H-FRANCE BYLAWS, GUIDELINES, AND POLICIES

 

Bylaws -- Editorial Policies -- Book Review Guidelines -- Policy on Allegations of Misappropriated Scholarship

H-FRANCE BYLAWS

By-laws ratified 1 December 2004 Revised 1 April 2005

I. NATURE AND PURPOSE

H-France is a permanent organization whose purpose is to promote scholarly work and discussion on the history and culture of the Francophone world and to disseminate information of interest to scholars of the Francophone world through electronic communication. H-France is a bilingual organization operating in French and English. It chiefly fulfills its purpose through the management of an electronic discussion list, a review program, and a web site.

II. MEMBERSHIP

The H-France web site, which includes copies of all H-France book reviews, is accessible publicly without limitation. Subscription to the H-France discussion list is open to those prepared to participate in scholarly discussions, such as teachers, professors, scholars, librarians, graduate students, and others knowledgeable in French history and culture. Undergraduate students may join the list but must be sponsored by an instructor who is a list member.

III. ORGANIZATION OF H-FRANCE

A. EDITORIAL BOARD

The Editorial Board is the governing body of H-France. It establishes goals and editorial policies for H-France, determines all technological issues, and must approve all funding and budgetary decisions. It may adopt any rules or procedures for the conduct of its business that are not contrary to the by-laws. The Editorial Board operates through electronic correspondence and is presumed to be always in session. The full names of the members of the Editorial Board are listed on the H-France web site and published annually to the H-France list. The Editorial Board is composed of an Editor-in-Chief, the most recent past Editor-in-Chief (for two years following retirement from office), a Chief List Editor, a Chief Book Review Editor, a Chief Web Editor, a Financial Officer, eight at-large members, and any institutional sponsors.

1. Editor-in-Chief

a. Appointment

The Editor-in-Chief serves a renewable three-year term beginning on January 1st. Appointment to the position of Editor-in-Chief is made by nomination of the Editorial Board and approval by the Executive Committee of the Society for French Historical Studies. The Editor-in-Chief remains a member of the Editorial Board for two years following the expiration of the term of office.

b. Duties

The Editor-in-Chief is the chief executive officer of H-France and is responsible for implementing the policies and decisions set by the Editorial Board and for coordinating activities among the three primary branches of H-France operations (list, review, and web site). The Editor-in-Chief serves as chair of the Editorial Board, with the responsibility to prepare its agenda, establish committees and sub-committees for special projects, call for votes, or establish other organizational procedures as may seem fit. Working with the Financial Officer, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible to obtain funding for H-France as needed. The Editor-in-Chief conducts correspondence on behalf of H-France with interested parties, other scholarly organizations, and any associated organizations, particularly the Society for French Historical Studies, and is the only individual authorized to speak for H-France. The Editor-in-Chief prepares an annual report on H-France operations and membership. This report, which includes a general financial statement, is presented to the Editorial Board.

2. Chief List Editor, Chief Web Editor, and Chief Book Review Editor

a. Appointment

The Chief List and Web Editors are nominated and approved by the Editorial Board. The Chief Review Editor is nominated by the Editorial Board and after consultation with the Editors of French Historical Studies. The Chief Review Editor's appointment is approved by the Executive Committee of the Society for French Historical Studies. The renewable appointments last for three years and are staggered among the three offices.

b. Duties

The Chief List, Chief Web, and Chief Review Editors are responsible for the day-to-day operations in their respective areas, overseeing the assignment and fulfillment of duties among the various editors in each area and ensuring that policies established by the Editorial Board are implemented. The Chief List, Web, and Review Editors bring to the Editorial Board issues that arise in their respective areas that require new or clarified policies and are responsible to coordinate the editorial activities in their respective areas of responsibility. Each January, the Chief List, Web, and Review Editors provide to the Editor-in-Chief synopses of the activities accomplished in their areas of responsibility the previous calendar year to aid in the preparation of the annual report.

3. Financial Officer

a. Appointment

The Financial Officer serves a renewable three-year term beginning on January 1st. Appointment to the position of Financial Officer is made by nomination of the Editorial Board and approval of the Executive Committee of the Society for French Historical Studies. At the time of appointment to the position of Financial Officer and during the term of office, the individual may not serve as an editor for H-France.

b. Duties

The Financial Officer serves as treasurer of H-France and has custody of all of its funds. The Financial Officer receives monies due H-France, disburses sums owed by H-France, and administers surplus operating funds, if any exist. The Financial Officer maintains and administers a bank account into which H-France funds are deposited and from which H-France expenditures are disbursed. The Financial Officer advises the Editorial Board concerning the financial status of H-France and presents an annual report in January each year to aid in the preparation of the H-France annual report.

4. At-Large Members

a. Appointment

Eight at-large members serve staggered four-year terms beginning January 1st. Appointment to the position of at-large member is made by nomination of the Editorial Board and approval of the Executive Committee of the Society for French Historical Studies. In choosing nominees to at-large member positions, the Editorial Board seeks to have itself generally reflect the diversity of the H-France membership.

b. Duties

At-large members of the Editorial Board have no specific duties but may be appointed to serve on committees at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. All editors and officers must be nominated by the Editorial Board.

5. Institutional Sponsors

a. Appointment

Individuals who sponsor H-France operations at a specific institution may sit a representative on the H-France Editorial Board.

b. Duties

The duties of institutional sponsors will be identical to those of at-large members.

B. Editors

1. Appointment

Appointment to the position of H-France editor is made by nomination of the Editorial Board and approval of the Executive Committee of the Society for French Historical Studies. The Editorial Board determines the number and duties of H-France editors.

2. Duties

H-France editors work within the policies established by the Editorial Board and under the leadership of a Chief Editor for a specific area. Editors are responsible to implement H-France policies and to bring to the attention of the appropriate Chief Editor difficulties raised by those policies or other issues of concern with regard to H-France operations. For every four-year period working as an H-France editor, editors are entitled to a six-month sabbatical from their editorial duties.

C. Removal of Officers and Editors

In the event that an officer, editor, or board member of H-France becomes unable or unwilling to exercise the duties of the position or performs those duties in a manner deemed inadequate, the individual may be removed from that position upon a two-thirds vote of the Editorial Board.

IV. STIPULATIONS

A. H-France shall engage in exclusively "educational" activities as these terms are used in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States of America. In the event of H-France's disbanding, any remaining funds or assets will revert to the Society for French Historical Studies or its heirs as long as such organization(s) remains a tax-exempt organization under section 501(C)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code or the corresponding section of any future tax code. In the event that the Society for French Historical Studies or its heirs no longer exists or no longer holds tax-exempt status, the Editorial Board will distribute any remaining funds or assets to a tax-exempt organization with a tradition of supporting the scholarly study of the history and culture of the Francophone world as selected by the Editorial Board.

B. The H-France Editorial Board may establish associations and affiliations with other scholarly organizations as deemed fit and approved by the Editorial Board.

C. H-France commissioned works (such as reviews and essays) and the H-France web site are copyrighted by the Society for French Historical Studies.

D. Authors who post items to H-France assign copyright to the Society for French Historical Studies only the right for re-distribution for non-profit educational purposes.

V. REVISION OF BY-LAWS

Revisions to the H-France by-laws must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.

 

 

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Many of the functions performed by the co-editors are similar to those of editors of journals or book publishing houses. The co-editors try to encourage scholarly discussion on the list and intercept inappropriate messages. These messages may belong somewhere else, or in the judgment of the co-editors they do not aid the scholarly debate. In either case, the co-editor will notify the contributor and explain any action taken. Co-editors will not alter the meaning of messages, but will, if necessary, add names and e-addresses and modify the subject line of a post.

1. In the belief that the more participants, the richer the discussions on the list, the co-editors encourage all members to participate actively and contribute for the enrichment of all. If you have a reaction to a new book, a new thought relating to French history, or something related, share it with the other members of the list, and get some helpful feedback.

2. Queries should be as informative as possible. Please provide background information so that list members who know little about the topic can still benefit from the discussion. If, for example, you simply need the address of an institution, try telling the membership exactly what service the institution performs. If you need bibliographic information and have exhausted the resources available to you locally, explain the context of the problem and the works already consulted. This will help list members know what you are looking for and prevent them from duplicating work you have already undertaken in searching for the information. If you need teaching materials, explain the problem that you are trying to deal with in the classroom and the methods which you have tried so far.

3. Messages should be courteous or they will be returned to you for editing. If you are angered or upset by something on the list, do not respond immediately. Remember that once you send out your message, it cannot be retrieved.

4. Make sure the information you are sending to the list is appropriate to the entire list, rather than for the information of one person, to whom it might rather be sent directly.

5. The co-editors may cluster several messages that relate to one topic or discussion thread, resulting in a delay of a day or two before you see your message posted.

6. When receiving several similar responses to a query, the co-editors may post the first response only, in order to avoid mailbox clutter. Authors of subsequently arriving messages that do not add further information are asked for their indulgence.

7. As a service to its members, H-France publishes requests for and offers of housing of interest to its members. The publication of these notices does not constitute their endorsement by H-France, and H-France will reject housing notices that are discriminatory against any persons.

 

 

GENERAL (N)ETIQUETTE POLICIES

To facilitate a smooth operation of H-France according to the principles stated above, the co-editors ask all that all who submit messages observe the following guidelines:

1. Controversy is welcome on the list; personal vendetta is not. Please avoid sarcasm in your messages, as they will be returned to you for editing. Witticisms that may sound clever when said with a wink of the eye or a subtle tone of voice, often fall flat, or worse, in print.

2. Please make sure that your name and email address are on your message.

3. If replying to an H-France message, please use the "reply-to" rather than the "from" button. This will make it clear that your message is intended for distribution to the list rather than for the co-editor only.

4. Please fill in the subject space in the header of your message. This will make it easier for other H-France readers to manage their own lists on incoming messages.

5. Re-read your message before you send it to the list. Treat your message as you would an article you are sending to a journal. Your message will be read by more than a thousand people all over the world. Consider your reputation in the eyes of all these people when you send a message to the list.

 

 

BOOK REVIEW GUIDELINES

For a downloadable and printable pdf file of the guidelines, click here.

 

Reviewing books is one of the most important aspects of H-France. With no printing costs involved, reviewers are able to write more in-depth analyses than most print journals would allow. H-France reviews are preserved on the H-France web page, where they are easily retrievable and searchable, anytime worldwide. In addition, individul reviews may be freely redistributed and reprinted electronically for nonprofit educational purposes, provided that full and accurate credit is given to the author, the date of publication, and its location on the H-France website. If you wish to copy or publish multiple reviews, you must obtain the permission of the Editor-in-Chief of H-France.

H-France is a service directed and operated by professional scholars of French history. It is because of the editors' willingness to volunteer their time and energy that the H-France review program is able to operate successfully. We would ask that you respect the editors' significant contributions by giving due diligence to the guidelines that follow. Preparing your review in accordance with them will be greatly appreciated by your colleagues who will edit your review.

 

I. EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

A. Effectiveness and Content

The most effective review will place the work within a broader context, explaining what important issues are worth the attention of scholars. Reviews should include a summary of the scope, purpose, and content of the work and its significance in the literature of the subject. Also, reviews should evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the work, paying attention to the use of sources, methodology, and argumentation in light of the work's stated purpose. For works designed for classroom use, the review should consider its success and/or limitations as a pedagogical tool and indicate the level of student for which the work was designed and is appropriate.

B. Audience

Reviewers should assume a university-educated audience with particular knowledge and interest in French history and culture; however, H-France includes subscribers from many different disciplines and departments, so it is important for a reviewer to provide sufficient information, whether historical, historiographical, or theoretical, so that his or her critique is clear to individuals outside of a specific sub-field.

C. Professionalism

Whether the evaluation of a work is favorable or unfavorable, reviewers should express criticism in courteous, temperate, and constructive terms. Reviewers are responsible for presenting a fair and balanced review and for treating authors with respect. H-France editors will be responsible for maintaining a constructive review process and may ask reviewers to reword or rewrite sections of their reviews. Reviewers will be given the opportunity to agree to all proposed substantive changes. H-France editors will have final determination on stylistic issues. H-France editors reserve the right not to post reviews and responses that violate H-France guidelines. At the discretion of the editors, the author of a work under review may be invited to prepare a response to the review, and the posting of a review may be delayed briefly to permit the author time to respond. Finally, it is essential that the review represent your individual scholarly judgment, so that we ask that you not include collaborators or designate someone else to prepare the review without first receiving permission from the Chief Review Editor.

D. Copyright Information

Reviewers publishing reviews on H-France Reviews grant and assign to the Society for French Historical Studies any and all rights covered by the Copyright Law of the United States and those of all foreign countries in and to the published review.  The Society for French Historical Studies grants to the Reviewer the unrestricted right to use his or her review for non-commercial purposes.

E. World Wide Web

All H-France solicited reviews will be published through the World Wide Web at: http://www/h-france.net .

 

II. STYLE GUIDELINES

The editorial guidelines given below are designed for reviews written in English. Reviews written in French should apply these same principles to their reviews, making the necessary adjustments for French rules on grammar and punctuation.

A. Header

All reviews must be headed with the full information concerning the book, using the following models:

Peter McPhee, Revolution and Environment in Southern France: Peasants, Lords, and Murder in the Corbières 1780-1830. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. xi + 272 pp. Maps, tables, figures, notes, bibliography, and index. $75.00 U.S. (cl). ISBN 0-19-820717-4; $24.00 U.S. (pb). ISBN 0-19-820717-X

Robert Aldrich and Martyn Lyons, eds., The Sphinx in the Tuileries and Other Essays in Modern French History: Papers Presented at the Eleventh George Rudé Seminar. Sydney: University of Sydney Press, 1999. vi + 399 pp. Notes. $54.00 U.S. (cl). ISBN 1-86487-026-5.

For film reviews:

Ben Lewis, director.  Blowing Up Paradise  60 min. DVD and VHS.  (First Run/Icarus Films, 2005).  $390.00 U.S.

In listing the publisher and place of publication in the header, there are three rules:

1. If the state is named in the name of the publisher, then it is not included in the place. So Lexington: University Press of Kentucky and Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.

2. We use "literary" abbreviations for states, rather than postal codes; so Conn., not CT, Del., not DE.

3. Generally, if a publisher has U.S. and non-U.S. offices, we try to list one of each, since folks all over the world access the web pages. So Cambridge University Press is Cambridge and New York. This is only true for the bibliography on the book under review (not in the notes).

Please remember that books have "Forewords"--not Forwards.

Abbreviations:

The "N" in ISBN stands for Number, so don't say, "ISBN No."

Following the bibliographic reference, all reviews should carry the following line, adapted as appropriate: Review by [reviewer's name, reviewer's institution].

The exact month and year of publication will be checked at the time the review is published to the list and web page.

B. Text

1. Length: H-France is flexible concerning the length of reviews. In general, reviews should be between 1500 and 2500 words but certainly may be shorter. If a review will exceed 2500 words, please consult with the editor.

2. Formatting: All reviews should be single spaced. Between paragraphs, a blank line should be inserted and new paragraphs should not be indented.

3. Endnotes: Reviewers must use endnotes rather than footnotes. The note citation in the text should be placed in a bracket, following any punctuation:

As Butel has argued, "The past never dies."[4] Jones further asserts...

PLEASE NOTE: If you submit your review as a word processed file attached to an email message (as most reviewers do), please make sure that your endnotes are prepared as part of the text, NOT as superscripted numbers created by an automated endnote function in your word processing program. Also, please make sure that the notes themselves, appearing at the end of the text, are NOT prepared with an automated program. These automated programs create considerable extra work for the editors when they transform your word processed reviews into email messages in preparation for distribution to the list.

4. Page Number References to Text Under Review

Page numbers should be supplied for all quoted passages or to reference particular points of interest or importance. The page number reference should be placed in parentheses and set inside of any punctuation marks (notice how this differs from the endnotes that are placed in brackets and set outside of any punctuation marks):

"... does not really answer the question" (pp. 235-36).

5. Varia: Dates, Numbers, Percentages, Ellipses, Dashes

6. Capitalizations

7. Use of Italics

Italicize ALL foreign words and short phrases. Try to avoid foreign words and phrases if an acceptable English alternative exists.

Exceptions:

a. Do NOT italicize long quotes in other languages contained by quotation marks. Accepted usage is that words in foreign quotes are ONLY italicized if that is how they appeared in the original. The reason for this is because the words are not "foreign" in the original.

b. Do NOT italicize foreign terms commonly used in English (e.g., modus operandi, fait accompli, ancien regime). Consult the Oxford English Dictionary to determine whether or not a word is accepted in English.

c. Do NOT italicize names of institutions, parties, and place names (e.g. Chambre de l'Édit, Parti Communist, and Palais Royal).

C. Reviewers of Edited Collections

Please include a "LIST OF ESSAYS" (with the author's name and title of each article/chapter) immediately after the text.

D. Notes

Endnotes are placed after the text (and List of Essays for edited collections) but before the attribution of authorship and copyright notices, following the word "NOTES".

Any book, edited collection, essay in edited collection, article, dissertation/thesis, or web site referred to in the body of the review is to be fully referenced in an endnote, including full publication information and/or URL.

Full publication information must conform to the following formats:

Book: Charles Zika, Exorcising Our Demons: Magic, Witchcraft and Visual Culture in Early Modern Europe (Leiden: Brill, 2003).

Edited collection: Robert Aldrich and Martyn Lyons, eds., The Sphinx in the Tuileries and Other Essays in Modern French History: Papers Presented at the Eleventh George Rudé Seminar (Sydney: University of Sydney Press, 1999).

Essay in edited collection: Gary Kates, "Jews into Frenchmen: Nationality and Representation in Revolutionary France," in Ferenc Fehér ed., The French Revolution and the Birth of Modernity (Berkeley and Los Angeles: The University of California Press, 1990), pp. 105-107.

Article: Gary Savage, "Favier's Heirs: The French Revolution and the Secret du Roi, Historical Journal 41(1998):225-258.

Dissertation/Thesis: Marilyn Kay Chatham Goldman, "Jewish Fringes Texas Fabric: Nineteenth Century Jewish Merchants Living Texas Reality and Myth," (Ph.D. dissertation/M.A. Thesis, Texas A&M University, 2003).

Newspaper:     Peter Schütter and Bertrand Müller, “Faut-il brûler Lucien Febvre?” Le Monde, Feb. 8, 1995, 13.  

Web site: full URL along with date cited.

E. Attribution of Authorship

Immediately preceding the copyright statement, the authorship line should be placed, appearing as follows:

Jay M. Smith
University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill
jaysmith@email.unc.edu

All reviews will carry the following H-France copyright statement at the bottom of the review:

Copyright © 2008 by the Society for French Historical Studies, all rights reserved. The Society for French Historical Studies permits the electronic distribution of individual reviews for nonprofit educational purposes, provided that full and accurate credit is given to the author, the date of publication, and the location of the review on the H-France website. The Society for French Historical Studies reserves the right to withdraw the license for redistribution/republication of individual reviews at any time and for any specific case. Neither bulk redistribution/republication in electronic form of more than five percent of the contents of H-France Review nor re-publication of any amount in print form will be permitted without permission. For any other proposed uses, contact the Editor-in-Chief of H-France. The views posted on H-France Review are not necessarily the views of the Society for French Historical Studies.

F. Submission of Review

The review may be submitted as an email attachment or in the body of an email. Unless otherwise informed, please submit the review to Michael Wolfe at: wolfe.michael1@gmail.com..

If you have further questions regarding the preparation of reviews, please contact Professor Wolfe at the email address above.

Last updated: July 30, 2008.

 

 

POLICY ON ALLEGATIONS OF MISAPPROPRIATED SCHOLARSHIP

The following outlines the procedures used when a reviewer brings an accusation of Misappropriated Scholarship in a review commissioned by H-France for publication in H-France Review.

1. A reviewer brings evidence of misappropriated scholarship in a book that he/she has been asked to review.

2. The Chief Book Review Editor and Editor-in-Chief make an initial determination, based upon the reviewer's presentation of this evidence, as to whether or not there is substantial evidence that the author of the book has made unattributed use of other scholars' ideas and arguments.

A. If the evidence is not substantial, the editors communicate such to the reviewer and arrange for the review to be re-written or cancelled.

B. If the evidence is substantial, the Chief Book Review Editor and Editor-in-Chief work with the reviewer to prepare a review that provides clear evidence of the allegation being made. Since H-France reviews are not limited by space considerations, appendices can be provided that use side-by-side text comparison to demonstrate appropriated material. In addition, the Editors can guide the reviewer towards wording that expresses the problems of scholarly integrity within a work without using inflammatory language.

3. The Editor-in-Chief appoints two persons from the Editorial Board, to be joined by two persons appointed by the Executive Director of the Society for French Historical Studies (SFHS), to a Review Committee to have authority over any publication decisions.

4. The Editor-in-Chief presents the review to the Review Committee, seeking its authorization to proceed with publication. The Committee will seek legal counsel if it believes it should.

5. The Review Committee may:

A. reject publication of the review if it concludes that the review does not substantiate its charges or that the review's allegations are excessive.

B. pass the review back to the Editors, requiring revisions before publication, which the Editors will pursue with the reviewer.

C. approve the review for publication.

6. Once the Review Committee approves publication of the review, the Editor-in-Chief will contact the author of the book in question, offering him or her the opportunity to prepare a timely response essay. In addition, the author of the book may request that the Review Committee reconsider its authorization to publish based upon evidence that the author provides which demonstrates that the evidence provided by the reviewer in the review misunderstands or misrepresents the material presented in the book. If the author of the book chooses not to write a response essay or fails to write one in a timely manner (generally within three weeks), The Editor-in-Chief may proceed with publication of the review.

7. Once the response essay is submitted to the Editor-in-Chief, the Editor-in-Chief and the Chief Book Review Editor edit the response essay in consultation with the author of the book.

8. When the Editors and the author of the book agree on a final text for the response essay, the response essay is given to the Review Committee for its approval before publication.

9. The Review Committee may approve or seek revisions of the response essay. Once the Review Committee authorizes publication, the Editor-in-Chief will then seek final preparation for publication to the list and web page of the review and the response essay.