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the metropolitan museum of art
GUIDE TO
EDITORIAL PROCEDURES AND STYLE
2015
Editorial Department
Copyright © 2015 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mark Polizzotti, Publisher and Editor in Chief
Gwen Roginsky, Associate Publisher and General Manager of Publications
Peter Antony, Chief Production Manager
Michael Sittenfeld, Managing Editor
Robert Weisberg, Senior Project Manager
Third edition, revised 2015
CONTENTS
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
PART I: Editorial Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Manuscript Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Preparing a Text File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Author’s Responsibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sponsor Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Typing the Manuscript. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The publishing process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Schedules, Budgets, and Approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Copyright. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Image Acquisitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Maps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Design and Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Marketing and Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Catalogues Published by Other Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Exhibition Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Permanent Installation and Replacement Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Length of Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Label Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
General Label Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
PART II: General Style Matters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Running Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Captions and Space-Sensitive Material (e.g., Tombstones, Postcards,
Advertisements, etc.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Bibliographies, Notes, Tables, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Accents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Alphabetization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Capitalization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Captions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Catalogue Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Credit Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Italics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Museum Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Places and Nationalities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Institutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proofreader’s Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Apostrophes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Commas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ellipses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Parentheses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quotation Marks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quoted Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Spelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transliteration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
30
31
31
32
32
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34
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37
38
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41
42
43
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45
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48
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Part III: Bibliographies And Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Preparation of Bibliographies for Books with No Entries. . . . . . . . . . . 53
Preparation of Notes for Books with No Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Preparation of Bibliographies for Books with Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Preparation of Notes for Books with Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Other General Guidelines for Notes and Bibliographies . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Archival Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Authors’ Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Capitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Correspondence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Dissertations and Theses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Editions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Email. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Figures, Plates, and Other Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Inclusive Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Numbers and Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Reference Sections in Catalogue Entries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Proofreaders’ marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Conversion table for Inches and Centimeters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Foreign Language Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
FOREWORD
The purpose of this guide is twofold: to explain and describe the procedures
followed by the Editorial Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art for all
Museum publications and all labels for exhibitions and permanent installations;
and to present the basic stylistic conventions that have been adopted for most
written Museum content. The guide has been designed for use by curators and
other authors who work in or outside the Museum, by their assistants, and by
editors, production managers, and proofreaders, and by other Museum departments that create published content, whether in print or online.
This guide is not intended to establish an inflexible house style, as every
manuscript has its own particular characteristics and requirements; it does, however, address areas of confusion about which the Editorial Department frequently
receives inquiries with a view toward establishing an ideal set of guidelines and
practices for use in most situations.
The guide is divided into three parts. The first outlines the procedures involved in producing books and catalogues, as well as labels; the second provides
a style guide for use in writing and editing Museum publications; and the third
specifically addresses bibliographies and notes, as these are among the most complicated components of most of our publications.
Although the Editorial Department regards certain reference books as
authoritative (these volumes are listed in the section titled Sources), many of the
Museum’s special needs and functions are not addressed in these publications.
In addition, specialized usages have been adopted by Museum editors over the
years. Therefore, in the interest of Museum-wide consistency, recommended
usages for many different types of material are given herein. The aim is not only
to help authors but also to aid readers and visitors who might otherwise be
confused or distracted by variations in spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and
so on.
The primary role of the Editorial Department is to make sure that texts are
clear, accurate, and consistent, and that books are produced at the highest level of
quality that schedule and budget will allow. Authors are expected to deliver accurate and complete manuscripts on time, and the editor assigned to the project is
responsible for correcting errors of grammar and spelling, suggesting rewording
or reorganization to achieve greater clarity, and querying any questionable facts
or inconsistencies. It is also the editor’s responsibility to work with the designer
and the Editorial production staff to ensure that the text and illustrations are
integrated into an accurate, appropriate, and attractive publication and that
schedules and budgets are respected.
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It is worth noting here that The Chicago Manual of Style, the standard reference accepted by virtually all American publishers, is now in its sixteenth edition
(and is available in an online edition as well), and it bears very little resemblance
to the first edition. Like Chicago, this style guide will continue to undergo changes over its lifetime, and suggestions will happily be considered.
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EDITORIAL PROCEDURES
The following information is intended to assist authors in the preparation
of their manuscripts and related material for submission to the Editorial
Department. Most of the general instructions about manuscript preparation
apply to books, exhibition and collection catalogues, checklists, wall labels, and
miscellaneous brochures, pamphlets, or other forms of printed matter. Because
books (including catalogues) and wall labels require special procedures, however,
separate sections devoted to them follow the general discussion of manuscript
preparation.
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
See Typing the Manuscript
Preparing a Text File
By “manuscript” we mean the completed work in the form of a Microsoft Word
file or files sent to an editor by email.
File names should indicate the order of the texts (chap1, chap2, and so on).
Chapters or sections of books and lengthy catalogue entries may be submitted
each in its own file. For books, front matter (title page, table of contents,
foreword, list of lenders to the exhibition, and preface and acknowledgments),
back matter (appendixes, glossary, bibliography, tombstone information, and
photo credits), and illustration captions should be grouped in files separate from
the texts.
Files for essays should include the text and the accompanying notes, styled
as endnotes and created using the “Footnotes” function in Word (under the
“References” tab). Files for catalogue entries should contain all material related
to the text: notes, provenance, exhibition history, and references. Please make
a separate file for each individual text (essay or entry) to avoid confusion over
consecutively numbered endnotes. When naming files, it is best to avoid the use
of special characters such as brackets, commas, ampersands, exclamation points,
quotation marks, and parentheses (underscores are acceptable).
8
Editorial Procedures
Author’s Responsibilities
Authors (both in-house curators and non-staff authors) are expected to submit
a complete manuscript, including notes, and a list of images with all pertinent
information (see Image Acquisitions), by the deadline agreed upon with
Editorial. Normally, this deadline is one year before publication or exhibition
date. Timely delivery allows for sufficient discussion between author and
editor during the editing process; the later the delivery, the less time the
author has to review edits and make revisions. It also helps us to avoid errors
and budget overruns.
The manuscript, including a full art list (with captions), should be delivered to
the editor assigned to the project. If multiple views exist of a given object, the
author should specify which view is preferred.
To facilitate the editorial, design, and production functions, the Editorial
Department asks that a author submit several elements at the outset of the
project, even though they are not yet in final form:
Table of contents (preliminary version)
List of catalogue entries
List of illustrations (tentative)
In addition, the author will be responsible for delivering the following
components before a manuscript can be considered fully submitted:
Title page
Table of contents (final version)
Draft of the Director’s Foreword
List of lenders to the exhibition
Preface and acknowledgments
Introduction
Text with notes
Catalogue entries with apparatus and notes (if applicable)
Appendices (if applicable)
Glossary (if applicable)
Chronology (if applicable)
Bibliography
Captions for illustrations
List of illustrations (final)
Manuscript Preparation
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Sponsor Credits
See Captions, Credit Lines, Editorial Procedures (Labels), Names
Books that are subsidized or that accompany funded exhibitions carry credit
lines on the copyright page. The correct wording for these credits is supplied by
Development, which must review the copyright page and the sponsor’s foreword,
if there is one, before the book goes to press. Development is also responsible
for reviewing the acknowledgments in the Director’s Foreword as well as those
written by the curator.
The curatorial department is responsible for identifying all credit lines that have
not been approved by Archives as per the object record in TMS. The Editorial
Department asks Archives to verify all unapproved credit lines. Archives submits
corrections to Editorial.
Acknowledgments
Authors may acknowledge the assistance of institutions and individuals at the
end of a preface, in a separate Acknowledgments section if there are enough
names to warrant one, or in a headnote preceding numbered endnotes of an
essay or catalogue entry. In any case, acknowledgments should be brief. In
exhibition catalogues and certain other scholarly publications, acknowledgments
may be incorporated into the Director’s Foreword. In this case, the author should
supply the Office of the Director and Development, as well as Editorial, with a
complete list of the names, titles, and affiliations of people to be thanked.
Sources
See Captions, Credit Lines, Names, Spelling
Consult the following standard reference works for spelling and style:
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, unabridged, for spelling,
capitalization, hyphenation, and word division. Do not italicize any foreign word
that appears in Webster’s Third. See Spelling below for a list of preferred spellings;
those that differ from Webster’s are marked with an asterisk. Merriam-Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed., 2003) is a desk-size work that is based on and in
some instances updates Webster’s Third. It is an invaluable reference tool for all
authors and editors. Where there is disagreement, follow the spelling given in
Webster’s Eleventh.
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Editorial Procedures
Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary may be used for art terminology
and for other words not found in Webster’s Third or Webster’s Eleventh.
Personal names: Use the individual’s preference when known. Otherwise, use
Merriam-Webster’s Biographical Dictionary (3rd ed., 1995).
Place-names: Use Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary (3rd ed., 1997).
Names of very small, remote, or little-known places that do not appear in
Webster’s can often be found in the most recent edition of The Times Atlas of the
World.
General style: This style manual is based on The Chicago Manual of Style (16th
ed., rev., Chicago, 2010). The online version of The Chicago Manual of Style is
available to MMA staff and onsite visitors to the MMA through Watsonline
(http://libmma.org/portal/the-chicago-manual-of-style-online/). General
reference: The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed., rev. 2000) can resolve many
questions about historical and cultural events and dates.
Spelling of artists’ names: Approved Artists Running List (a.k.a. MMA
Approved Constituents Records, available to MMA staff on the Intranet in TMS
Documents); Oxford Art Online (available to MMA staff through Watsonline);
Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) on the Getty Research Insitute’s website
(http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/ulan/); the Allgemeines
Künstlerlexikon (available online through Waston Library at: http://libmma.org/
portal/allgemeines-kunstlerlexikon-world-biographical-dictionary-of-artists/);
and the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie’s online database of
artists’ names (at https://rkd.nl/en/) for Dutch and Flemish artists.
Names of museums: Consult IDA (International Directory of Arts), The Official
Museum Directory, or a museum’s official website for the correct way to refer to
museums (see Names).
Bible: The Authorized (King James) Version is preferred for the majesty of its
style, but some departments may choose to use the Douay Version or the Revised
Standard Version.
Typing the Manuscript
Double-space all material, including notes, extracts, bibliographies, and captions.
Notes should be placed after the text (as endnotes rather than footnotes), be in
the same size as the main text, and be double-spaced.
Authors should not concern themselves with formatting the text, except to
indicate italicization, cross-references, and extracts (for all three, see below). Use
Manuscript Preparation
11
upper- and lowercase letters, not all caps or small caps, for headings, subheads,
chapter titles, and other elements of your manuscript that will eventually appear
as display type.
Leave ample margins, about 1 1/2 inches on the left and at least 1 inch on the
right. Keep the same margins on every page and the same number of lines per
page. The right-hand margin should be ragged, not justified.
Do not manually break words at the ends of lines. Turn off the automatic
hyphenation feature in Word (Page Layout tab > Hyphenation > select None).
The only hyphens in your manuscript should be in hyphenated compound
words.
Turn off fractions (1/2) and ordinals (1st). The path is: File tab > Word options
> Proofing > AutoCorrect Options button > AutoFormat tab; from the list,
uncheck “Fractions with fraction character” and “Ordinals with superscript.”
Type straight text in paragraph style, with a one-tab indent on the first line. Use
the return key (Enter) at the end of a paragraph. Do not create hanging indents
with your software (the first line flush left and the remaining lines indented).
After a period, use just one space before the start of the next sentence.
For indents, do not use spaces; instead, use the tab key or the automatic indent
function on the ruler. Do not leave extra lines between paragraphs unless you
wish to indicate a major break that should be preserved in the printed book.
Never use letters to indicate numbers as, for example, the lowercase l for the
number one or the letter O for zero.
Use serial commas (e.g., The artist sketched the landscape in ink, oil, and acrylic
on paper).
Em dashes and en dashes ( — and – ) should be entered in Word by using the
appropriate keystrokes: On a PC: Ctrl + Alt + - for an em dash; Ctrl + - for an
en dash. [NB: use the minus key on the numeric pad to the right; it will not
work with the one at the top of the keyboard.] On a Mac: Shift + Option + for an em dash; Option + - for an en dash. However, it is also acceptable to use
one hyphen for an en dash and two for an em dash. All dashes should be closed
up (no space in-between) to the characters preceding and following them. (See
Punctuation: Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes for specific rules regarding
the use of en and em dashes.)
Italicized material should be indicated by using the Italic command.
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Editorial Procedures
For cross-references to text and illustrations, type a blind reference, with the
zeros in bold, and indicate the relevant manuscript page or name or number
assigned to the artwork (e.g., see page 00 [32]); (fig. 00 [Portrait of a Man]).
Verse quotations, unless unusual emphasis is required, should be run into the
text and enclosed in quotation marks with a slash ( / ) separating each line of
the poem (e.g., The children said in unison, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star / How I
wonder what you are,” and ran into the hallway).
When not run in, poetry extracts should be set off by one blank line (one
extra hard return) above and below. It is not necessary to indent the poem. That
will be handled by the typesetter. Quotation marks are not needed unless they
occur within the poem itself. Do not indicate runover lines unless the poem
needs to be reproduced line by line, but do indicate the end of a line by a hard
return.
Prose quotations of fewer than eight lines should be run into the text and
enclosed in quotation marks. Note that quotations within such quotations
take single quotation marks. Quotations of eight lines or more are set off from
the text by a blank line (one extra hard return) above and below. These set-off
quotations are called “extracts.” Extracts may be indented in Word by using the
“Increase Indent” button (lines with right-pointing arrow) under the Home tab
> Paragraph. No quotation marks are used at the beginning or end of set-off
extracts, so internal quotation marks remain as they are in the original.
In quotations from sources using British spelling and punctuation, punctuation
should be Americanized (double quotation marks, periods and commas within
quotation marks), but British spelling should be retained.
For an ellipsis within a sentence, use three dots, leaving equal space before the
first and after the last dot as well as between each of the three. Four dots indicate
the omission of (1) the last part of a quoted sentence, (2) the first part of the
next sentence, or (3) a whole sentence or more. When using four dots, the first
is a period closed up to the preceding word, and the next three are spaced as
described above. Retain an exclamation point or question mark from the original
material instead of the first period in a four-period ellipsis, but replace commas,
semicolons, or colons from the original with a period. Quotations should neither
begin nor end with an ellipsis.
When the text contains special ligatures or archaic or non-Western languages,
these should be discussed in advance with Editorial, or a PDF or image provided
to show what the type should look like.
If the manuscript contains tables, the author should supply accurate printouts so
that the typesetter can easily follow their format. Tables can be submitted either
in Microsoft Excel or as a Microsoft Word table. If the table is set up manually in
Manuscript Preparation
13
Microsoft Word, however, use only a one-tab space between columns; although
the columns will not look aligned on-screen, the single-tab formatting will help
the typesetter.
THE PUBLISHING PROCESS
Schedules, Budgets, and Approvals
Editorial generally requires a minimum of two years to plan, edit, and produce a
major exhibition catalogue.
Approximately two years before the exhibition’s opening, members of Editorial
meet with the curator to discuss catalogue content, format, bibliographic
style, contributing authors, word counts, number of illustrations, and authors’
fees; and to determine key delivery dates for text and photographs. Curators
should provide for this meeting a proposed table of contents, book description,
and exhibition dates and venues, and a list of contributing authors with their
proposed assignments. They should also confirm whether the exhibition has been
approved by the Director’s Office, and whether any funding has been secured.
At this meeting, Editorial will fill out the New Publication Planning Agreement,
which is the basis for preparing a budget. Curators are invited to read the blank
form beforehand in preparation for the discussion. The Publication Planning
Agreement can be found on the Intranet in the Editorial Department’s Sharepoint
site (https://metropolitan.sharepoint.com/sites/departments/editorial).
Once sufficient information has been gathered, Editorial prepares a preliminary
catalogue budget for the Director’s review and approval. Please note that a
catalogue should not be assumed, or announced on the Exhibitions calendar,
until it has been discussed with Editorial and approved by the Director.
After the catalogue budget is approved by the Director, the curator should
provide Editorial with the list of approved contributing authors, including
contact information and writing assignments. Editorial prepares and sends
contracts to all outside contributing authors. Editorial is responsible for setting
deadlines for delivery of text and negotiating fees with outside contributors;
curatorial departments are specifically asked not to confirm with outside
contributors that they will be writing for the publication before the proposal and
budget has been officially approved. In no circumstances should MMA curators
negotiate fees with outside contributors.
14
Editorial Procedures
If a contributing author is also a guest curator of the exhibition and has signed
an independent contractor agreement with the MMA, this agreement typically
includes arrangements for the guest curator’s catalogue contributions.
Contracts
When an outside (non-MMA staff) author is engaged to write essays, entries, or
other texts, the Editorial Department prepares a contract to cover the assignment
of copyright to the Museum (under the terms of “work made for hire”), as well
as information regarding deadlines, payment of the fees, warranties about the
originality of the material, and various other issues for which the author might
be responsible. Contracts are not usually drawn up with authors on the Museum’s
staff, nor are fees paid (except for the Metropolitan Museum Journal).
Contracts are issued once the project budget has been approved by the Director
(see Schedules, Budgets, and Approvals). Please note that Editorial cannot issue
outside author contracts or begin incurring costs on a given project until that
project has been officially approved. Authors are encouraged to sign and return
their contracts to Editorial as quickly as possible. In most cases, payment is
due to the author either upon signature of contract or delivery of acceptable
manuscript, along with presentation of an invoice. Authors cannot be paid until
Editorial has received both a signed, fully executed contract and an invoice.
Editing
An editor is assigned to the catalogue when the manuscript is received by
Editorial (or at an earlier point if feasible). Assignments are made on the basis
of availability, though curatorial preference is taken into account whenever
possible. If the author and/or curator have questions during the preparation of
the manuscript, they may consult with the managing editor or the editor, if one
has been assigned.
Please note: Editorial expects the text from all contributors to be vetted by the
coordinating curator before it is delivered to Editorial for editing; this step needs
to be taken into consideration when text deadlines are set.
During the editing process, the editor queries the author for the purpose of
clarifying meaning, achieving consistency and concision, and conforming to the
MMA’s internal style. After the manuscript is edited, it is reviewed by the author
and, in the case of multiple authors, by the organizing curator. The author is
expected to respond to queries, accept or reject the editor’s changes, and return
The Publishing Process
15
the edited manuscript by the specified date. When all reviews are completed, the
manuscript is sent out for typesetting.
Editors keep a style sheet of instances of punctuation and spelling that vary from
this style guide.
Copyright
With few exceptions, the Museum holds the copyright for every work it
publishes. The Museum also holds copyright to texts written by staff members
if the works are prepared within the scope of Museum duties, and in most cases
to work commissioned from outside authors. When the Museum holds the
copyright for a published text, the author who wishes to reprint his or her work
at a later time should write to the Editorial Department for permission, which
will not be unreasonably withheld.
For questions pertaining to copyright of illustrations and permissible use of
images, please consult with Editorial.
The Editorial Department will prepare copy for the copyright page and will
apply to the Library of Congress for Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP) data.
The assistant managing editor is responsible for applying for CIP data. CIP is
a service of the Library of Congress, through which a work is catalogued for
librarians. CIP data is usually printed on the copyright page.
Image Acquisitions
As a general rule, the Editorial Department, through its Image Acquisitions and
Permissions group, collects images (for works of art on loan and comparative
photographs) from institutions other than the MMA, and clears permissions
for their use for most non-commercial purposes throughout the Museum
(catalogue, exhibition, press and publicity, education, social media, and some
Web use). This centralized approach allows greater efficiency among departments
and ensures that costs are minimized, and schedules well planned with regard
to clearing image rights. The precise work flow may vary slightly from project to
project, depending on the specific circumstances.
A preliminary number of images for a publication (catalogue objects plus
comparatives) should be set at an initial meeting between the curator and the
Editorial department when the publication is first planned; this information
is necessary to help craft a project budget. Once the project budget has been
16
Editorial Procedures
approved, the curator arranges to meet with the image acquisitions manager to
discuss the acquisition of non-Met images.
A specific image list is due from the curator with the manuscript on a specifically
scheduled date, usually one year in advance of the publication date. Once the list
has been mutually agreed upon by the curator and Editorial, Editorial gathers the
images and puts them into the digital asset management system.
Image lists should include artist/maker (including birth–death dates, as listed
on the MMA Approved Constituents List), title or description, date, medium,
dimensions, repository, and inventory number. Digital scans or other image
representations are very helpful. The image list should include vetted lists
from outside authors; curators should request image lists from outside authors
earlier than deadline, to leave time for review and possible revision before
the submission date. Once the image list has been submitted to Editorial, any
further changes to it, including requests for additional images, must be agreed
upon between the author and Editorial; any such agreed-upon changes should
be communicated immediately to both the editor and the image acquisitions
manager associated with the project to avoid unnecessary acquisitions and
payments.
Generally speaking, images cannot be changed or replaced once they have been
acquired by Editorial, as such changes entail significant additional expenditure of
time and money. Any requests to change, add, or replace images after this point
will be decided by Editorial on a case-by-case basis.
Orders for new photography of Met objects should be submitted directly from
the curatorial department to the Photograph Studio with a due date that fits the
publication schedule. If scans from books are required, the Editorial department
will place the relevant IOWA order with the Photograph Studio.
If new photography of non-Met objects is needed, Editorial will commission
new photography from the Photograph Studio, a freelance photographer, or the
lending institution.
Images to be used for purposes other than those requested by Editorial, including
images for research purposes, are ordered directly by the curator at the expense
of the curatorial department.
Maps
The Editorial Department employs cartographers on a freelance basis. The author
should provide all the information that is to appear on a map. That information
includes the following:
The Publishing Process
17
Title
Total geographic area to be included
Names of countries, provinces, etc.
Names of cities, rivers, lakes, etc.
Miscellaneous: ethnic groups, archaeological sites
Because different publications have different requirements, the author should
consult with Editorial before compiling information for the maps. In most
cases, the cartographer should be provided with this information in the form
of a master list of all place-names to be typeset on the final map, together with
photocopies of existing maps; several maps may be used, so long as the copies
are keyed to the master list. The sources of all maps should be indicated so that
the cartographer may consult the originals if necessary. Be sure that the list of
place-names is consistent with the text in spelling, capitalization, and diacritical
marks, as this will be used as setting copy. Note if any special shading is desired
or whether the cartographer may use his or her judgment, for example, in
distinguishing bodies of water from land.
Maps sometimes include culturally sensitive material and may need to be
reviewed by the Counsel’s Office.
Design and Production
During the early planning stages, Editorial, in consultation with the curator,
determines an appropriate design approach and format for the book. Depending
on availability, an initial meeting is held among the editorial staff, the curator,
and the designer to work out preliminary details. The designer subsequently
submits sample pages and cover options to Editorial, which, assuming they
are satisfactory, presents them to the curator and then to the Director for final
approval.
A production manager is assigned to a project as early as possible in the process
to work with the curator, editor, and designer on a variety of graphic arts matters.
Among these are collaborating with the author to choose which MediaBin assets
will be included in the publication and establish the relative reproduction sizes
of those assets (A = full page, B = half page, C = quarter page or smaller). The
selected images and their reproduction sizes are transmitted to the designer for
layout at the same time as the text.
18
Editorial Procedures
Page layouts
When page layouts arrive from the designer, the Editorial Department distributes
them to those who need to review them, including the coordinating curator
and authors. Page proofs of front matter are sent to Development, the Director’s
Office, and other departments as necessary for review of credit lines, the
Director’s Foreword, and, where applicable, the sponsor’s statement. First pages
are the author’s primary opportunity to request changes to the text, the layouts,
and the placement and size of images. The editor collates all text corrections on a
master set. Requests for layout changes should be discussed with the production
manager.
After the designer makes the requested corrections on the first page layouts,
revised pages are sent to the editor. These are checked by proofreaders to
ensure that all corrections have been made and that new errors have not been
introduced. During this stage, curators review revised page proofs to fill in and
verify the cross-references in the text. Please note that major changes to the text,
layout, or images can no longer be accommodated at this stage. If debate arises,
the Museum’s Publisher will be responsible for judging which corrections may be
incorporated at any stage past the first page proofs. If certain changes cannot be
made, the editor will inform the curator as soon as possible.
When the revised page proofs have been corrected, the final layout is prepared
incorporating the corrected text and properly sized images. The curator is asked
to review the final layout in printout or PDF, not to make editorial changes but
to ensure that previous errors have been corrected, no new errors have been
introduced, and no element has been inadvertently omitted. The curator also
checks to make sure that no illustrations have been inverted or poorly cropped
and that captions are correctly placed. Digital files of the final layout with
corrected text and images are then sent to the printer.
Color proofing and plotters
Once images are obtained and approximate reproduction sizes are determined,
digital image files are sent out for color separation, a crucial step in the printing
process.
The color separator returns color proofs to Editorial for correction and eventual
approval. The goal of this process is to create reproductions that are faithful to
the original work and pleasing within the context of the design and production
of the publication.
It may take several rounds of proofs to achieve this goal. Whenever feasible, the
production manager will view the original work (in the galleries, conservation,
The Publishing Process
19
storage, or sometimes offsite) and review proofs with the curator. When it is not
possible to see a work, the production manager will rely more on the curator’s
knowledge of the object.
This process runs concurrently with the editorial process. Final illustration files
are transmitted to the printer on the same day as final text files (called the “disk
out” date). Further color corrections cannot be accommodated at or after this
point.
The next editorial phase is the review of plotters (also known as “blues” or
“bluelines”) to confirm the placement, cropping, and position of images; they
also represent the text as it will be printed. Plotters are checked solely by Editorial
to ensure that the printer has assembled the digital files correctly. Corrections
to plotters are costly, time-consuming, and can potentially introduce new errors
into files; accordingly, they are made only to eliminate egregious errors, subject
to the Publisher’s determination. Changes such as rewrites, additions, design
adjustments, and image substitutions are not permitted at this stage.
Marketing and Distribution
The print quantity is determined by Editorial in consultation with Merchandise
and the MMA’s trade distributor. Merchandise gathers information about
quantities from curatorial departments, Communications, Development,
additional exhibition venues, and Membership before the date paper and
materials are ordered.
With certain exceptions, MMA books are distributed worldwide to the trade
by Yale University Press (YUP), which sells MMA books on a consignment
basis. YUP is also responsible, in consultation with Editorial, for sending out
review copies to relevant periodicals or websites. Authors are sent an Author
Information Sheet to help Editorial and Yale market the title, especially to
specialized audiences.
Editorial produces marketing materials and a press release for each new title,
which it provides to YUP to send with review copies and to Communications for
inclusion on its webpage. In addition, Editorial prepares an annual publications
catalogue that announces new titles and all books in print, to be used at trade
fairs, in publicity mailings, at the Met Store, and by YUP. Editorial also, in
consultation with YUP, submits titles for awards and competitions. Additionally,
YUP produces a spring and a fall catalogue and an “Art and Architecture”
catalogue that list all relevant MMA books. Editorial provides copy and images
20
Editorial Procedures
for these catalogues, information from which is then used by booksellers,
including Amazon.
Editorial arranges for the distribution of complimentary copies to authors (5
for each overseeing editor/author, and one for each contributing author) and to
those on the complimentary copies list compiled by Editorial. Given the limited
number of advance copies, which are shipped by air, normally only one advance
copy is given to the author, with the remaining copies distributed after the main
(sea) shipment has arrived in the warehouse. Editorial sends books from the
main shipment to institutions that supplied photographs for the catalogue in
exchange for a copy. The curator is responsible for distributing catalogues to
the exhibition’s lenders. Development is responsible for distributing copies to
the exhibition’s sponsors. Catalogues for lenders and sponsors are ordered from
Stock Services using a requisition form and charged to the exhibition budget.
Once catalogues have been received by the MMA’s warehouse, their distribution
is no longer the responsibility of Editorial. Those wanting copies should call
Stock Services (for departmental charges), Inventory Control (for complimentary
copies after regular distribution), or Wholesale Sales (for bulk purchase by
authors or those outside the MMA, including museums participating in a
traveling exhibition). Authors, whether or not MMA staff, are entitled to a 40%
discount on the title to which they contributed when purchased (not for resale)
through the Merchandise Department.
Once a book is published, it is also entered into the MetPublications website
and made available free of charge, either in part (for books still in print) or
in its entirety (for out-of-print titles). To access the site, go to: http://www.
metmuseum.org/research/metpublications
Catalogues Published by Other Institutions
If the exhibition catalogue is published by a co-organizing institution, the curator
is responsible for obtaining the copyright page, the Director’s Foreword, and the
Acknowledgments from the publishing institution, and sending these pages to
the Director’s Office and Development for approval. Approvals or corrections
should be sent directly to the publishing institution.
Editorial does not routinely review or approve catalogues produced by coorganizing institutions. However, it will gladly review jacket design and front
matter if asked to do so.
Merchandise is responsible for the ordering, order quantity, shipping
arrangements, and internal distribution of catalogues published by other
The Publishing Process
21
institutions. The curator should forward all information about the catalogue,
including ordering deadlines, special fees, and catalogue specifications, to the
General Manager of Merchandise and Retail. The curator, Communications,
Development, and Membership should also inform Merchandise at an early date
of any special needs (e.g., sponsor events) so that the additional quantities may
be incorporated into the order. Merchandise arranges for limited distribution of
copies to appropriate MMA departments. These copies are not complimentary
and are charged to departmental budget lines as publications from stock.
LABELS
Label copy generally includes:
Text panels introducing the exhibition and its primary sections
Labels for walls and cases consisting of a “tombstone,” or ID, and, frequently,
a brief description, or “chat”
Group labels for cases
The tombstone may supply artist, nationality, birth and death dates, birth and
death locations, title of work, date of work, medium, credit line, and accession
number. Only works in the Museum collection need an accession number.
Tombstones do not include dimensions. Please see below for tombstone format
templates.
Whenever possible, the following guidelines for labels will also apply to
tombstones in publications.
Exhibition Labels
Special exhibition labels should be prepared with the same care given to any
Museum publication. When labels are edited, deviations from Museum style
will be corrected. The Design Department provides type specifications to the
Editorial Department, which handles typesetting. All Word docs provided
by curatorial must be organized to conform to the needs of the Design
Department—i.e., all case labels in one file, all text panels in a second, all wall
labels in a third, and so on—and not exceed the maximum word count for each
type of label. For this reason, curators should meet with the graphic designer
assigned to the project before beginning to write. Label copy thus organized
should be emailed to the Editorial Department. The editor will provide each
curator with edited text with all corrections, suggestions, and queries in Word
22
Editorial Procedures
documents with tracked changes. Editorial will email the curator a PDF of the
first proofs; the curator should note corrections in red on a printout or in the
PDF file(s) using Adobe sticky notes. Editor and curator will decide which
method to use, but PDF is usually preferred, as it is faster. First proofs should
be returned to the editor in a timely fashion. If necessary, second proofs will be
generated; curators generally do not review second proofs.
The importance of timely delivery of material to Editorial cannot be
overemphasized. Because special exhibitions follow tight schedules, all copy for
text panels and labels should be submitted to the Editorial Department at least
twelve weeks before the opening. After initial edits, the Director’s Office will
review introductory panels and text panels for certain special exhibitions and
further edits will be made if necessary. If material must be delivered in sections,
priority should be given to copy that is to be silk-screened (usually, intro panels
and wall panels).
Permanent Installation and Replacement Labels
Labels for permanent installation rotations that have been approved and
scheduled with the Exhibitions Department, as well as labels to update or correct
existing text, are due to Editorial ten weeks prior to the installation. Rotation
and replacement labels will be edited and produced as quickly as possible; please
note, however, that time-sensitive projects, such as major exhibition labels, might
have to take precedence.
Length of Labels
Exhibition texts should be brief and concise. In general, text panels cannot
exceed 250 words (or 200 if they include an image with a caption); wall labels,
125 words; and case labels, 75 words. These word counts do not include
tombstones. Please note that these numbers are estimates only: final word counts
may need to be adjusted in editing to ensure that the typeset text fits on the
label, depending on the particular label design, length of object information,
etc. Again, please meet with the graphic designer assigned to your exhibition
before you begin writing, as there may be exceptions to these general guidelines
depending on specific gallery configurations.
Labels
23
Label Templates
The following label styles have been devised with the needs of the various
curatorial departments in mind; only one style should be adopted per gallery
or exhibition. If the specific exhibition requires altering one of these templates,
including reordering the information, please confer with the editor:
1
Maker (nationality, birth/death dates if known) [in certain departments—DPP,
Photographs—nationality and birth/death dates are on next line]
Title, date
Medium
Credit line followed by accession number in parentheses on same line
EXAMPLE FOR STYLE 1
Goya (Francisco de Goya y Lucientes) (Spanish, Fuendetodos 1746–1828
Bordeaux)
Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga, 1787–88
Oil on canvas
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.41)
2
Title
Medium [if appropriate]
Maker (nationality, birth/death dates if known)
Date [+ place]
Credit line followed by accession number in parentheses on same line
EXAMPLE FOR STYLE 2
Adam
Marble
Tullio Lombardo (ca. 1455–1532)
Italian (Venice), ca. 1490–95
Fletcher Fund, 1936 (36.163)
3
Title
Medium
Cultural designation, object date
24
Editorial Procedures
Find spot (if known/appropriate)
Credit line followed by accession number in parentheses on same line
EXAMPLE FOR STYLE 3
Virgin and Child Reliquary
Walnut with paint, tin relief on a white lead ground, linen
French, Auvergne, carved about 1175–1200
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916 (16.32.194a, b)
Example of a special exhibition tombstone:
Nicolas Poussin (French, Les Andelys 1594–1665 Rome)
Victory of Joshua over the Amorites, ca. 1625–26
Oil on canvas
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
Example of a rotation label (tombstone and chat):
Tea bowl with plum blossoms
China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279), 12th–13th century
Stoneware with black and brown glazes and paper-cut designs (Jizhou ware)
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
(29.100.223)
Noted for its imaginative designs and innovative techniques, Jizhou ware was
produced at kilns in Jiangxi Province in southern China. Here, paper-cut plum
blossoms were placed on an initial layer of black glaze and covered with brown
glaze. The paper cuts were destroyed during the firing, leaving the design of plum
blossoms on the inside of the bowl.
(Note: In the tombstone, “The Metropolitan Museum of Art” is not used in the
credit line for rotation labels of permanent collection objects.)
General Label Style
See Dates
Do not use periods at the ends of lines in the tombstone.
Use serial commas (e.g., “Ink, oil, and acrylic” rather than “Ink, oil and acrylic”).
In a chat, spell out numbers from one hundred down (“eleven prints in the
series”) as well as centuries (“fifteenth,” not “15th”) but use numerals in the
tombstone. An exception in tombstones is a fraction of a century: “First third
14th century.”
Labels
25
Enclose question marks in parentheses and do not leave a space following the
preceding word: “Italian(?), ca. 1400.”
“Ex coll.” may be included at the discretion of the department. If it is a matter of
particular sensitivity, it should be flagged in TMS.
Dates of an artist’s activity do not appear in the tombstone unless artist’s birth/
death dates are unknown. When needed, use “active” rather than “recorded” or
“flourished.”
For anonymous works, use country or culture followed by a comma and the date
(French, 15th century) and do not include the word “anonymous.”
However, do leave “anonymous” in TMS as a sorting mechanism; use
“anonymous” instead of “artist unknown” or other variant wordings.
Place Names
See Names
The names of cities and countries should conform to those in the most recent
edition of Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary.
The place of manufacture precedes the date and is followed by a comma:
Waistcoat
France, 1890s
A specific region within a broader geographic designation is set off by commas:
Waistcoat
France, Côte-d’Or, 1890s
The artist’s place of birth and death should be included for all departments, to the
extent known. Style for birth/death information:
a) French, Bayonne 1557–1612 Paris
Use commas when modifying words are included:
b) French, Bayonne, active 1557–died Paris 1612
Titles
Curators may observe departmental styles for titles of works. In general, adopt
“title style” for objects that have actual given titles, and “sentence style” for titles
that are merely descriptive.
26
Editorial Procedures
In italicized “title style,” capitalize all words except prepositions, conjunctions,
and articles and always capitalize the final word:
Merrymakers at Shrovetide
A Hypocrite and a Slanderer
In “sentence style,” capitalize only the first word and proper nouns and do not
italicize:
Mirror with Medusa head on handle
Kimono with design of shells and sea grasses
Credit lines
See Captions, Credit Lines, Names, Sponsor Credits
For works in the Museum’s collection, use the credit line approved by Archives.
Credit lines on catalogue cards in departmental files and in TMS may not be
correct.
Credit lines are included in full on labels and should always appear at the end
of the tombstone. Before shortening or eliminating a credit line, the Counsel’s
Office must be consulted.
The accession number should follow the credit line and date and should be in
parentheses on the same line.
For labels of works not in the Museum’s collection, use the wording provided on
the loan form. Accession numbers of lending institutions are not included unless
absolutely specified in the loan agreement.
Catalogue Numbers
As a rule, catalogue numbers should not be included on labels.
Labels
27
GENERAL STYLE MATTERS
ABBREVIATIONS
See Chicago, chapter 10; also Bibliographies and Notes, Captions, Names, Numbers
Running text
Avoid using abbreviations except for words and social titles that are rarely spelled
out.
Abbreviate
a.d. (small caps)
a.m. (small caps)
b.c. (small caps)
Dr.
M.
Mlle (no period)
Mme (no period)
Mr., Messrs.
Mrs., Ms.
PhD (no periods)
p.m. (small caps)
SS (steamship)
Spell out
color plate(s) (two words)
figure(s)
note(s)
number(s)
page(s)
plate(s)
These may be abbreviated in parenthetical references in text:
As suggested in number 45, the oil lamps are made of imported clay.
28
General Style Matters
but
As suggested above (no. 45), the oil lamps are made of imported clay.
Spell out
about (use “about” rather than “around” or “ca.” in text)
days of the week
months of the year
names of states
the word “Saint” in names of saints (but not in an individual’s name in
which the abbreviation is preferred [Ruth St. Denis] or in a manuscript
containing many saints’ names)
the words “born,” “died,” “active,” “reigned,” and “ruled”
Captions and Space-Sensitive Material (e.g.,
tombstones, postcards, advertisements, etc.)
Abbreviate
circa (ca.)
inches (in., not ")
feet (ft., not ')
centimeters (cm, with no period)
length (L.)
depth (D.)
diameter (Diam.)
width (W.)
height (H.)
recto (r, with no period and close up to a number, as in “fol. 23r”)
verso (v, with no period and close up to a number)
folio (fol.)
born (b.)
died (d.)
active (act.)
reigned or ruled (r.)
Spell out
parts of centuries (second half of 19th century, not 2nd half 19th c.)
nationalities of artists or geographical designations (French, not Fr.)
Abbreviations
29
Bibliographies, Notes, Tables, etc.
Abbreviate
book(s) (bk., bks.)
chapter(s) (chap., chaps.)
compiled by (comp.)
dissertation (PhD diss.)
edition(s), edited by (ed.)
editor(s) (ed., eds.)
exhibition catalogue (exh. cat.)
fascicle(s) (fasc., fascs.)
figure(s) (fig., figs.)
folio(s) (fol., fols.)
line(s) (l., ll.)
manuscript(s) (MS, MSS)
months of the year of more than four letters (June; Aug.)
new series (n.s.)
no date (n.d.)
no place, no publisher (n.p.)
note(s) (n., nn.)
number(s) (no., nos.)
old series (o.s.)
ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.)
page(s) (p., pp.)
part(s) (pt., pts.)
plate(s) (pl., pls.)
section(s) (sec., secs.)
states (Ala., Ariz., etc.; See Chicago, 10.28; MMA prefers older abbreviations
to U.S. Postal Service two-letter abbreviations)
translated by, translator (trans.)
volume(s) (vol., vols.)
ACCENTS
See Chicago, chapter 11
Retain accents in lowercase letters:
Musée d’Orsay, Velázquez, passé, François Gérard, Juan Martinez Montañés,
30
General Style Matters
Place Vendôme
We do not retain accents in uppercase letters:
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Aegyptisches Museum, Edouard Manet
ALPHABETIZATION
Use word-by-word method:
Raj Singh
Rajasthan, India
Rajput dynasty
Treat “Mc” names as though spelled “Mac.”
To alphabetize names with particles, follow personal preference of individual or
tradition if the person is famous. Consult the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s
Biographical Dictionary.
de Groot, Adelaide Milton
du Pont, Henry Francis
van Eyck, Jan
von Bothmer, Dietrich
Names with “St.” should be alphabetized as if “Saint” were spelled out.
CAPITALIZATION
See Chicago, chapters 7 and 8; also Italics, Names, Spelling, Titles
In general, it is best to avoid excessive use of capitals, and do not use them to
emphasize an idea.
Use capitals for:
“Museum,” when referring to the Metropolitan; the word “The” in referring to
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (but only when using the full name of the
institution)
Proper names of organizations, but not for incomplete references (Congress
of Vienna, but the congress). Do not capitalize “The” before museum or
Alphabetization
31
organization names in running text (except for The Metropolitan Museum of
Art)
Styles and schools of art when referring to a specific movement (Abstract
Expressionism, Art Deco, Precolumbian art), but lowercase “school” unless
it is part of the name of a specific movement (school of Leonardo, but School
of Paris, New York School); “Neoclassicism” when referring specifically to the
late eighteenth century and the Napoleonic era; “Baroque” when referring to
European seventeenth-century art, but not when used in a general sense
Historical periods (Dynasty 18 or XVIII Dynasty, but Tang dynasty; Roman
Empire, but the empire)
Parts of the world (Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western world, but eastern
direction, western saddle)
Do not capitalize prepositions, conjunctions, or articles in book, article, and
exhibition titles. However, do capitalize the first and last word of any title in
English (As Time Goes By).
CAPTIONS
See Credit Lines, Dates, Dimensions, Editorial Procedures (Labels), Names,
Numbers, Sources
It is most important to supply the same information, presented in the same order,
in each caption. Please note that the text of captions is run in, unlike the text of
labels, which is “stacked” (each line of text beginning flush left).
The basic information is usually given this way:
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Self-Portrait at the Age
of Thirty-Four, 1640. Oil on canvas, 40 ⅛ x 31 1/2 in. (102 x 80 cm).
National Gallery, London
Clay figurine. Japanese, latest Jomon period (ca. 1000–250 b.c.). H. 2 ¼ in.
(6.4 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mr. and
Mrs. Jerome Koizim, 1978 (1978.346)
Collections
If the work illustrated is in a private collection, use this form: Collection of John
Bettson Davis. If the owner wishes to be anonymous, use “Private collection,
32
General Style Matters
[city].” Otherwise, use the credit line supplied by the collector or institution,
but always use the Chicago older-style abbreviations for names of states (e.g.,
Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Mass.). “New York” will be understood to
mean New York, New York; never use “New York City.” If the city’s name is in the
title of the institution (The Art Institute of Chicago), there is no need to repeat
the name of the city. To find the correct way to cite an American museum or to
determine whether the definite article preceding the name should be capitalized,
check the most recent edition of the IDA (International Directory of Arts), The
Official Museum Directory, or the museum’s website.
Note: Do not capitalize the definite article in running text except in the case of
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
CATALOGUE ENTRIES
See Bibliographies and Notes and Provenance
Some exhibition and most collection catalogues contain entries for each object,
preceded by an essay or essays giving more synthetic background information
about the works; the period and place of their creation; the artist, school, or style;
or the formation of the collection. Catalogue entries usually begin with a heading
(“tombstone”) that gives basic information about each object or group of objects,
as follows:
Catalogue number (if used)
Artist, nationality, dates (omitted if book is a monograph)
Title of work
Where created, date (date may also follow title)
Material/medium
Dimensions (may be on the same line as the material)
Signature/inscription information
Credit line, followed by accession number in parentheses
Entries usually include text, which may vary in length depending on the nature
of the catalogue. Comparative illustrations—illustrations (with captions) of
alternate views, details, or related objects—may accompany the entry; these
are usually given a set of numbers different from those of the catalogue objects
and are referred to as “figures” or “comparatives” (“fig.” in captions or within
parentheses).
Entries might also include separate elements, called “apparatus” (often set in
smaller type than the heading and text), such as notes to the text of the entry,
Catalogue Entries
33
Provenance, References, Exhibitions, Condition, and Related Works. As an
alternative, it has become increasingly common to place the apparatus at the back
of the book in a comprehensive checklist, rather than include it with the entry.
Length of entries, inclusion and number of figures, and placement and extent of
apparatus should be decided between the author and Editorial in the planning
stages for the project.
CREDIT LINES
See Editorial Procedures (Author’s Responsibilities: Sponsor Credits), Editorial
Procedures (Labels), Captions, Names
When writing a credit line for a work in the Museum’s collection, use only the
line approved by Archives. Do not create or edit credit lines and do not base
credit lines on departmental or Registrar’s office cards or TMS unless tagged by
Archives as approved. Archives is the official source for the correct form of all
credit lines and should be consulted if you have any doubts.
When a credit line indicating a sponsor’s support of an exhibition or publication
is necessary, obtain the correct wording from Development.
A Museum credit line consists of a source line and the date the object entered the
collection: Rogers Fund, 1910; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1970.
The accession number follows the credit line in parentheses. Any exceptions
must be approved by Archives.
The date given for a gift or purchase represents the year of accession; the date
on a bequest indicates the year of death and may differ from the first part of the
accession number: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.620).
Full credit lines are preferred, except where space is at a premium. Before
shortening or eliminating a credit line, you must consult the Counsel’s Office.
When writing a credit line for a work not in the Museum’s collection, use the
exact wording of the credit line dictated by the collector or institution, except
that Chicago abbreviations for states should be used, not U.S. Postal Service twoletter abbreviations. See Chicago, 10.28.
34
General Style Matters
DATES
In a chat, use “about” rather than “circa”; in a tombstone use the abbreviation
“ca.”
Lowercase the “c” of “century” and do not abbreviate: “15th (or fifteenth)
century.” When indicating a span of centuries in a tombstone, use the ordinal
suffixes “st,” “nd,” “rd,” and “th.”
Examples:
Ram’s head
Iran, 5th–3rd century b.c.
Settee
English, 17th–18th century
Curatorial departments can use their discretion with respect to traditions—e.g.,
“Tang dynasty (618–907)” or “Dynasty 13 or later.”
Use month-day-year order (January 30, 1988).
If no day is given, omit the comma (January 1988).
Write the day of the month as a cardinal (not ordinal) number (January 30, not
January 30th).
Do not use apostrophes with decades (1830s, not 1830’s; the thirties, not the
’thirties).
Spell out centuries in text but not in captions:
Manet was active in the nineteenth century.
Do not hyphenate centuries unless used as an adjectival clause:
Manet was a nineteenth-century artist.
Use a hyphen to join “mid” with “century” (She held a mid-eighteenth-century
object. The object dates from the mid-eighteenth century.), but do not use
a hyphen with “late” and “early”: The early nineteenth-century chair needs
reupholstery.
Retain the current Met style of b.c./ a.d., and not b.c.e./c.e. Apply this going
forward to all material. However, when referring to past shows/titles that used
b.c.e./c.e., titles should be cited as they appeared at the time.
Use “century” or “centuries” as in the following examples:
The style was revived during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Dates
35
The effects of the movement were felt from the fifth through the eleventh
century.
The movement lasted from the fifth to the tenth century.
Use short form for dates relating to objects (1822–23; 1907–8)
but
Use the full form for inclusive dates with b.c. (340–330 b.c.), when the
first date ends with 00 (1900–1905; 2000–2007), and for artists’ life dates.
Otherwise, follow this form for inclusive dates: 1915–18; 2002–7; a.d. 314–
16.
Note: b.c. follows the date; a.d. precedes it.
For the birth date of a living person, use this form: Jasper Johns, American,
b. 1930 (not “1930–”).
For questionable dates the preferred placement of question marks in inclusive
dates is as follows: 1885?–1917; 1885–1917?
In tombstones, for approximate dates use “circa” (rather than “about”), which
may be abbreviated “ca.” However, in running text, use “about” rather than
“circa.”
DIMENSIONS
Height precedes width. Depth, if given, follows width. Diameter, if used, follows
height, width, and depth.
The abbreviations “H.,” “W.,” “D.,” and “Diam.” are used for three-dimensional
objects and are capitalized. For two-dimensional works, such as paintings and
drawings, the measurements are stated simply in numbers (55 x 70 in.).
Use a lowercase “x” for “by” (10 x 12 in.). Use “in.” or “cm” only after the second
dimension.
Use inches through 99 inches, then use feet and inches.
Use only half, quarter, and eighth fractions. Change all thirds, sixteenths, and
thirty-seconds to the nearest higher rounded fractions (¼ rather than 3/16 when
converting from centimeters and the true figure falls between the two).
Give the centimeter equivalent of dimensions in parentheses following the inches
or feet and inches. Use the form 127 cm, not 127.0 cm.
36
General Style Matters
Reminder: There is no period ( . ) after mm, cm, m, g, or kg.
Inch–Centimeter Equivalents
See Appendix: Conversion Tables for Inches and Centimeters
ITALICS
See Titles
Use italics for:
Titles of works of art (El Greco’s Miracle of Christ Healing the Blind), but do not
italicize series of works of art (Picasso’s Bathers) or works by unknown artists
that have never been given official titles (Portrait of a young man sitting at a
window) or references to a subject rather than a specific work (a Virgin and
Child, a Nativity, a Pietà; note, however, the use of capitalization)
Titles of books, periodicals, long poems, plays, and operas (see Titles for
examples)
Names of ships, but not SS (SS Halcyon Days)
Foreign words or phrases except those that appear in Webster’s Third New
International Dictionary or those set in small capitals. Here is a partial list of
words that appear in Webster’s and are not italicized in Museum publications:
ancien régime
Art Nouveau
au courant
bozzetto
café
contrapposto
décolleté
de rigueur
facade (note, no cedilla)
in situ
joie de vivre
livre (the weight)
mise-en-scène
oeuvre
Italics
37
plein air
protégé
putto
quattrocento, etc.
soiree (note, no accent)
tour de force
trompe l’oeil (note, no hyphen for both noun and adjective)
Generally, we do not include foreign quotations in the original language. If such
quotations are included, do not italicize them. These are enclosed in quotation
marks and are followed by the English translation in parentheses but not in
quotation marks:
The opening words of the Aeneid are “Arma virumque cano” (I sing of arms and
the man).
Do not italicize commas following titles in italics (see Chicago, 6.2):
We particularly wanted to see Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat,
Wheat Field with Cypresses, and Irises.
MUSEUM TERMINOLOGY
See Capitalization
Refer to departments as they are listed in the Annual Report (Department of
Islamic Art, not Islamic Department).
Refer to Archives for the official, current names of galleries and public places in
the Museum.
Note: The wording of these names, like the wording of credit lines, is often a
legal arrangement between the Museum and a donor. “The” before the names
of certain galleries should be preserved in lists although not in text (The Grace
Rainey Rogers Auditorium, but “The lecture will be held in the Grace Rainey
Rogers Auditorium.”). The Cloisters is an exception (“The stained-glass window
is on view at The Cloisters.”).
38
General Style Matters
NAMES
See Chicago, chapter 8; also Abbreviations, Alphabetization, Titles
People
When referring to a person, use the full name for the first reference and the last
name thereafter. First names should be repeated if several people with the same
last name are mentioned.
It is not necessary to use the full name of well-known artists (Michelangelo,
Leonardo, Delacroix) in text unless the last name alone might cause confusion
(Gerard David, Morris Louis).
As a general rule, all particles in people’s names are capitalized when the last
name is used alone and lowercased when used with the first name or a title.
The particle “de” (or “d’”) is almost always lowercased and often dropped when
the surname is used alone (Alexis de Tocqueville, Tocqueville). Particles are
often ignored in alphabetization (Vincent van Gogh is alphabetized under “g”).
Exceptions may be made for known personal preferences or traditional forms
(Willem de Kooning and Philippe de Montebello are listed under “de”).
Unless a definitive authority (such as birth certificate) dictates otherwise, first
names of French people born before 1789 are not hyphenated, except for names
derived from saints (e.g., Jean-Baptiste). Names of individuals born during or
after 1789 are hyphenated.
Consult the most recent edition of Merriam-Webster’s Biographical Dictionary for
accepted practice.
Places and Nationalities
Use the English form, if one exists, of the names of foreign cities, as found in the
most recent edition of Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary (Nuremberg,
not Nürnberg; Vienna, not Wien; Montreal, not Montréal). Some remote areas
may not appear in Webster’s; these can usually be located in the most recent
edition of The Times Atlas of the World. See below for the usage of modern versus
ancient place-names.
Names
39
Artist’s place of birth and death should always be included, to the extent known.
The style for birth/ death information is:
a) French, Bayonne 1557–1612 Paris
Use commas when modifying words are included:
b) French, Bayonne, active 1557—died Paris 1612
American artists’ place of birth and death should include both city and state, e.g.:
“Bayonne, New Jersey 1947–2011 Toledo, Ohio,” except where space
prohibits or for cities too familiar to need the mention of state (e.g., New
York, Chicago). As a general rule, there is no need to include state names for
American cities with populations higher than 500,000 and whose names do
not recur in other states. City and state information will continue to exist in
TMS, but both do not always have to be included in a tombstone.
If an artist is known to have been born or died in New York State but the city is
unknown, “New York State” will be written. “New York” (rather than “New York
City”) will convey New York, N.Y.:
Roy Lichtenstein, American, New York 1923–1997 New York
“Current place-name (Historical place name)” will be the preferred style for
geographical identification: e.g., “Mumbai (Bombay).” If because of space
constraints you must choose one geographic identifier, use the place-name
(contemporary or historical) that is most recognizable. For certain ancient
locations, it might be more accurate to use only the historical name.
All United Kingdom artists/objects—even those pre-1707—will be classified as
British, except for those from Ireland, who/which will be identified as Irish. The
artist’s birth and death information will include cities only; the county name will
also be given (as with cities and states for American artists) in the case of small
towns or villages, or when there is more than one town in the U.K. with that
name. Specific London neighborhoods will not be included unless the area was
not part of London when the artist was born:
Sir Henry William Bunbury, British, Mildenhall, Suffolk 1750–1811
Keswick, Cumberland
Thomas Oldham Barlow, British, Oldham, Lancashire 1824–1889 London
Scottish and Welsh artists will be identified as British (true to their current
nationality) in the following manner:
John Kay, British, Dalkeith, Scotland 1742–1826 Edinburgh
40
General Style Matters
Sir David Wilkie, British, Cults, Fife, Scotland 1785–1841 at sea, buried off
Malta
Sir John Doe, British, Cardiff, Wales 1756–1823 Edinburgh
Do not use “(born Scotland)” or “(born Wales)” for British nationals, but do
consistently use the names Scotland and Wales alongside the birth city, however
well known. So:
“Edinburgh, Scotland,” not “Edinburgh,” and “Cardiff, Wales,” not “Cardiff.”
(This is not necessary for the death city, as it does not bear on nationality.)
This is an exception to the standard practice of only including well-known
city names (“Paris” not “Paris, France”). Scottish or Welsh should also be
added to the “culture” field in TMS to facilitate searches.
For all nationalities, including British, use “(born [name of country])” when
born in foreign country:
Alvin Langdon Coburn, British (born United States), Boston, Massachusetts
1882–1966 Wales
Hans Bellmer, French (born Germany), Kattowitz 1902–1975 Paris
Netherlandish and Dutch artists:
Artists born in or after 1579 in the Netherlands are considered “Dutch.”
Artists born before 1579 (with certain exceptions, such as Rubens) are
“Netherlandish.”
Institutions
Cite the names of corporations and foundations exactly as they stipulate. In
the case of funding for an exhibition or publication, it is imperative to have the
correct credit line in writing from Development.
Where the name of the city is given with the institution, the city follows the
institution’s name (Musée du Louvre, Paris).
Consult The Official Museum Directory for the correct way to refer to American
museums and the IDA for names of foreign museums; also consult the individual
institution’s website. Prevailing usage varies for the names of foreign museums;
some are cited in English, others in the language of the country. The names of
museums in countries that do not use the Latin alphabet must be transliterated
or translated.
Names
41
Capitalize the names of foreign institutions and organizations as though they
were in English.
The names of some foreign museums are given in the language of the country,
others in English. For the correct way of citing the name of a museum in a
foreign country, check the IDA or the museum’s website.
Note: The city should be spelled as its name appears in the most recent edition of
Merriam-Webster’s Geographical Dictionary unless the name of the city is part of
the museum’s name (e.g., Kunstmuseum Luzern).
See Appendix: Foreign Language Guidelines
NUMBERS
See Chicago, chapter 9
Spell out exact numbers from one hundred down (three, seventy-six) and round
numbers from two hundred up (two hundred, three thousand), but express exact
numbers of 101 or more in figures (123, 756).
Dates and numbers referring to the parts of a book are always expressed in
numerals (in 1968, chapter 60, appendix 4).
In text spell out centuries and ordinal numbers in dates when the year is not
given:
He is an expert in appraising Italian prints from the seventeenth century. She
signed the contract on the tenth of June.
but
She signed the contract on June 10, 1980.
Ordinal numbers may be used for centuries in captions.
Numbers referring to the same kinds of things should be treated alike in a
paragraph. Do not use numerals for some references and spell out others. If the
largest number contains three or more digits, use numerals for all (104 cows, 4
chickens).
Round numbers over a million should be expressed in numerals and units of
millions, billions, etc. (2.3 million).
Any number that starts a sentence is spelled out:
One hundred and thirty representatives were present for the roll call.
42
General Style Matters
Nineteen seventy-four was the year Nixon resigned.
Inclusive numbers, used for dates and reference numbers in notes and
bibliographies, are abbreviated according to the following principles:
Use all digits for numbers less than 100 (3–10, 71–72).
Use all digits when first number ends with 00 (100–109, 200–209, 2000–
2007).
For numbers from 101 through 109, 201 through 209, etc., omit unneeded
zeros (107–8, 2005–6).
Use the last two digits (or more when needed) for numbers that are higher
than 109, 209, etc. (321–25, 415–532, 1536–38).
Note: Use all digits with birth–death dates (Vincent van Gogh, 1853–1890),
with b.c. dates, and with first dates ending with 00 (1900–1902, 2000–2004).
Style for Metropolitan Museum accession numbers:
38.158.1
38.158.1, .2
38.158.1–.9
38.158.252–.259
38.158.1(80)
1979.31.1a
1979.31.1a, b
1979.31.1a–d
PRONOUNS
The Editorial Department favors the use of “he or she” as a personal pronoun
rather than simply “he.” This means that use of the singular personal pronoun
should be restricted to cases where gender can be determined. When gender
cannot be specific, reword the sentence to avoid the use of any pronoun or to
allow the use of the plural form “they.”
If a member of the audience could not see the stage, he felt no compunction
about moving into the aisle.
rephrase as
Members of the audience who could not see the stage felt no compunction
about moving into the aisle.
Pronouns
43
Any student who broke this rule knew she would be expelled.
rephrase as
Students who broke this rule knew they would be expelled.
PROOFREADERS’ MARKS
A listing of proofreaders’ marks can be found in guides such as The Chicago
Manual of Style and Words into Type, in most dictionaries, or online.
See Appendix: Proofreaders’ Marks
PROVENANCE
Provenance, which lists previous locations and owners, may be presented as a
narrative or, preferably, as a simple paragraph. The following is an example of the
latter.
Provenance: Probably Rubens’s estate; probably Andries de Schutter, by
1645; probably Justus Sustermans, Florence; probably Cardinal Giovanni
Carlo de’ Medici, Florence, by 1646–1663; Philip John Miles, Leigh Court,
Somerset (Miles coll. cat. 1822, no. 3; d. 1845); Sir Philip John William
Miles, 2nd Bart. (d. 1888; sold, Christie’s, London, June 28, 1884, no. 61,
bought in); Sir Cecil Miles, 3rd Bart., Leigh Court (d. 1898; sold, Christie’s,
London, May 13, 1899, no. 26); [Agnew’s, London]; [Galerie Sedelmeyer,
Paris, 1900 (Paris 1900, no. 31)]; F. O. Matthiessen, New York (sold,
American Art Association, Mendelssohn Hall, New York, April 1–2, 1902,
no. 141); George P. Blow, 1902.
Note: Auctions are given in parentheses and dealers in square brackets, as
they are not owners.
44
General Style Matters
PUNCTUATION
Apostrophes
See Chicago 6.113–15
Use in possessives (Jane’s painting, James’s book, People’s Park, artists’ group
show).
Add an apostrophe and an “s” to form singular possessives, even to names
or words ending in “s,” “x,” or “z” (Degas’s style, Delacroix’s romanticism,
Velázquez’s portraits). But tradition and euphony sometimes dictate the addition
of an apostrophe only: Jesus’ birth, Moses’ leadership, and with Greek or
hellenized names of more than one syllable ending in “es” (Euripides’ plays).
For possessive plurals of names ending in “s,” use “-es” and an apostrophe: “the
Balthuses’ family home”
Use with animal adjectives (dog’s-paw foot).
Do not use in decades (1890s).
Do not use in forming plurals (the three Rs) unless confusion would result (dot
your i’s).
Commas
See Credit Lines, Dates
Use before “and,” “or,” and “nor” in a series (Sargent, Whistler, and Cassatt); this
is called a serial comma.
Use before “which” when it introduces a nonrestrictive clause, that is, one that
adds information about the word it modifies but could be omitted without
changing the meaning of the sentence:
His newest paintings, which were completed in Nantucket in September, are
included in the exhibition.
Use before “and” and “but” in compound sentences unless the independent
clauses are very short.
To distinguish between singular and plural:
(If a man has one daughter) His daughter, Gail, joined us.
Punctuation
45
(If he has more than one) His daughter Gail joined us.
“Jr.” and “Sr.,” like “II” and “III,” should not be set off by commas.
Whether one uses a comma after the adverb or adverbial phrase introducing a
sentence is a matter of personal preference, but it is advisable to be consistent
within one piece of writing. It is equally acceptable to say:
Usually, the things we remember are important.
or
Usually the things we remember are important.
Use in numbers of four digits or more except in dates and page numbers:
The species originated more than 110,000 years ago.
The painting was bought in 1907 for $1,200. That information appears on
page 1080.
Ellipses
See Chicago, 13.48–56; also Editorial Procedures (Typing the Manuscript),
Quoted Material
Any omission of a word, phrase, line, or paragraph from a quoted passage must
be indicated by ellipsis points (three periods). These are separated from each
other and the surrounding text by spaces. Ellipses are not used at the beginning
or end of a quoted passage.
Use three dots (not the special ellipsis character under Insert Symbol) to indicate
an omission between the first and last words of a quoted sentence or phrase. (“He
undertook his last royal commission in June and painted throughout the summer
and into the fall.” In shortened form: “He . . . painted throughout the summer and
into the fall.”) Note that there is a space both before the first ellipsis point and
after the third. Other punctuation in the original may be retained on either side
of the three ellipsis points if it helps the sense.
Use four dots (a period closed up to the previous word and then three ellipsis
points) to indicate omission of (1) the last part of a quoted sentence, (2) the
first part of the next sentence, or (3) a whole sentence or more. The material
preceding the four dots should be a grammatically complete sentence, as should
the sentence that follows.
You may change the first letter of a quoted passage from uppercase to lowercase
or vice versa to fit the context in which you are using the quotation. Do not
change any other letters in the passage.
46
General Style Matters
Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes
See Chicago, 7.77–85; also Names
Use hyphens in compound adjectives that precede the noun they modify
(eighteenth-century porcelain, well-known artist).
For the use of hyphens between the components of French Christian names, see
Names below.
When adding “like” to a word, use a hyphen only if the word (1) ends in “l”
(shell-like), (2) is a compound formation (vacuum-bottle-like), (3) has three or
more syllables (basilica-like), or (4) is a proper noun (Renoir-like).
Use hyphens in color terms where elements are of equal importance (blue-green
ink) but not when the first element modifies the second (dark blue ink).
Do not use hyphens with “-ly” adverbs (highly respected artist).
Do not use hyphens in words with the prefixes ante-, anti-, bi-, co-, extra-, infra-,
inter-, intra-, mid-, multi-, neo-, non-, over-, post-, pre-, pro-, pseudo-, re-, semi, sub-, super-, supra-, trans-, ultra-, un-, and under-. Spell them closed (antiwar,
midcentury, semicircular, understates). But if the second element is capitalized,
then hyphenate (un-American). If the second element consists of more than one
word, an en dash rather than a hyphen is often used (post–World War II) unless
the meaning is clear with hyphens (non-English-speaking people). See Chicago,
6.78–81.
A hyphen may also be used to distinguish homonyms (re-create, un-ionized).
Hyphens should never be used in breaking a web or email address (see Chicago,
7.44, 17.11). Line breaks can be made after a double slash (//), a slash, a colon,
and the @ symbol, and before a tilde (~), a period, a comma, a hyphen, an
underline ( _ ), a question mark, a number sign, and a percent symbol.
Hyphens should not be confused with en dashes and em dashes. En dashes,
which measure as wide as the letter “n,” are slightly wider than the hyphen and
are used most commonly to separate dates (as in 1989–90). Em dashes, which are
as wide as the letter “m,” serve to set off an explanatory element of the sentence.
It is also acceptable when typing your manuscript to use one hyphen for an en
dash and two for an em dash. All dashes should be closed up to the characters
preceding and following them.
Punctuation
47
Parentheses
If the phrase or clause preceding words or information in parentheses would
logically be followed by a punctuation mark, the mark is placed after the
parentheses.
The Tibetan lamellar armor and helmet are at The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York (36.25.53a, b), where they were in a special exhibition during
2006.
The author tells us (on page 25): “Holroyd writes as if he were Strachey’s
contemporary,” and yet Holroyd himself sometimes seems mystified by the
carryings-on of Strachey and his circle.
If a parenthetical statement is independent of the sentences that come before and
after it, punctuate it separately within the parentheses.
Wayne and his wife joined us for dinner. (We had not invited them.)
Quotation Marks
Do not use with “so-called”:
Yeats believed in the phenomenon of so-called automatic writing, not socalled “automatic writing”
but
Emma lived on what she called a “dairy farm.”
Periods and commas are always placed within quotation marks:
They are painted green and ornamented with “intertwining lifelike flowers.”
Question marks are set within quotation marks if they are part of the quoted
material; they are outside if the whole sentence is in the form of a question:
He said, “May I get you something to drink?”
but
What will he answer if she says, “Let me get you something to drink”?
Colons and semicolons go outside quotation marks:
He considers these his “inalienable rights”: leisure time and ample funds.
Use brackets around a word or words added by the person quoting as well as
around words or phrases substituted for others in the original:
48
General Style Matters
Jefferson’s journal contains the information that he cultivated “paw-paws
[carob] by the acre” on his Virginia farm.
QUOTED MATERIAL
See Punctuation
Quotations within quotations are set off by single quotation marks:
He said, “She told me to ‘give Sam her fondest adieu’ and to assure you that
she would write soon.”
Quotations within quotations within quotations are set off by double quotation
marks:
Rebecca ran across the lawn, saying, “Mother told me to tell you, ‘Get a
quart of milk on your way home, even if Mr. Doulton says, “Your credit’s no
good.” ’ ”
Quotations of more than eight typed lines are usually treated as an extract and
are set to a slightly shorter measure and indented in the text. Because double
quotation marks are not used to set off extract material, they may be used for
quoted material within the extract.
SPELLING
See Capitalization, Italics
Always use American instead of British spelling. When in doubt, consult
Webster’s Third or Webster’s Eleventh for preferred spellings.
The following is a list of preferred spellings.
aesthetic
afterward (not afterwards)
archaeology
backward (not backwards)
biblical (not Biblical)
bister (not bistre)
black-and-white (as an adjective)
brushstroke
Quoted Material
49
brushwork
catalogue
château (pl. châteaux)
draftsman (not draughtsman)
drypoint
email (not e-mail)
facade (no diacritical mark)
faience (no diacritical mark)
forward (not forwards)
handscroll
Internet
lifesize (not life-size)
Mary Magdalen
mat (material for mounting)
matte (flat rather than glossy)
Medici (sing. and pl.)
media (plural of medium)
Middle Ages
the Midwest, but midwestern
motifs (plural)
naive (no diacritical mark), but naïveté
ocher (not ochre)
online
printout
provenance (not provenience)
self-portrait
silverpoint
still life, still lifes
symposia (plural)
terracotta
toward (not towards)
Van Gogh, but Vincent van Gogh
watercolor
website
TITLES
See Chicago, chapter 8; also Bibliographies and Notes, Capitalization, Italics
50
General Style Matters
Italicize titles of works of art, books, periodicals, long poems, plays, operas, and
the names of ships. The titles of exhibitions and short poems should be in roman
type and placed within quotation marks.
Capitalize but do not italicize the titles of works of architecture and series of
works of art (Brighton Pavilion, Picasso’s Bathers).
The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are capitalized and italicized in text when they are
the first word of the official title of any of the above. Initial articles are dropped
only in notes and bibliographies (Burlington Magazine).
Any work in an English-language collection or museum must be cited by the
exact title given to it by the owner, whether collector or museum.
In cases when a foreign object name is deemed useful, the order “English
translation (Title in original language)” will be the preferred style for tombstones,
but may be reversed when common sense dictates. [Note: parentheses around the
title are not italicized unless part of the title itself.]
For most departments, the title/descriptor will simply be given in English, or in
the foreign language when conventionally understood, e.g., “Fête champêtre.”
In cases when a conventional foreign-language phrase or title is used, a
standardized English equivalent may be added in parentheses as appropriate (for
example, in Education texts), e.g., “Fête champêtre (Country Feast).”
Professional titles and titles of royalty and clergy should be treated according to
Chicago (8.18–8.36) when they occur in running text:
Allard J. Cromwell, Director of the Los Angeles Center of Fine Arts; Mr.
Cromwell, the Director; the Director’s Office
Barbara Shaw, Louise and Herman Post Curator of European Paintings
but
or
Jessica Ventana, associate curator of Asian Art
Jessica Ventana, associate curator, Department of Asian Art
George VI, king of England; King George; the king of England
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury; the Earl of Shaftesbury; the
earl [note that in English titles, numeric ordinals are preferred usage]
François de Lorraine, duc de Guise; the second duc de Guise
Note: Foreign titles such as “duc” and “Graf ” are not translated into English.
Titles
51
TRANSLITERATION
See Appendix: Foreign Language Guidelines
Consult the appropriate curatorial department for the correct transliterations
of names and terms from a language that is not written in the Roman alphabet.
Guidelines on the transliteration of Russian, which is not the province of any
single curatorial department, are available from the Editorial Department.
52
General Style Matters
BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND NOTES
See Chicago, chapters 14 and 15; also Abbreviations, Italics, Notes, Numbers
Most MMA publications contain endnotes and a bibliography. Collection and
some exhibition catalogues might also contain special reference/exhibition
histories. The author and Editorial Department should choose the bibliographic
style together at the beginning of the project.
Any direct quotation from a primary or secondary source should be documented
in a note, citing full bibliographic information and page numbers. Ideas or
interpretations attributed to or facts discovered by another writer must also
be documented. To avoid overwhelming the text with superscripts, references
to ideas or interpretations can sometimes be grouped into a single note (for
instance, at the end of the relevant paragraph).
Authors are responsible for paying close attention to accuracy and completeness
in noting authors’ names, titles, dates and places of publication, volume
numbers, page and figure numbers, etc., and to consistency between notes and
bibliography. Authors are required to check quoted passages for accuracy. Please
follow the basic forms given below for the citations. If there is more information
than the examples below call for, by all means include it in the citation and the
editor will make any necessary style changes. Please note that the bibliographic
editor’s job is to edit the notes and references for style and consistency, not to
research missing information, which is the responsibility of the author.
The bibliography should be assembled in a single alphabetized file according
to authors’ last names. Multiple works by the same author should be arranged
chronologically from earliest to most recent. In the notes or bibliography, give all
citations in full so that the editor is clear what reference is intended.
The following guidelines assume two different approaches for citing sources—the
Chicago style (“long form”) and MLA style (“short form”).
PREPARATION OF BIBLIOGRAPHIES FOR BOOKS
WITH NO ENTRIES
A selected bibliography should represent the scholarship that, in the author’s
view, is essential for further research. It should include the most important
sources cited in the notes as well as sources that delve more deeply into related
53
topics (for example, a monograph about one of the artists represented in a group
exhibition). Arrange the bibliography in alphabetical order by author/editor.
BOOKS: Last name, First name. Title: Subtitle. XX vols. [only for multivolume
works] Series title XX. [if there is one] City: Publisher [full], date.
Examples:
Barter, Judith A., et al. American Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago: From
Colonial Times to World War I. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998.
Brewer, Douglas J., and Renée F. Friedman. Fish and Fishing in Ancient
Egypt. The Natural History of Egypt 2. Warminster: Aris and Phillips, 1989.
EXHIBITION CATALOGUES (book style): Last name, first name [if more
than one author, give additional names in the order given on the title page].
Title of exhibition catalogue: Subtitle. Exh. cat. City name: Museum name. City:
Publisher, date of publication.
Example: Krauss, Rosalind, Jane Livingston, and Dawn Ades. L’Amour fou:
Photography and Surrealism. Exh. cat. Washington, D.C.: Corcoran Gallery.
New York: Abbeville, 1985.
In a bibliography and in notes and shortened references, only three authors are
given. If there are more, use the first author followed by et al.
JOURNAL ARTICLES: Last name, First name. “Article title: Subtitle.” Journal
name XX, [note that there is no comma after name and no need to use the
word “vol.”] no. XX [issue number] (Month [or Season, no comma here] Year),
pp. XX–XX.
Example: Hayes, William C. “A Fragment of a Prehistoric Egyptian Victory
Monument.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 34, no. 2 (1939),
pp. 47–52.
Note: Use “unpag.” when a journal article is not paginated.
ESSAYS IN BOOKS: Last name, First name. “Essay title: Subtitle.” In Title:
Subtitle, edited by First name Last name, vol. 0, pp. 00–00. 0 vols. Series title 0.
City: Publisher, date.
Example: Tucker, Jennifer. “Photography as Witness, Detective, and
Impostor: Visual Representation in Victorian Science.” In Victorian Science
in Context, edited by Bernard V. Lightman, pp. 378–408. Chicago: University
of Chicago Press, 1997.
AUCTION CATALOGUES: Title of sale [from the title page, not the cover]. Sale
cat. Auction house, City, date of sale.
54
Bibliographies and Notes
Example: A Catalogue of a Very Important Assemblage of Ancient Armour
and Arms, Recently Received from Spain. Sale cat. Christie & Manson,
London, Jan. 23–24, 1839.
WEBSITES: Last Name, First Name. OR Institutional Name. “Title of the Web
Page.” URL (Access date [or date of the creation/revision of the site]).
Example: National Museum of Civil War Medicine. “Clara Barton’s Missing
Soldiers Office.” www.civilwarmed.org/clara-barton-missing-soldiers-office/
(Sept. 2, 2012).
PREPARATION OF NOTES FOR
BOOKS WITH NO ENTRIES
Our preference for books with essays or chapters but no entries is to follow The
Chicago Manual of Style, which calls for the full reference in the initial citation
and then a short form (author last name, short title, page number) in subsequent
citations. This style obviates the need for a comprehensive bibliography and
allows for more selective and focused bibliographical references. The resulting
selected bibliography should be discussed at an early point by the curator/
author and Editorial. Below are some examples. For trickier citations or general
questions, please consult with your editor. The online version of The Chicago
Manual of Style (16th ed.) is available to MMA staff and onsite visitors to the
MMA through Watsonline (http://libmma.org/portal/the-chicago-manual-ofstyle-online/).
Please use the Endnote function in Word when inputting notes.
The following are examples of notes that cite books, journal articles, essays within
books, exhibition and sale catalogues, archives, and websites. Please note the
abbreviated form for subsequent citations of a source.
1.
2.
3.
Douglas J. Brewer and Renée F. Friedman, Fish and Fishing in Ancient Egypt,
The Natural History of Egypt 2 (Warminster: Aris and Phillips, 1989), pp. 77,
79.
Dorothea Arnold, “An Egyptian Bestiary,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bulletin, n.s., 52, no. 4 (Spring 1995), pp. 34–35; Henry G. Fischer, Ancient
Egyptian Representations of Turtles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Papers
13 (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1968), p. 34.
Brewer and Friedman, Fish and Fishing, p. 82.
Preparation of Notes for Books with No Entries
55
See Ernesto Scamuzzi, Egyptian Art in the Egyptian Museum of Turin (New
York: Harry N. Abrams, 1965), pls. 1–4.
5. Arnold, “Egyptian Bestiary,” p. 34.
6. Richard A. Fazzini, James F. Romano, and Madeline E. Cody, Art for
Eternity: Masterworks from Ancient Egypt, exh. cat. (Brooklyn: The Brooklyn
Museum of Art; London: Scala Publishers, 1999), p. 39.
7. Stan Hendrickx and Frank Förster, “Early Dynastic Art and Iconography,” in
A Companion to Ancient Egypt, ed. A. B. Lloyd (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell,
2010), vol. 2, pp. 826–52.
8. A Catalogue of a Very Important Assemblage of Ancient Armour and Arms,
Recently Received from Spain, sale cat. (Christie & Manson, London, Jan. 23–
24, 1839), lot 25.
9. Elizabeth Johns, “Eakins, Thomas,” Grove Art Online, accessed October 23,
2012, http://www.oxfordartonline.com.library.metmuseum.org/subscriber/
article/grove/art/T024413.
10. Joseph Purcell, “A Map of the Southern Indian District of North America”
[ca. 1772], MS 228, Ayer Collection, Newberry Library, Chicago.
11. Man Ray, letter to Tristan Tzara, June 18, 1921, Bibliothèque Littéraire
Jacques Doucet, Paris.
4.
PREPARATION OF BIBLIOGRAPHIES
FOR BOOKS WITH ENTRIES
Bibliographies for books with entries and/or elaborate apparatus are comprehensive and must include full references for all citations in notes. The only
difference in form between bibliographic entries in books with no entries and
books with entries is that in books with entries each source should be cited with
an initial short-form reference:
Bilski and Braun 2005
Bilski, Emily D., and Emily Braun. Jewish Women and Their Salons: The Power
of Conversation. Exh. cat. New York: The Jewish Museum. New Haven and
London: Yale University Press, 2005.
Düsseldorf 1913
Beiträge zu Kunst des XIX. Jahrhunderts und unserer Zeit. Galerie Alfred
Flechtheim, Düsseldorf, Dec. 21, 1913–Jan. 1914. Catalogue by Paul
Mahlberg. Düsseldorf, 1913.
56
Bibliographies and Notes
English 1974
English, Donald E. Political Uses of Photography in the Third Republic, 1874–1914.
Studies in Photography 3. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1984.
Flam 2003
Flam, Jack. Matisse and Picasso: The Story of Their Rivalry and Friendship.
Cambridge, Mass.: Westview Press, 2003.
Hamdan 2010
Hamdan, Omar. “The Second Masahif Project: A Step towards the Canonization
of the Qur’anic Text.” In The Qur’an in Context: Historical and Literary
Investigations into the Qur’anic Milieu, edited by Angelika Neuwirth et al.,
pp. 795–835. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
Levine 2005
Levine, Lee I. The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years. 2nd edition. New
Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2005.
Maehler 1985
Maehler, Herwig. “Review of Michigan Papyri XIV.” Gnomen 57 (1985), pp. 33–
35.
Martinez 1993
Martinez, Andrew. “A Mixed Reception for Modernism: The 1913 Armory Show
at the Art Institute of Chicago.” In One Hundred Years at the Art Institute of
Chicago: A Centennial Celebration, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies
19, no. 1 (1993), pp. 30–57.
Stettheimer papers
Stettheimer papers, Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book
and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven.
Teece 2006 [Teece, Denise-Marie]
“Storage Bag (Chuval) [Turkoman/Arabatchi, Central Asia] (22.100.40a).” In
Heilbrun Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New
York, 2000– . http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/22.100.40.a
(Jan. 4, 2014).
Tomkins 1973
Tomkins, Calvin. Interview with Paul Strand, June 30, 1973. Typescript. Joyce
F. Menschel Photography Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York.
Preparation of Bibliographiesfor Books with Entries 57
PREPARATION OF NOTES FOR
BOOKS WITH ENTRIES
For books with entries and/or elaborate apparatus, our preference is to use
a modified version of the Modern Language Association (MLA) author-date
system. In notes and apparatus, short-form citations are given with the last
name(s) of author(s) followed by the year of publication and page number(s).
Full citations appear in a comprehensive bibliography at the end of a book.
The following are examples of notes that cite books, journal articles, essays within
books, exhibition and sale catalogues, archives, and websites (see full citations in
“Preparation of Bibliographies for Books with Entries” above).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Levine 2005, p. 73.
Maehler 1985, pp. 33–34.
Hamdan 2010, p. 807.
Düsseldorf 1913, p. 7.
Tomkins 1973, pp. 2–3.
Teece 2006.
Bilski and Braun 2005, pp. 64–65.
English 1984, p. 17.
Florine Stettheimer, diary entry, Apr. 26, 1910, Stettheimer papers, ser. 2, box
6, folder 112.
10. Martinez 1993, p. 34.
11. Flam 2003, p. 47.
OTHER GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR
NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Archival Material
See Chicago 14.232–42, 14.282, 14.304
In bibliographies:
Last name, First name [if any]. “Specific Title of Document.” [If the
manuscript has only a generic title such as Minutes or Report, do not use
quotation marks.] Date. MS no. [or other identifying information]. Name of
Archive or Owner of the manuscript, City.
58
Bibliographies and Notes
In notes:
First name Last name [if any], “Specific Title of Document,” [If the
manuscript has only a generic title such as Minutes or Report, do not use
quotation marks.] date, MS no. [or other identifying information], Name of
Archive or Owner of the manuscript, City.
Authors’ Names
Whenever possible, give full names of all authors.
“Et al.” is used only in shortened references for citations having more than three
authors and is not italicized.
If no author’s name appears on the title page but the identity of the author is
known, the name should appear in brackets.
If there is no ascertainable author, editor, compiler, or institution, begin the
reference with the title of the work. Avoid using “Anonymous” or “Anon.”
Capitalization
Titles of books and articles in English are capitalized “headline” style (CMS
8.157) with capitals used for all major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives,
adverbs, and some conjunctions). Articles (the, a, an), prepositions (except when
used adverbially or adjectivally), the to in infinitives, the conjunctions and, but,
for, or, and nor, and the word as should all be lower-case unless they appear as
the first or last word. In German, capitalize all nouns; lowercase proper adjectives.
In Dutch, French, Italian, and Spanish capitalize only the first word of the title, the
first word of the subtitle, and proper names; in Dutch also capitalize proper
adjectives. In all languages, a colon separates the title from the subtitle, and the
first words of both are capitalized. The names of museums and institutions
around the world are capitalized fully (rather than in their preferred style). For
more detailed rules and rules governing other languages, see Chicago, chapter 11.
Correspondence
In notes:
Name of letter writer, Name of recipient, date of letter, Archive or Owner of
the letter, City.
Other General Guidelines for Notes and Bibliographies 59
Dissertations and Theses
See Chicago, 14.224
In bibliographies:
Last name, First name. “Title of Dissertation.” PhD diss., University, City,
date.
In notes:
First name Last name, “Title of Dissertation” (PhD diss., University, City,
date), pp. 00–00.
Editions
When an edition other than the first is cited, the number of the edition and the
date of its publication should be cited; pagination and content may differ from
those of the first edition.
Examples:
In bibliographies:
Mast, Gerald, and Marshall Cohen, eds. Film Theory and Criticism:
Introductory Readings. 3rd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.
In notes:
Walter Pater, “The Renaissance” (1873), in Criticism: The Major Texts,
enlarged edition, ed. Walter Jackson Bate (New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1970), pp. 508–12.
Modern editions of the classics must be specified when page references are
given, with the date of the original publication, followed by a period (in the
bibliography) or a semicolon (in the notes), and the city, publisher, and date of
the reprint edition.
Examples:
In bibliographies:
Greenberg, Clement. Art and Culture. 1961. Boston: Beacon Press, 1989.
In notes:
Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, ed.
Harold Beaver (1838; Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, 1975).
60
Bibliographies and Notes
Email
In notes:
First Name, Last Name, email to [recipient], date.
Figures, Plates, and Other Elements
Use “pl.,” “fol.,” “fig.,” “no.” and “l.” Use the plural forms “pls.,” “fols.,” “figs.,” “nos.,”
and “ll.” Please use “no.” rather than “cat. no.” when citing exhibition catalogue
entries. If the plates or figures are given as roman numerals, please change them
to arabic, unless there is a complicated numbering system that includes both
roman and arabic plates (prevalent in excavation reports).
Inclusive Pages
Following the en dash, drop all but the last two digits or, above 1000, up to the
last unchanged digit (except use all digits when the first page is 100 or a multiple
of 100: pp. 100–106; 1000–1050; etc.): pp. 22–34, pp. 122–34, pp. 1122–34,
pp. 1122–234. Please do not leave spaces between the numbers and the en dash.
Give inclusive roman numerals in full: xxv–xxviii, cvi–cix.
Numbers and Abbreviations
Use arabic numerals for volume and edition numbers of books and for periodical
numbers.
Use the abbreviations “vol.” and “no.” for books, but for periodicals omit “vol.”
(use “no.” if it applies). Use “p.,” “pl.,” “fol.,” “fig.,” and “ll.”
Abbreviate the name of a state when it is used in citations (Northampton, Mass.).
Do not use U.S. Postal Service abbreviations (MA, ME, etc.). See Chicago, 10.28.
Reference Sections in Catalogue Entries
Use short-form citations. Arrange citations in chronological order from earliest
to most recent and add full references to the bibliography.
Example: Arnold 1965, p. 195; Fischer 1968, p. 34; Arnold 1995, pp. 34–35.
Other General Guidelines for Notes and Bibliographies 61
Titles
Give the full title as it appears on the title page (not the cover) of the book.
Italicize titles of books, exhibition catalogues, and periodicals.
Use quotation marks around titles of exhibitions, articles, chapters, essays,
poems, and unpublished manuscripts.
Series names should be capitalized but not italicized or placed in quotation
marks.
Titles and subtitles are separated by a colon.
Titles within titles should be enclosed in quotation marks.
In an endnote or bibliography the (optional) translation of a title of a publication
in a foreign language is enclosed in square brackets following the title and set in
roman type (see Chicago, 10.6 and 17.65).
62
Bibliographies and Notes
APPENDICES
63
PROOFREADERS MARKS
64
Appendices
From Chicago Manual of Style, volume 16.
Proofreaders Marks
65
CONVERSION TABLE FOR INCHES
AND CENTIMETERS
1⁄16 in. .16 cm
⅛
.32
¼
.64
⅜
.95
½
1.27
⅝
1.59
¾
1.9
⅞
2.2
7
7⅛
7¼
7⅜
7½
7⅝
7¾
7⅞
17.8
18.1
18.4
18.7
19.1
19.4
19.7
20
14
14 ⅛
14 ¼
14 ⅜
14 ½
14 ⅝
14 ¾
14 ⅞
35.6
35.9
36.2
36.5
36.8
37.1
37.5
37.8
21
21 ⅛
21 ¼
21 ⅜
21 ½
21 ⅝
21 ¾
21 ⅞
53.5
53.7
54
54.3
54.6
54.9
55.2
55.6
28
28 ⅛
28 ¼
28 ⅜
28 ½
28 ⅝
28 ¾
28 ⅞
71.1
71.4
71.8
72.1
72.4
72.7
73
73.3
1
1⅛
1¼
1⅜
1½
1⅝
1¾
1⅞
2.5
2.9
3.2
3.5
3.8
4.1
4.5
4.8
8
8⅛
8¼
8⅜
8½
8⅝
8¾
8⅞
20.3
20.6
21
21.3
21.6
21.9
22.2
22.5
15
15 ⅛
15 ¼
15 ⅜
15 ½
15 ⅝
15 ¾
15 ⅞
38.1
38.4
38.7
39.1
39.4
39.7
40
40.3
22
22 ⅛
22 ¼
22 ⅜
22 ½
22 ⅝
22 ¾
22 ⅞
55.9
56.2
56.5
56.8
57.2
57.5
57.8
58.1
29
29 ⅛
29 ¼
29 ⅜
29 ½
29 ⅝
29 ¾
29 ⅞
73.7
74
74.3
74.6
74.9
75.2
75.6
75.9
2
2⅛
2¼
2⅜
2½
2⅝
2¾
2⅞
5.1
5.4
5.7
6
6.4
6.7
7
7.3
9
9⅛
9¼
9⅜
9½
9⅝
9¾
9⅞
22.9
23.2
23.5
23.8
24.1
24.4
24.8
25.1
16
16 ⅛
16 ¼
16 ⅜
16 ½
16 ⅝
16 ¾
16 ⅞
40.6
41
41.3
41.6
41.9
42.2
42.5
42.9
23
23 ⅛
23 ¼
23 ⅜
23 ½
23 ⅝
23 ¾
23 ⅞
58.4
58.7
59.1
59.4
59.7
60
60.3
60.6
30
30 ⅛
30 ¼
30 ⅜
30 ½
30 ⅝
30 ¾
30 ⅞
76.2
76.5
76.8
77.2
77.5
77.8
78.1
78.4
3
3⅛
3¼
3⅜
3½
3⅝
3¾
3⅞
7.6
7.9
8.3
8.6
8.9
9.2
9.5
9.8
10
10 ⅛
10 ¼
10 ⅜
10 ½
10 ⅝
10 ¾
10 ⅞
25.4
25.7
26
26.4
26.7
27
27.3
27.6
17
17 ⅛
17 ¼
17 ⅜
17 ½
17 ⅝
17 ¾
17 ⅞
43.2
43.5
43.8
44.1
44.5
44.8
45.1
45.4
24
24 ⅛
24 ¼
24 ⅜
24 ½
24 ⅝
24 ¾
24 ⅞
61
61.3
61.6
61.9
62.2
62.5
62.9
63.2
31
31 ⅛
31 ¼
31 ⅜
31 ½
31 ⅝
31 ¾
31 ⅞
78.7
79.1
79.4
79.7
80
80.3
80.6
81
4
4⅛
4¼
4⅜
4½
4⅝
4¾
4⅞
10.2
10.5
10.8
11.1
11.4
11.7
12.1
12.4
11
11 ⅛
11 ¼
11 ⅜
11 ½
11 ⅝
11 ¾
11 ⅞
27.9
28.3
28.6
28.9
29.2
29.5
29.8
30.2
18
18 ⅛
18 ¼
18 ⅜
18 ½
18 ⅝
18 ¾
18 ⅞
45.7
46
46.4
46.7
47
47.3
47.6
47.9
25
25 ⅛
25 ¼
25 ⅜
25 ½
25 ⅝
25 ¾
25 ⅞
63.5
63.8
64.1
64.5
64.8
65.1
65.4
65.7
32
32 ⅛
32 ¼
32 ⅜
32 ½
32 ⅝
32 ¾
32 ⅞
81.3
81.6
81.9
82.2
82.6
82.9
83.2
83.5
5
5⅛
5¼
5⅜
5½
5⅝
5¾
5⅞
12.7
13
13.3
13.7
14
14.3
14.6
14.9
12
12 ⅛
12 ¼
12 ⅜
12 ½
12 ⅝
12 ¾
12 ⅞
30.5
30.8
31.1
31.4
31.8
32.1
32.4
32.7
19
19 ⅛
19 ¼
19 ⅜
19 ½
19 ⅝
19 ¾
19 ⅞
48.3
48.6
48.9
49.2
49.5
49.8
50.2
50.5
26
26 ⅛
26 ¼
26 ⅜
26 ½
26 ⅝
26 ¾
26 ⅞
66
66.4
66.7
67
67.3
67.6
67.9
68.3
33
33 ⅛
33 ¼
33 ⅜
33 ½
33 ⅝
33 ¾
33 ⅞
83.8
84.1
84.5
84.8
85.1
85.4
85.7
86
6
6⅛
6¼
6⅜
6½
6⅝
6¾
6⅞
15.2
15.6
15.9
16.2
16.5
16.8
17.1
17.5
13
13 ⅛
13 ¼
13 ⅜
13 ½
13 ⅝
13 ¾
13 ⅞
33
33.3
33.7
34
34.3
34.6
34.9
35.2
20
20 ⅛
20 ¼
20 ⅜
20 ½
20 ⅝
20 ¾
20 ⅞
50.8
51.1
51.4
51.8
52.1
52.4
52.7
53
27
27 ⅛
27 ¼
27 ⅜
27 ½
27 ⅝
27 ¾
27 ⅞
68.6
68.9
69.2
69.5
69.9
70.2
70.5
70.8
34
34 ⅛
34 ¼
34 ⅜
34 ½
34 ⅝
34 ¾
34 ⅞
86.4
86.7
87
87.3
87.6
87.9
88.3
88.6
66
Appendices
35
35 ⅛
35 ¼
35 ⅜
35 ½
35 ⅝
35 ¾
35 ⅞
88.9
89.2
89.5
89.9
90.2
90.5
90.8
91.1
36
36 ⅛
36 ¼
36 ⅜
36 ½
36 ⅝
36 ¾
36 ⅞
91.4
91.8
92.1
92.4
92.7
93
93.3
93.7
37
37 ⅛
37 ¼
37 ⅜
37 ½
37 ⅝
37 ¾
37 ⅞
94
94.3
94.6
94.9
95.3
95.6
95.9
96.2
38
38 ⅛
38 ¼
38 ⅜
38 ½
38 ⅝
38 ¾
38 ⅞
96.5
96.8
97.2
97.5
97.8
98.1
98.4
98.7
39
39 ⅛
39 ¼
39 ⅜
39 ½
39 ⅝
39 ¾
39 ⅞
99.1
99.4
99.7
100
100.3
100.6
101
101.3
40
40 ⅛
40 ¼
40 ⅜
40 ½
40 ⅝
40 ¾
40 ⅞
101.6
101.9
102.2
102.6
102.9
103.2
103.5
103.8
41
41 ⅛
41 ¼
41 ⅜
41 ½
41 ⅝
41 ¾
41 ⅞
104.1
104.5
104.8
105.1
105.4
105.7
106
106.4
42
42 ⅛
42 ¼
42 ⅜
42 ½
106.7
107
107.3
107.6
108
42 ⅝
42 ¾
42 ⅞
108.3
108.6
108.9
43
43 ⅛
43 ¼
43 ⅜
43 ½
43 ⅝
43 ¾
43 ⅞
109.2
109.5
109.9
110.2
110.5
110.8
111.1
111.4
44
44 ⅛
44 ¼
44 ⅜
44 ½
44 ⅝
44 ¾
44 ⅞
111.8
112.1
112.4
112.7
113
113.3
113.7
114
45
45 ⅛
45 ¼
45 ⅜
45 ½
45 ⅝
45 ¾
45 ⅞
114.3
114.6
114.9
115.3
115.6
115.9
116.2
116.5
46
46 ⅛
46 ¼
46 ⅜
46 ½
46 ⅝
46 ¾
46 ⅞
116.8
117.2
117.5
117.8
118.1
118.4
118.7
119.1
47
47 ⅛
47 ¼
47 ⅜
47 ½
47 ⅝
47 ¾
47 ⅞
119.4
119.7
120
120.3
120.7
121
121.3
121.6
48
48 ⅛
48 ¼
48 ⅜
48 ½
48 ⅝
48 ¾
48 ⅞
121.9
122.2
122.6
122.9
123.2
123.5
123.8
124.1
49
49 ⅛
49 ¼
49 ⅜
49 ½
49 ⅝
49 ¾
49 ⅞
124.5
124.8
125.1
125.4
125.7
126
126.4
126.7
50
50 ⅛
50 ¼
50 ⅜
50 ½
50 ⅝
50 ¾
50 ⅞
127
127.3
127.6
128
128.3
128.6
128.9
129.2
51
51 ⅛
51 ¼
51 ⅜
51 ½
51 ⅝
51 ¾
51 ⅞
129.5
129.9
130.2
130.5
130.8
131.1
131.4
131.8
52
52 ⅛
52 ¼
52 ⅜
52 ½
52 ⅝
52 ¾
52 ⅞
132.1
132.4
132.7
133
133.4
133.7
134
134.3
53
53 ⅛
53 ¼
53 ⅜
53 ½
53 ⅝
53 ¾
53 ⅞
134.6
134.9
135.3
135.6
135.9
136.2
136.5
136.8
54
54 ⅛
54 ¼
54 ⅜
54 ½
54 ⅝
54 ¾
54 ⅞
137.2
137.5
137.8
138.1
138.4
138.7
139.1
139.4
55
55 ⅛
55 ¼
55 ⅜
55 ½
55 ⅝
55 ¾
55 ⅞
139.7
140
140.3
140.7
141
141.3
141.6
141.9
56
56 ⅛
56 ¼
56 ⅜
56 ½
56 ⅝
56 ¾
56 ⅞
142.2
142.6
142.9
143.2
143.5
143.8
144.1
144.5
57
57 ⅛
57 ¼
57 ⅜
57 ½
144.8
145.1
145.4
145.7
146.1
57 ⅝
57 ¾
57 ⅞
146.4
146.7
147
58
58 ⅛
58 ¼
58 ⅜
58 ½
58 ⅝
58 ¾
58 ⅞
147.3
147.6
148
148.3
148.6
148.9
149.2
149.5
59
59 ⅛
59 ¼
59 ⅜
59 ½
59 ⅝
59 ¾
59 ⅞
149.9
150.2
150.5
150.8
151.1
151.4
151.8
152.1
60
60 ⅛
60 ¼
60 ⅜
60 ½
60 ⅝
60 ¾
60 ⅞
152.4
152.7
153
153.4
153.7
154
154.3
154.6
61
61 ⅛
61 ¼
61 ⅜
61 ½
61 ⅝
61 ¾
61 ⅞
154.9
155.3
155.6
155.9
156.2
156.5
156.8
157.2
62
62 ⅛
62 ¼
62 ⅜
62 ½
62 ⅝
62 ¾
62 ⅞
157.5
157.8
158.1
158.4
158.8
159.1
159.4
159.7
63
63 ⅛
63 ¼
63 ⅜
63 ½
63 ⅝
63 ¾
63 ⅞
160
160.3
160.7
161
161.3
161.6
161.9
162.2
64
64 ⅛
64 ¼
64 ⅜
64 ½
64 ⅝
64 ¾
64 ⅞
162.6
162.9
163.2
163.5
163.8
164.2
164.5
164.8
65
65 ⅛
65 ¼
65 ⅜
65 ½
65 ⅝
65 ¾
65 ⅞
165.1
165.4
165.7
166.1
166.4
166.7
167
167.3
66
66 ⅛
66 ¼
66 ⅜
66 ½
66 ⅝
66 ¾
66 ⅞
167.6
168
168.3
168.6
168.9
169.2
169.5
169.9
67
67 ⅛
67 ¼
67 ⅜
67 ½
67 ⅝
67 ¾
67 ⅞
170.2
170.5
170.8
171.1
171.5
171.8
172.1
172.4
68
68 ⅛
68 ¼
68 ⅜
68 ½
68 ⅝
68 ¾
68 ⅞
172.7
173
173.4
173.7
174
174.3
174.6
174.9
69
69 ⅛
69 ¼
69 ⅜
69 ½
69 ⅝
69 ¾
69 ⅞
175.3
175.6
175.9
176.2
176.5
176.9
177.2
177.5
70
70 ⅛
70 ¼
70 ⅜
70 ½
70 ⅝
70 ¾
70 ⅞
177.8
178.1
178.4
178.8
179.1
179.4
179.7
180
71
71 ⅛
71 ¼
71 ⅜
71 ½
71 ⅝
71 ¾
71 ⅞
180.3
180.7
181
181.3
181.6
181.9
182.2
182.6
72
72 ⅛
72 ¼
72 ⅜
72 ½
182.9
183.2
183.5
183.8
184.2
Conversion Table for Inches and Centimeters
67
72 ⅝
72 ¾
72 ⅞
184.5
184.8
185.1
73
73 ⅛
73 ¼
73 ⅜
73 ½
73 ⅝
73 ¾
73 ⅞
185.4
185.7
186.1
186.4
186.7
187
187.3
187.6
74
74 ⅛
74 ¼
74 ⅜
74 ½
74 ⅝
74 ¾
74 ⅞
188
188.3
188.6
188.9
189.2
189.6
189.9
190.2
75
75 ⅛
75 ¼
75 ⅜
75 ½
75 ⅝
75 ¾
75 ⅞
190.5
190.8
191.1
191.5
191.8
192.1
192.4
192.7
76
76 ⅛
76 ¼
76 ⅜
76 ½
76 ⅝
76 ¾
76 ⅞
193
193.4
193.7
194
194.3
194.6
194.9
195.3
77
77 ⅛
77 ¼
77 ⅜
77 ½
77 ⅝
77 ¾
77 ⅞
195.6
195.9
196.2
196.5
196.9
197.2
197.5
197.8
78
78 ⅛
78 ¼
78 ⅜
78 ½
78 ⅝
78 ¾
78 ⅞
198.1
198.4
198.8
199.1
199.4
199.7
200
200.3
79
79 ⅛
79 ¼
79 ⅜
79 ½
79 ⅝
79 ¾
79 ⅞
200.7
201
201.3
201.6
201.9
202.3
202.6
202.9
68
80
80 ⅛
80 ¼
80 ⅜
80 ½
80 ⅝
80 ¾
80 ⅞
203.2
203.5
203.8
204.2
204.5
204.8
205.1
205.4
81
81 ⅛
81 ¼
81 ⅜
81 ½
81 ⅝
81 ¾
81 ⅞
205.7
206.1
206.4
206.7
207
207.3
207.6
208
82
82 ⅛
82 ¼
82 ⅜
82 ½
82 ⅝
82 ¾
82 ⅞
208.3
208.6
208.9
209.2
209.6
209.9
210.2
210.5
83
83 ⅛
83 ¼
83 ⅜
83 ½
83 ⅝
83 ¾
83 ⅞
210.8
211.1
211.5
211.8
212.1
212.4
212.7
213
84
84 ⅛
84 ¼
84 ⅜
84 ½
84 ⅝
84 ¾
84 ⅞
213.4
213.7
214
214.3
214.6
215
215.3
215.6
85
85 ⅛
85 ¼
85 ⅜
85 ½
85 ⅝
85 ¾
85 ⅞
215.9
216.2
216.5
216.9
217.2
217.5
217.8
218.1
86
86 ⅛
86 ¼
86 ⅜
86 ½
86 ⅝
86 ¾
86 ⅞
218.4
218.8
219.1
219.4
219.7
220
220.4
220.7
87
87 ⅛
87 ¼
87 ⅜
87 ½
221
221.3
221.6
221.9
222.3
Appendices
87 ⅝
87 ¾
87 ⅞
222.6
222.9
223.2
88
88 ⅛
88 ¼
88 ⅜
88 ½
88 ⅝
88 ¾
88 ⅞
223.5
223.8
224.2
224.5
224.8
225.1
225.4
225.7
89
89 ⅛
89 ¼
89 ⅜
89 ½
89 ⅝
89 ¾
89 ⅞
226.1
226.4
226.7
227
227.3
227.7
228
228.3
90
90 ⅛
90 ¼
90 ⅜
90 ½
90 ⅝
90 ¾
90 ⅞
228.6
228.9
229.2
229.6
229.9
230.2
230.5
230.8
91
91 ⅛
91 ¼
91 ⅜
91 ½
91 ⅝
91 ¾
91 ⅞
231.1
231.5
231.8
232.1
232.4
232.7
233
233.4
92
92 ⅛
92 ¼
92 ⅜
92 ½
92 ⅝
92 ¾
92 ⅞
233.7
234
234.3
234.6
235
235.3
235.6
235.9
93
93 ⅛
93 ¼
93 ⅜
93 ½
93 ⅝
93 ¾
93 ⅞
236.2
236.5
236.9
237.2
237.5
237.8
238.1
238.4
94
94 ⅛
94 ¼
94 ⅜
94 ½
94 ⅝
94 ¾
94 ⅞
238.8
239.1
239.4
239.7
240
240.4
240.7
241
95
95 ⅛
95 ¼
95 ⅜
95 ½
95 ⅝
95 ¾
95 ⅞
241.3
241.6
241.9
242.3
242.6
242.9
243.2
243.5
96
96 ⅛
96 ¼
96 ⅜
96 ½
96 ⅝
96 ¾
96 ⅞
243.9
244.2
244.5
244.8
245.1
245.4
245.7
246.1
97
97 ⅛
97 ¼
97 ⅜
97 ½
97 ⅝
97 ¾
97 ⅞
246.4
246.7
247
247.3
247.7
248
248.3
248.6
98
98 ⅛
98 ¼
98 ⅜
98 ½
98 ⅝
98 ¾
98 ⅞
248.9
249.2
249.6
249.9
250.2
250.5
250.8
251.1
99
99 ⅛
99 ¼
99 ⅜
99 ½
99 ⅝
99 ¾
99 ⅞
251.5
251.8
252.1
252.4
252.7
253.1
253.4
253.7
100
100 ⅛
100 ¼
100 ⅜
100 ½
100 ⅝
100 ¾
100 ⅞
254
254.3
254.6
255
255.3
255.6
255.9
256.2
101
101 ⅛
101 ¼
101 ⅜
101 ½
101 ⅝
101 ¾
101 ⅞
256.5
256.9
257.2
257.5
257.8
258.1
258.5
258.8
102
102 ⅛
102 ¼
102 ⅜
102 ½
259.1
259.4
259.7
260
260.4
102 ⅝
102 ¾
102 ⅞
260.7
261
261.3
103
103 ⅛
103 ¼
103 ⅜
103 ½
103 ⅝
103 ¾
103 ⅞
261.6
261.9
262.3
262.6
262.9
263.2
263.5
263.8
104
104 ⅛
104 ¼
104 ⅜
104 ½
104 ⅝
104 ¾
104 ⅞
264.2
264.5
264.8
265.1
265.4
265.8
266.1
266.4
105
105 ⅛
105 ¼
105 ⅜
105 ½
105 ⅝
105 ¾
105 ⅞
266.7
267
267.3
267.7
268
268.3
268.6
268.9
106
106 ⅛
106 ¼
106 ⅜
106 ½
106 ⅝
106 ¾
106 ⅞
269.2
269.6
269.9
270.2
270.5
270.8
271.2
271.5
107
107 ⅛
107 ¼
107 ⅜
107 ½
107 ⅝
107 ¾
107 ⅞
271.8
272.1
272.4
272.7
273.1
273.4
273.7
274
108
108 ⅛
108 ¼
108 ⅜
108 ½
108 ⅝
108 ¾
108 ⅞
274.3
274.6
275
275.3
275.6
275.9
276.2
276.5
FOREIGN LANGUAGE GUIDELINES
Revised
Editorial Recommendations for Foreign Languages
Languages included: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Portuguese, Spanish
The following guidelines, compiled by members of the curatorial division and of
the Communications, Digital Media, Editorial, Education, and Visitors Services
departments are intended for use by Museum staff, as well as translators and
proofreaders of foreign languages, to create a repository of common terms and
usage in foreign languages throughout the Museum. As with any guidelines, their
aim is not to create inflexible rules but to provide consistency and clarity, as well
as precedents that can be drawn upon in the future.
General Usage
Define Region (for languages with regional differences):
Spanish: The Museum’s default is Universal/Neutral Spanish – meaning
Spanish from Spain (rather than Latin America)—unless the primary
audience is from outside of Spain.
Portuguese: Default is Portuguese from Brazil (not Portugal).
Chinese: Default for most Museum documents is Chinese Simplified (not
Traditional). Traditional Chinese may be used when the audience is
specifically from Taiwan or Hong Kong.
Regional Accents and Dialects (for audio):
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese: Permissible to use regional
accents and localisms to preserve diversity, as long as audio can be
understood by a general audience.
Japanese and Korean: It can be assumed that the speaker will not use regional
dialects that are not widely understood, but please clarify when in doubt.
Chinese: Mandarin is the default for general audiences (Beijing-area
pronunciation is most commonly understood).
Arabic: Use Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) for a general audience.
Right-, Left-, and Vertical-Reading Languages:
Chinese, Japanese, Korean: Follow Western style (horizontal, left-to-right
reading)
Foreign Language Guidelines
69
Arabic: Always right-to-left reading (but numbers written left-to-right
within text, as in English).
Units of measure:
For all the included languages: Always use metric measurements.
Polite forms:
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese: Default is to use the
impersonal/formal (“vous” instead of “tu” in the French, for example),
unless material is directed at children or other “informal” audiences.
Japanese: When in doubt, such as whether to use ‘de-aru’ style or ‘desu masu’
style, check with Editorial. Whichever style is used, it is most important
to be consistent throughout. If more than one translator is working on a
project, they must agree on a consistent format.
Korean: The form used in the MMA Guide may be less formal than
appropriate for other materials; when in doubt check with Editorial.
Chinese: Not a significant issue.
Arabic: Default is to use the impersonal/formal unless material is directed at
children or other “informal” audiences.
Issues of cultural differences and perception, including maps:
All languages: Ask translators and independent readers to look for and
question anything that might need to be changed because of cultural
perceptions and context. This is especially relevant for maps.
Arabic: For material that will be distributed in the Middle East, please be
aware that religious authorities in several countries (currently including
Egypt and Saudi Arabia) have refused entry to material containing
images of the Prophet (even when the face is covered), as well as images
of other prophets (including Abraham, Noah, and Jesus), of companions
of the Prophet (e.g., the Prophet’s uncle and other relatives, the Prophet’s
horse, and the first caliphs), and angels. Please check with your sources
or with Editorial if there are questions.
Use of independent readers for translations:
All languages: We recommend that any outside translation be vetted by an
independent reader who is a native speaker of that language to help
ensure that it reads well for the intended audience and does not contain
notable errors. It is recommended that the independent reader not be
a translator or editor by profession, as this might make it difficult to
respond to the text as a general reader.
70
Appendices
List of translators and readers, and suggested fees:
All languages: See attached list. Please contact Gwen Roginsky in Editorial
with additions, updates, or corrections.
Specific Words And Terms
In general, use the various editions of the MMA Guide and the current MMA
maps for specific words and terms.
The name of the Museum:
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese: The name “The Metropolitan
Museum of Art” stays in English (e.g., not “El Museo Metropolitano de
Arte”).
Japanese and Chinese (Simplified): Translate and write as on cover of MMA
Guide (except when used in credit lines, etc. as noted below).
Korean: Use MMA Guide as model (“Museum” is translated, but the rest is
transliterated).
Arabic: Use MMA Guide as a model.
Credit lines and names of sponsors:
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese: Leave in English.
Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese: Leave credit line in English characters
except for artist’s name and title of work (note: this includes name of
MMA, which stays in English).
Names of funds, foundations, and all legal and official names of groups, entities, etc.:
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese: Leave in English.
Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean: In general, leave name in English
characters.
The name of other museums:
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese: Translate and use local name
(e.g., “Museo Británico” for “British Museum”), unless it is known
world-wide only by its English name.
Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean: Use name and spelling most common
locally (can be checked with web search of the museum or a
recommended website, below).
Foreign Language Guidelines
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Named MMA Galleries:
All languages: In general, refer to the latest Visitor Services map for gallery
names for reference.
Japanese: transliterate the name of the gallery (in katakana) so reader knows
how to pronounce name (okay to keep in English characters if necessary
to help reader identify gallery when material is used inside the building,
e.g., on a map).
Chinese and Korean: In general, transliterate name of gallery so reader
knows how to pronounce name (okay to keep in English if necessary to
help reader identify gallery in the building).
Arabic: If the material will be used inside the building, such as on a map,
we recommend keeping the name in English characters to help reader
identify gallery in the building (a transliteration of the English name
might not be easily understood when pronounced).
All languages: When deleting the name on a named gallery, for example,
using “Auditorium” instead of “Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium,” check
with Development for authorization.
Unnamed MMA Galleries and Spaces:
All languages: In general, refer to the latest Visitor Services map for
reference.
Art terms and artists’ names not included in the MMA Guide:
Chinese: When in doubt, recommend checking terms or names of artists on
the websites for the National Palace Museum in Beijing or Shanghai
for correct characters. http://www.dpm.org.cn/index1024768.html or
http://www.shanghaimuseum.net/cn/index.jsp
When translating western names for which there are no longstanding Chinese translations, it is generally advisable to keep the name
in roman letters. (Names which have entered the Chinese lexicon,
such as Marco Polo or Matteo Ricci, can be written in commonly used
Chinese characters.)
Korean: Non-Korean artists’ names are generally transliterated, but recommend
checking terms or names of artists on the websites for the National
Museum of Contemporary Art (especially for non-Korean and modern
names) http://www.mmca.go.kr/ and the Leeum Samsung Museum
http://leeum.samsungfoundation.org/html_eng/introduction/welcome.
asp
Arabic: See word list attached to this document. When in doubt, check the
website of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha http://www.mia.org.qa/
ar/ or www.discoverislamicart.org/
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Appendices
Additional word lists to be added when available.
Thomas P. Campbell:
Japanese: Use spelling from MMA map, not the current MMA Guide.
Arabic: Delete the “P.” (this letter does not have a corresponding character or
sound in Arabic).
Refer to the MMA Guide for Chinese, Korean, Russian.
“America” when referring to “North America” only:
All languages: When translating “America” into Spanish and Portuguese,
please bear in mind that a large part of the Spanish- and Portuguesespeaking audience may understand “América” in Spanish/Portuguese
to mean “South” or “Central” America or all of the Americas. It is
strongly recommended that the translator be specific about whether the
text is referring to the United States, North America, South America,
Central America, or the Americas. This is not always possible, as “The
American Wing” is translated as “Ala americana.” (In the MMA Guide,
“The American Wing” is included in a section titled “United States”
[Estados Unidos] for clarity.) When in doubt, check with Spanish and
Portuguese translators or curators, and adjust as necessary.
Curatorial departments, job titles (director, curator):
Arabic, Chinese and Korean: For names of departments and titles, use MMA
Guide.
Specific words that are exceptions to the MMA Guide:
Japanese: For “The Costume Institute” use katakana spelling to say “Costume
and Fashion” and “curator” is written as キュレーター
Use of Kanji in Japanese:
Japanese: Note to translator to use kanji appropriate to the audience, as some
kanji may not be familiar to a general or young reader.
Christian names in Chinese:
Chinese: Chinese: Christian (biblical or religious) names or narratives can
be written in Chinese with different characters depending on whether
using a Catholic or Protestant version of the name. Default is to use the
characters for the “Catholic” version, but please alert the translator so
they can use characters appropriate to context. If uncertain, check with
Editorial or the Asian Dept.
Foreign Language Guidelines
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Non-Arabic names in Arabic translations:
Arabic: Non-Arabic names in languages that use the Arabic alphabet/
characters (such as Persian or Urdu) should be kept in their original form
in an Arabic translation. They should not be transliterated into Arabic.
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Appendices