Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America
Contributors’ Guidelines

Updated: 27 December 2025
PDF Version

Irish Migration Studies in Latin America (IMSLA) is a journal published by the Society for Irish Latin American Studies (SILAS). IMSLA publishes original research about relations between Ireland and Latin America, Spanish Speaking North America, the Caribbean, and Iberia. Articles from all academic disciplines within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) are considered. Articles are subject to peer-review, and the journal has an international editorial board. The editors welcome contributions of articles, interdisciplinary essays, biographies, archival sources, and book or film reviews. Articles may be singly or jointly authored and should follow these Contributors’ Guidelines.  The journal is published online (https://www.irlandeses.org/journal) and is open access. The readership of the journal includes academics, students, researchers, genealogists, and people with interests in History, Literature, Cultural studies, and other aspects of the relations between Ireland, Latin America and other Spanish speaking and Lusophone contexts.

 

Purpose of this document

The IMSLA Style Guidelines detail methods for formatting texts submitted to IMSLA, including the use of basic typographic symbols and reference entries. What follows is adapted from the Harvard Style Guide (HSG).

 

Submitting an article

IMSLA welcomes proposals for publication of articles between 6,000 and 7,000 words, including references.

 

Submitting a review

A standard review should be concise and should highlight the strengths of the work at stake and signal the contribution that it makes to the field while discussing any potential directions for further research on the topic. The text should also identify the target audience of that work. The text should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words, including references.

 

Presentation of manuscripts

Manuscripts will be sent exclusively in digital form through the designated email address within the deadline established by the editors.

Only one copy is submitted, in .doc or .docx format (MS Word). This format is also to be used for tables (if any). Images (if any) should be submitted in JPEG format. Please note: Authors wishing to use images must obtain the appropriate permission from the copyright holder in the form of a written licence or declaration. As a rule, authors should aim to limit images to those which form part of the analysis, rather than serving a merely illustrative purpose.

If the article has several authors, each author must be included in all communications so that the correct attributions can be given. Only one copy of the manuscript should be submitted (usually by the first named author). The document name will take the following form: Surname of author (first author) followed by a two-word title. For example: “Smith_ Migrant Poetry”.

 

FORMAT

 

Font and line-spacing

Texts should be submitted in 12 pt. Times New Roman. The main text should be double-spaced, left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

 

Margins 

Use either MS Word default margins or the following: Top 2.5cm; Bottom 1.5cm; Left 2.54cm; Right 2.46cm

 

Paragraphs

With the exception of the first paragraph following a new section heading, each new paragraph should begin with an indent of 1.30cm. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. The space between the last line of one paragraph and the beginning of the next is exactly the same as the space between any two lines of text within a paragraph.

 

Pagination

Pagination will always be in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…), in consecutive order, beginning on the first page (cover page), in the upper right corner of the page.

 

CONTENT, STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The manuscript should be divided into the following parts: Title; Abstract and Keywords; Main Text; Works Cited; Appendices and/or Annexes (where applicable).

 

Title

The first element will be the title, in the same language of the text, following appropriate capitalisation norms.

 

Translation of title

If the title is not in English, an English translation should be added directly below, in italics.

 

Authors’ names

Authors names will appear in full (unless otherwise requested) in the order, forename(s), surname(s). For the purpose of indexation, where possible this should match the ORCID registry. In the case of multiple authors, all names are given, separated by semicolons. The order of appearance of different authors (either alphabetical, hierarchical, etc.) will have been previously agreed among them, and this order will be respected in the publication. If there is reason to do so, the authors may add a brief footnote to explains the order of names and/or a description of the different roles assumed by the authors throughout the research and publication process.

 

Institutional affiliation

The name of the institution to which each author belongs will be given in the manuscript, untranslated, in italics.

 

Email, ORCID iD

All authors will state their professional email (which will be published) and, should they have one, their ORCID iD

 

Author’s bio-bibliographical note

A 150-word author biographical note should include brief details of their position, area of expertise and previous publications, as relevant.

 

Person responsible for correspondence

In the case of multiple authors, the first-named author is regarded as the spokesperson for the group of authors, unless stated otherwise.

 

Acknowledgment of grant or financial support for the work

If authors wish to acknowledge grants or support for projects (if any) which have enabled the authors to perform the work published, this should be done in the first footnote of the text, which should appear after the first full stop.

 

Abstract

This section will be headed “ABSTRACT” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Articles in English which follow American norms will use the same norms in the abstract; articles in English which follow British norms will use the same norms in the abstract. The abstract should provide an overview of the content of the article and must not exceed 300 words.

 

Translation of the abstract

Articles in Spanish and Portuguese will include an abstract in their original language and an English translation.

 

Keywords

Keywords are those words or, more commonly, phrases that help categorize thematically the work in question. This is a key factor in making published articles discoverable via automated search engines. The Journal therefore advises the use of at least six fields of keywords. This section will be headed “KEYWORDS” in capitals, justified and followed by a line return. Give the keywords in the language of the article, separated by semicolons.

 

Translation of keywords

Give the translated keywords (in Spanish, Portuguese or English), separated by semicolons.

 

Table of contents

A table of contents will list the sections of the article. The headings (and subheadings, where required) must appear with the same method and arrangement (numbering system and format of sections) as used in the text.

 

Length of articles

Articles should be original research and follow a clear and logical written order. The minimum length of an article in IMSLA will be 6,000 words, double-spaced. The maximum length will be 7,000 words, double-spaced, including references.

 

Sections and subsections

Where subsections are in use, the divisions and subdivisions of the article must be presented thus: Headings and subheadings should always be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, using a point to separate the levels of division. The headings and subheadings will be the same body as the text (12 pt.). The general headings will be in Sentence Case (all lower case except the initial capital), bold, justified, and the first paragraph will also be justified. Subsequent paragraphs will begin with a 1.27cm indent. Sub-headings will be in italics and the first paragraph will appear justified. The headings and subheadings will be separated by two lines above and one line below. Lower levels of headings are separated by one line above and below.

 

BASIC TYPOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS

 

Quotation marks

The use of quotations should be judicious and relevant. All ideas and data from other sources should be duly cited. Quoted text must be reproduced or paraphrased accurately. Errors or misprints appearing in the original, are designated by “[sic.]” (italics and square brackets).

To indicate that parts of the quotation have been omitted, in each instance use three points enclosed by square brackets. Ensure omissions do not distort meaning.

Insertions for clarification should be enclosed in square brackets.

Quotations of less than four lines should be included in the text, between high double inverted commas (“abcdefg”), before punctuation (“… chivalry”.). Longer quotations are given in a separate paragraph, inset, in 11 pt., without inverted commas.

Use double high quotes, never low. Single quotes are used to indicate the meaning of words or passages, or for a quote within another quote.

If more than a phrase is reproduced, it is treated as a quotation, in double quotes. For example:

“The meaning of ‘migration’ in the text is vague”.

Quotes precede the punctuation mark and footnotes follow punctuation.

Quotations should always be given in their original language. Italics are used for foreign words or phrases in the quotation. Italics may also be used to indicate emphasis; this should be made clear in the citation: (García 2025, 23, my emphasis).

 

Dashes

Hyphens are used to connect words (well-informed); “en dashes” are used to denote range (23–56); “em dashes” can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons and semicolons and should be preceded and followed by a single space. For example, “Los pasos a seguir — lectura, escritura e interpretación — no eran sencillos”).

 

Abbreviations and acronyms

All acronyms should be spelled out on first mention. Initials or acronyms of organisations and/or legal entities (UNESCO, SILAS) are in capitals and should be spelled out the first time they appear in the text: UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies).

 

Numbers

Amounts quoted in isolation, especially those under fifty, are written out in full: “The piece consists of fifty verses”, but “A summary of 51 words”. Duration of time (for example, a person’s age) is always written in full: “The author died at the age of fifty-nine”.

IMSLA prefers the use of Arabic numerals and keeps use of Roman numerals to a minimum (to facilitate online searching). However, there are cases where tradition makes such use unavoidable. When necessary, Roman numerals will usually be in capitals; in Romance languages, centuries will be in small capitals: “siglo XIX”. For the numbering of pages in a manuscript or the pagination of the preliminaries of a printed book, the author can choose between small caps (ff. XXXIV–XLIII) or lower case (ff. xxxiv–xliii).

In references to a sequence of pages or verses or dates, reduce the second number to two digits, or the minimum difference: 390–420, 1994–99; vv. 12445–546.

 

Parentheses and square brackets

Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside, square brackets are to be used for parenthetical remarks within these.

Brief translations should be placed between square brackets.

 

REFERENCING GUIDE

The preferred house style is the Harvard Style Guide (HSG). A quick guide is available at the official website of the HSG. We encourage authors to use the HSG documentation in support of the guidelines detailed in this document. The HSG allows for a notes and bibliography OR an author-date system. IMSLA employs the author-date system.

 

In-text references

IMSLA follows the author-date (Harvard) system, which provides the author’s name and year of publication within the parentheses in the text, and the full details at the end of the work in a list of references. Therefore, citations should be referenced in the text, but not in the notes. Citations normally include three elements: (a) the author’s last name, (b) the year of publication, and (c) the page. Between (a) and (b) there is a space. Between (b) and (c) there is a colon and a space. For example:

As Smith et al. maintain, “the external atmosphere is free until someone claims for it” (Smith et al. 1999, 104).

Pedro Jaramillo declared that “he [O’Hara] is an Irish Parliamentarian disguised in Latin American clothes” (Maguire 2001b, 17).

This attitude was best epitomised by “an appalling sense of Irish–Brazilian boredom” (Quesada 1978 II, 371).

Short citations (max. three lines) should be embedded in the text. Long citations (four or more lines) should be set off in a separate paragraph as block quotations. Footnotes are reserved for ad hoc comments only, and should be kept to a reasonable number.

 

Footnotes

Notes should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Notes to tables, graphics, or figures should be included in the caption. The letters “p.” and “pp.” are added to avoid confusion only when the page numbers are preceded by other numbers, such as dates.

 

List of References 

The complete list of references should be included at the end of the article.  As a general rule, every citation in the text should correspond to a parenthetical reference included in the list of references. All entries should be listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Book:

Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Nevin, K. (1999) You’ll Never Go Back. The Cardinal Press

Ortiz, R. (ed.) (2003) Mi casa es tu casa: Estilos arquitectonicos privados en el Brasil colonial Editora del Sur. First edition: 1945.

Quesada, F. (1978) Irish–Ecuadorean Contributions to International Development. Editorial de la Casa, 1978. Vol. II.

 

Article:

Surname, Initial. (Date of publication) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number (issue number), page reference.

Barrell, D. (June 2001) ‘The Shamrock Clashes’, The Irish Literary Supplement, 39 (3), pp. 301–333.

 

Chapter in an edited book:

Chapter Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year) ‘Chapter title’, in Editor’s(s’) last name, Initials. (ed.) Book title. Publisher, page range.

Rose, H. (2000) ‘Risk, trust and scepticism in the age of the new genetics’, in Adam, B. et al. (eds.) Risk Society and Beyond. London: Sage, pp. 77–80.

 

For any issues not covered in the IMSLA Style Guide or in the current issue, please consult the Harvard Style Guide (HSG) Online. Should any aspect remain unclear, please flag this by way of a comment on the submitted document, so it can be identified and resolved by our editors.