.

Hebert, B. T. 1925. “The Island of Bolsö: A Study of Norwegian Life.” Sociological Review 17 (4): 307–13. EBSCOhost.

Kwon, Hyeyoung. 2022. “Inclusion Work: Children of Immigrants Claiming Membership in Everyday Life.” American Journal of Sociology 127 (6): 1818–59. https://doi.org/10.1086/720277.

Lindquist, Benjamin. 2023. “The Art of Text-to-Speech.” Critical Inquiry 50 (2): 225–51. https://doi.org/10.1086/727651.

In-text citations

(Dittmar and Schemske 2023, 480)
(Hebert 1925, 310)
(Kwon 2022, 1842–43)
(Lindquist 2023, 230)

Journal articles often list many authors, especially in the sciences. For works by two authors, list both in the reference list and the text (as in the Dittmar and Schemske example above). For three or more authors, list up to six in the reference list; for more than six authors, list the first three, followed by “et al.” (“and others”). In the text, list only the first, followed by “et al.”

Reference list entry

Snyder, Carl D., Manuel Bedrossian, Casey Barr, et al. 2025. “Extant Life Detection Using Label-Free Video Microscopy in Analog Aquatic Environments.” PLOS ONE 20 (3): e0318239. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318239.

In-text citation

(Snyder et al. 2025, 9–10)

News or Magazine Article

Articles from newspapers or news sites, magazines, blogs, and the like are cited similarly. Page numbers, if any, can be cited in the text but are omitted from a reference list entry. For articles consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database.

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order)

Blum, Dani. 2023. “Are Flax Seeds All That?” New York Times, December 13. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/well/eat/flax-seeds-benefits.html.

Klein, Elana. 2023. “Meet Flip, the Viral Video App Giving Away Free Stuff.” Wired, December 21. https://www.wired.com/story/flip-viral-video-app-shopping-free-stuff/.

Mead, Rebecca. 2023. “Terms of Aggrievement.” New Yorker, December 18.

Pegoraro, Rob. 2007. “Apple’s iPhone Is Sleek, Smart and Simple.” Washington Post, July 5. LexisNexis Academic.

In-text citation

(Blum 2023)
(Klein 2023)
(Mead 2023, 21)
(Pegoraro 2007)

Readers’ comments are cited in the text but omitted from a reference list.

In-text citation

(Michelle [Reno], December 15, 2023, comment on Blum 2023)

Book Review

Reference list entry

Jacobs, Alexandra. 2023. “The Muchness of Madonna.” Review of Madonna: A Rebel Life, by Mary Gabriel. New York Times, October 8.

In-text citation

(Jacobs 2023)

Interview

Interviews are usually cited under the name of the interviewee rather than the interviewer.

Reference list entry

Buolamwini, Joy. 2023. “ ‘If You Have a Face, You Have a Place in the Conversation About AI,’ Expert Says.” Interview by Tonya Mosley. Fresh Air, NPR, November 28. Audio, 37:58. https://www.npr.org/2023/11/28/1215529902/unmasking-ai-facial-recognition-technology-joy-buolamwini.

In-text citation

(Buolamwini 2023)

Thesis or Dissertation

For dissertations consulted via ProQuest; include the identification number in parenthesis.

Reference list entry

Blajer de la Garza, Yuna. 2019. “A House Is Not a Home: Citizenship and Belonging in Contemporary Democracies.” PhD diss., University of Chicago. ProQuest (13865986).

In-text citation

(Blajer de la Garza 2019, 66–67)

Web Page

It is often sufficient simply to describe web pages and other website content in the text (“As of November 15, 2023, Google’s privacy policy stated . . .”). If a more formal citation is needed, it may be styled like the examples below.

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order)

Google. 2023. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Effective November 15. https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2023. “Wikipedia: Manual of Style.” Last modified December 19, at 21:54 (UTC). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style.

In-text citations

(Google 2023)
(Wikimedia Foundation 2022)

If a source does not list a date of publication or revision, use n.d. (for “no date”) in place of the year and include an access date. Alternatively, if a publicly available archive of the content has been saved using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine or similar service, the link for that version may be cited.

Yale University. n.d. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed March 8, 2022. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.

or

Yale University. n.d. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Archived March 8, 2022, at https://web.archive.org/web/20220308143337/https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.

Social Media Content

Citations of content posted to social media can usually be limited to the text (as in the first example below). If a more formal citation is needed, a reference list entry may be appropriate. In place of a title, quote up to the first 280 characters of the post. Comments are cited in reference to the original post.

Text

The Instagram post included a photo of the president delivering a eulogy at the National Cathedral and referred to O’Connor as “gracious and principled” (@potus, December 19, 2023).

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order)

Chicago Manual of Style. 2015. “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993.” Facebook, April 17, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb). 2022. “Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken—all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!).” Twitter (now X), July 11. https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1546621080298835970.

In-text citations

(Chicago Manual of Style 2015)
(NASA Webb Telescope 2022)
(Michele Truty, April 17, 2015, 1:09 p.m., comment on Chicago Manual of Style 2015)

Video or Podcast

Unless it is clear from context, “video” or the like may be specified in the reference list.

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order)

Cowan, Vaitea. 2022. “How Green Hydrogen Could End the Fossil Fuel Era.” TED Talk, Vancouver, BC, April. Video, 9 min., 15 sec. https://www.ted.com/talks/vaitea_cowan_how_green_hydrogen_could_end_the_fossil_fuel_era.

Ober, Lauren, host. 2022. The Loudest Girl in the World. Season 1, episode 2, “Goodbye, Routine; Hello, Meltdown!” Pushkin Industries, September 13. Podcast, 41 min., 37 sec. https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/loudest-girl-in-the-world.

Oliver, Eric. 2022. “Why So Many Americans Believe in So Many ‘Crazy’ Things.” Moderated by Andrew McCall. Virtual lecture, February 23. Posted March 21, 2022, by University of Chicago. YouTube, 1:01:45. https://youtu.be/hfq7AnCF5bg.

In-text citations

(Cowan 2022, at 6:09–17)
(Ober 2022)
(Oliver 2022)

Personal Communication

Personal communications, including email and text messages and direct messages sent through social media, are usually cited in the text only; they are rarely included in a reference list.

In-text citation

(Sam Gomez, Facebook direct message to author, August 1, 2024)