Author Guidelines

RocznikEgodokumentalny. Journal of Egodocuments and Self-Narratives

Guidelines for Authors

The online edition constitutes the primary (reference) version of the journal.

The Editorial Board continuously accepts submissions for publication in the Rocznik Egodokumentalny (Journal of Egodocuments). Articles are published on an early access basis. However, inclusion in a specific annual issue requires that the manuscript be submitted no later than 30th September of the given year.

Manuscripts may be submitted exclusively via the Akademicka Platforma Czasopism and must be provided in a text file format.

Submissions to the Editorial Office must be original, complete, and previously unpublished. Articles are accepted primarily in Polish, English, and German.

1. The length of a research article submitted to the Rocznik Egodokumentalny should not exceed one publisher's sheet, while reviews and reports should not exceed half a publisher's sheet.
2. Each scholarly article submitted to the Rocznik Egodokumentalny should consist of four sections:

• Introduction (a characterization of the research subject; presentation of the current state of knowledge based on the relevant literature; justification for undertaking the study; its aims and research hypotheses),
• Sources and Methods (a description of the sources used, including the indication of their locations and, where applicable, the manner of obtaining the data; a discussion of the research methods employed),
• Results (presentation of the research findings),
• Conclusion (relating the findings to the state of knowledge outlined in the introduction; conclusions; verification of research hypotheses; where applicable, a discussion of the limitations encountered during the study; indication of the need for further research and its possible directions).

III. Manuscripts submitted to the sections “Studies and Materials must include:

• a set of keywords (3–5) in Polish, English, and German,
• an abstract in Polish, English, and German,
• references, footnotes, and a bibliography, prepared in accordance with the guidelines specified in point 6.

1. Keywords, abstract, and author note.

• Keywords and the abstract must be entered separately into the APCz submission form in Step “3. Enter Metadata.”

1. a) Keywords – a set of terms describing the content of the text, which should also include all significant expressions appearing in the title and abstract of the article; it should be noted that the term “keyword” does not necessarily denote a single word, although it is recommended that the longest keywords not exceed three words (an exception may be made for proper-name keywords, including official names of institutions discussed in the scholarly text),
2. b) Abstract – a summary reflecting the content of the article and structured in accordance with the organization of the text; it should outline the rationale for undertaking the research, its objectives, the methods applied, the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn; the abstract must not contain footnotes or refer to any iconographic material included in the article.

2) A short biographical note about the author must be attached to the submitted article (as a separate file, to be uploaded in Step “4. Upload Supplementary Files” of the submission process). The note should include information on the author’s academic degree/title, current position, research interests, and most important publications to date.

1. Reviews

• At the beginning of a review, the following information about the reviewed publication must be provided in the order specified below:

1. a) the first name and surname of the author(s) of the reviewed work (in the case of an edited volume or a source edition, the names of the editors or compilers should be given after the title of the work);
2. b) the full title in italics, including the subtitle (if any), as it appears on the title page;
3. c) the number of volumes or parts, in the case of a multi-volume work (in Arabic numerals);
4. d) where applicable, the name of the series in roman type and the volume number within the series (in Arabic numerals), given in parentheses;
5. e) the name of the publisher;
6. f) the place and year of publication;
7. g) the total number of pages;
8. h) ISBN or ISSN.

• In the header of the reviewed work, bibliographic data—such as place of publication, volume (e.g. “vol.”, “Bd.”), issue/number (e.g. “no.”, “H.”), and abbreviations referring to authors or editors (e.g. “ed.”, “hrsg. v.”, “bearb. v.”)—should be given in the language of the publication.
• In the case of works written in languages that use scripts other than the Latin alphabet (e.g. Cyrillic), the original script must be used, with a Latin transliteration of the bibliographic data provided in square brackets. The transliteration system applied should correspond to the language of the text, i.e. Polish transliteration in Polish texts, English transliteration in English texts, and German transliteration in German texts.

1. Scholarly apparatus

• Citations (general principles)

1. Citations are to be given exclusively in footnotes.
2. Titles of publications should be written in accordance with the orthographic conventions of the language in question:
3. a) Titles in English should be written in capital letters: Memory, Family, and Self: Tuscan Family Books and Other European Egodocuments (14th–18th Century).
4. b) Titles of scholarly works in German should follow German orthographic rules (lowercase spelling with capitalisation only for nouns and at the beginning of sentences; optionally with additional typographic emphasis, e.g. italics): Egodokumente – Egodokumentalität – egodokumentale Analyse – egodokumentales Erbe.
5. c) Titles of works in Polish should be written in lower case: Egodokumenty – egodokumentalność – analiza egodokumentalna – spuścizna egodokumentalna.
6. Abbreviations such as “idem,” “passim,” “cf.,” “f.,” “ff.,” and “op. cit.” are not used. The abbreviation “ibid.” is used exclusively in cases of an uninterrupted sequential reference to the same publication.
7. References should be placed in accordance with the conventions appropriate to the language of the article:
8. a) in English, references are placed after the final punctuation mark;
9. b) in German, references are placed after the final punctuation mark;
10. c) in Polish, footnotes are placed before the punctuation mark.
11. The place of publication is given in the language of the article.
12. In the first citation of a book chapter or journal article, the full page range must be provided:
13. Kowalski, Book Title, Warsaw, 1988, 27–31.
14. Kowalski, “Article Title,” Journal Title, 24, 2 (1992): 2–14.

If a specific page within the article or chapter is referenced:

29. Kowalski, Book Title, Warsaw, 1988, 27–31, here 29.
30. Kowalski, “Article Title,” Journal Title, 24, 2 (1992): 2–14, here 9, 11.

• Monographs (authored books)

Template: initial of the first name followed by a period, surname, title of the book in italics, volume (if applicable), place of publication, year of publication, page or page range:

31. Kersten, The Birth of the Power System. Poland 1943–1948, Paris, 1986, 27–31.
    E.W. Said, Orientalism, New York, 1979, 150–156.
    M. Manitius, History of Medieval Latin Literature, vol. 1, Munich, 1911, 78.

In subsequent citations, a shortened form is used:

Kersten, The Birth of the Power System, 27–31.
Said, Orientalism, 150–156.
Manitius, History, vol. 1, 78.

• Edited volumes

Template: initial of the first name followed by a period, surname and in parentheses abbreviation (ed./eds./ed./Hrsg.), title of the book, volume (if applicable), place of publication, year of publication, page or page range.

42. Tomczak (ed.), Nicolaus Copernicus University. Memories of Staff Members, Toruń, 1995, 41–42.
    A. Baggerman, R. Dekker, M. Mascuch (eds.), Controlling Time and Shaping the Self: Developments in Autobiographical Writing since the Sixteenth Century, Leiden, Boston, 2011, 35.
    M. Manitius (Hrsg.), History of Medieval Latin Literature, Bd. 1, Munich, 1911, p. 78.

In subsequent citations, a shortened form is used:

Tomczak, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 41–42.
Baggerman, Controlling Time, 35.
Manitius, History, Bd. 1, p. 78.

• Translated books

Template: initial of the first name followed by a period, surname of the author, title of the book in italics, initial of the first name and surname of the translator followed by the abbreviation (transl./trans./Übers.), place of publication, year of publication, page or page range.

S.C. Rowell, The Pagan Empire. Lithuanian Dominance in East-Central Europe 1295–1345, G. Smółka (trans.), Oświęcim, 2017, 39.
G. Duby, Love and Marriage in the Middle Ages, J. Dunnet (trans.), Chicago, 1994, vii and 25.
J. Le Goff, The High Middle Ages, M. Müller (Übers.), Munich, 2008, p. 10–15.

In subsequent citations, a shortened form is used:

Rowell, The Pagan Empire, 39.
Duby, Love and Marriage, vii and 25.
Le Goff, The High Middle Ages, p. 10–15.

• Chapters

Template: Initial of the author. Surname of the author, “Title of the chapter,” in Title of the book, Initial of the editor. Surname (ed./eds./Hrsg.) [in the case of multiple editors in English: J. Doe, J. Smith (eds.)], place of publication, year of publication, pages. The conjunction “and” is not used when listing multiple authors or editors.

First citation:

27. Wiślicz, “Testimonies of Witches in Court as Egodocuments: The History of the Concept and Its Applications,” in Egodocuments–Self-Testimonies–Egodocumentality. Theory and Practice, W. Chorążyczewski, H. Ciechanowski, W. Piasek, S. Roszak, Toruń, 2024, 17–27.
28. Levie Bernfeld, “Withdrawn and Secretive: Privacy among Portuguese Jews in Early Modern Amsterdam,” in Private Life and Privacy in the Early Modern Low Countries, M. Green, I. Huysman (eds.), Turnhout, 2023, 173–196.
29. Müller, “Urban Society in the Middle Ages,” in Social History of the Middle Ages, K. Weber (Hrsg.), Berlin, 2018, p. 55–78.Początek formularza

Dół formularza

Reference to a specific page:

20. Wiślicz, “Testimonies of Witches in Court as Egodocuments: The History of the Concept and Its Applications,” in Egodocuments–Self-Testimonies–Egodocumentality. Theory and Practice, W. Chorążyczewski, H. Ciechanowski, W. Piasek, S. Roszak, Toruń, 2024, 17–27, here 20.
21. Levie Bernfeld, “Withdrawn and Secretive: Privacy among Portuguese Jews in Early Modern Amsterdam,” in Private Life and Privacy in the Early Modern Low Countries, M. Green, I. Huysman (eds.), Turnhout, 2023, 173–196, here 180.
22. Müller, “Urban Society in the Middle Ages,” in Social History of the Middle Ages, K. Weber (Hrsg.), Berlin, 2018, pp. 55–78, here p. 60.

Subsequent citation:

Wiślicz, “Testimonies of Witches,” 18–19.
Levie Bernfeld, “Withdrawn and Secretive,” 178–192.
Müller, “Urban Society,” pp. 60–62.Początek formularza

• Articles

Template: Initial. Surname, “Title of the article,” Title of the journal, volume number, issue number [digits only] (YEAR): full page range. When referring to a specific page, the full page range must be given first, followed by “here” and the specific page number.

First citation:

244. Bryk, H. Ciechanowski, “Bureaucracy in the Machinery of Extermination: Selected Aspects of the Functioning of Administration in the Łódź Ghetto,” Res Gestae. Historical Journal, 18 (2024): 219–244.
245. Bamford, “A Romance kharja in context,” Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, 5 (2013): 169–183.
246. Becker, “Economy and Society in the German Empire,” HistorischeZeitschrift, 310 (2020): pp. 101–130.

Reference to a specific page:

30. Bryk, H. Ciechanowski, “Bureaucracy in the Machinery of Extermination: Selected Aspects of the Functioning of Administration in the Łódź Ghetto,” Res Gestae. Historical Journal, 18 (2024): 219–244, here 30.
31. Bamford, “A Romance kharja in context,” Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies, 5 (2013): 169–183, here 175.
32. Becker, “Economy and Society in the German Empire,” HistorischeZeitschrift, 310 (2020): pp. 101–130, here p. 112.

Subsequent citation:

Bryk, Ciechanowski, “Bureaucracy in the Machinery of Extermination,” 30.
Bamford, “Romancekharja,” 173.

Becker, “Economy and Society,” pp. 112–114.

• Archival materials and manuscripts

In both the main text and footnotes, the abbreviation “sygn./MS/Sign.” may be omitted if it precedes the shelf mark. Shelf marks should be given in accordance with the practice of the respective library or archive. The abbreviation for “karta” is “k.”, and for “folio” it is “fol.” (plural: “fols.”).

The first full reference to a given archival item should include the city, the name of the library/archive, the name of the collection/fonds (if applicable), the shelf mark, the “title” (if available), and the folio/page numbers.

Kielce, State Archives in Kielce, Collection of the Kielce Scientific Society, 21/304/0/-/25, “Diary of Podczaszyński – Old-Polish Industrial Region,” k. 26.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 4117, “Title If Exists,” fols. 108v–145r.

Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. lat. 6055, “Title If Exists,” fols. 151r–228v.

The Hague, Royal House Archives, A26-6, Letter from Amalia van Solms to Frederick Henry, The Hague, 24 February 1664, “J’ay bien voulu vous faire sçavoir…”.

Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Ms. germ. fol. 1234, “Chronik der Stadt Nürnberg,” fols. 12r–45v.

Subsequent citation:

AP Kielce, 21/304/0/-/25, k. 26.
BnF lat. 4117, fol. 108r.
Vat. lat. 6055, fol. 151r.
RHA, A26-6, Amalia van Solms to Frederick Henry, 24 February 1664.

• Websites

Template: Initial. Surname (if known), “Title of the online source,” name of the platform (if applicable), publication date (if applicable),  non-clickable hyperlink (Accessed: date).

„Kazimierz III Wielki”, Wikipedia, https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz_III_Wielki (Dostęp: 20 marca 2026 r.).

1. Honings, “Journaal eener Oostindiesche Reis. Anna Abrahamsz, 1847-1848”, Literatuur geschiedenis, https://www.literatuurgeschiedenis.org/teksten/journaal-eener-oostindiesche-reis (Accessed: 20 July 2025).
2. Segl, „Lothar III. (von Supplinburg)”, Deutsche Biografie, https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd118574515.html#ndbcontent (Zugriff: 20. März 2026).

• Bibliography

The bibliography should include the following sections:

• Archivalmaterials (manuscripts)
• Literature
• Webography

The bibliography should be prepared in the same way as the footnotes, with the only difference being that the first author’s first name and surname are to be reversed, while the order for additional authors remains unchanged:

Kersten, K., The Birth of the Power System. Poland 1943–1948, Paris, 1986, 27–31.

Baggerman, A., R. Dekker, M. Mascuch (eds.), Controlling Time and Shaping the Self: Developments in Autobiographical Writing since the Sixteenth Century, Leiden, Boston, 2011, 35.

VII. Main Text

• References to authors or historical figures in the text:

The first mention of an author or figure in the text should include the full first name (or initials, if this is the author’s preferred form), e.g. “Rudolf Dekker argues,” “Claudia Ulbrich claims,” etc. Subsequent mentions should use only the surname, or the surname preceded by an initial.

• Abbreviations:

Abbreviations should be consistent and easily identifiable throughout the text. An abbreviation is introduced after the full name has first been given, in parentheses, e.g. Polish United Workers’ Party (hereafter PZPR).

• Dates:
  Dates should be given in accordance with the conventions of the language of the article.

1. Polish: Dates in the main text and footnotes should be written in numeric form, using Roman numerals for months (e.g. 4 XII 1610 r.). Month names in words should be used when only the year is given (e.g. 6 August). The words “year” and “century” should be abbreviated after numerals; when preceding a numeral, they should be written in full (e.g. “in 1618 r.”, “in the 18th c.”, “in the year 1943”, “in the 20th century”). Expressions such as “the 1930s” or “first half of the 16th century” should be written in words rather than numerically. Similarly, for numbering of local and world wars (Second Northern War, First World War). Terms referring to time periods (e.g. “thirteenth-century”) should be written in full.Dół formularza

1. b) English:

• Use C.E. and B.C.E. instead of A.D. and B.C.
• 6 February 1457 (no commas)
• 1490s (no apostrophe)
• fifteenth century, nineteenth century – written in words; hyphenated when used adjectivally.

1. c) German: Standard German conventions for dates and time should be used:

• Februar 1457
• 1490er Jahre
• Jh.
• Numbers and numerals:
  Numbers from zero to ten are written in words. Numbers from 10 upwards are written in digits. Numbers from 10,000 upwards use a space as a separator.
• Punctuation:
  Punctuation rules appropriate to the language of the article must be followed.
• Italics and roman type:
  a) Italics are used for:
• titles of books (except the Bible and the Quran, as well as The Books of the Bible),
• titles of plays, scripts, radio dramas, operas, and ballets,
• titles of newspapers (e.g. New York Times, The Times, Le Monde, Die Welt),
• titles of journals (e.g. Journal of Literary Translation, World Literature, Cahiers du Cinéma, Mundo Nuevo),
• titles of paintings, sculptures, and other works of art,
• foreign words and short phrases (unless naturalised in the language of the article).

Italics are not used for:

• titles of chapters, essays, and short stories – quotation marks appropriate to the language should be used instead,
• scholarly abbreviations and expressions such as “et al.”, “Ibid.”, “e.g.”, “i.e.”, and “ca.”

• Capitalisation (English texts):
• “Middle Ages” is capitalised, while “medieval” is lower case.
• Religious names and terms should follow The Chicago Manual of Style.
• “Church” is generally lower case unless part of an official name of a denomination or building, or when referring to the universal Church.
• “Bible” is capitalised, while “biblical” is lower case.
• English spelling:
  American English spelling must be used consistently.
• Quotations:
  Quotations in the text should be given in the original language and in translation appropriate to the language of the article.

Short quotations are placed directly in the text in quotation marks. The translation is given in parentheses: “Wszystkiego najlepszego” (Happy Birthday).

Long quotations (over 40 words) are placed in a separate block quotation, starting on a new line with indentation. They do not require quotation marks. The original text is followed, on a new line, by the translation. Block quotations use 10-point font.

If the translation is provided by the author, this should be indicated in a footnote.

All Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, and Slavic scripts must be transliterated after presenting the original form.

VIII. Illustrations

Illustrations within the text are permitted provided they serve a substantive scholarly purpose.

Illustrations must be free of copyright restrictions; otherwise, permission for their use and publication must be provided.

Technical requirements:

• resolution: 300 dpi,
• minimum size: 1200 × 1800 pixels.

1. Text formatting

Main text: Times New Roman, 12 pt, justified alignment, 1.5 line spacing.

Footnotes: Times New Roman, 10 pt, left-aligned, 1.5 line spacing.

Block quotations: Times New Roman, 10 pt, justified alignment, 1.5 line spacing, indentation 2.