Submitting a Proposal

An editor should first submit a draft proposal to Christia Mercer and then (upon her recommendation) to Peter Ohlin, philosophy editor at OUP, who will have it peer-reviewed (Peter [dot] Ohlin [at] oup [dot] com).

Proposals should include:

• A summary of the goal of the series. This will help referees in assessing the proposal. Editors can either use the Main Goals of the Series (see above) or compose their own version.
• A provisional summary of the volume, including predictions about its focus and arc. In effect, this is a preliminary version of the introduction. In most cases, 2-3 pages will suffice. This is the trickiest and most important part of the proposal. It needs to inform both the contributors and the outside readers about the volume’s focus before the details of the volume are in place. Questions to address are: what debates does the concept engage and what problems is it supposed to solve? Some concepts shift in meaning and centrality. Do the problems that the concept is supposed to solve change significantly? Try to offer some predictions about the overall arc of the volume and a series of questions that articulate its main concerns. The questions will keep the contributors focused. See Models (related web document) for examples of successful proposals.
• A list of contents, including a brief abstract of each chapter (3-5 sentences) and a bio of each contributor 1-2 sentences). Attention should be paid that these are internally consistent and summarize the point of that chapter and its relation to the questions posed by the editor.
• Ideas about 3 or 4 Reflections. These suggestions may be very preliminary.
• Ideas about the desirability of a Lexicon.
• Time-line, including proposed deadlines for chapter drafts, workshop, and completed manuscript.

Editors should feel free to contact the series editor, Christia Mercer, with questions.

• Main Elements

Manuscripts will be submitted to Lucy Randall at [email protected]. Chapters and Reflections should be submitted as individual files in Word in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. They should employ US style and punctuation for the sake of consistency throughout the volume. Contributors should please stay within the word count limit stated on their contributor agreements.

Contributor Biography: Each contributor will need to send the responsible volume editor a brief biography of about 50 words to include in the front matter of the volume. Volume editors will be tasked with compiling these in alphabetical order and sending them to OUP with the manuscript files.

Table of Contents: Because OPC books will be part of Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO), it is important that each and every chapter be linked to the main concept of the book when people use the search function on the OSO site, so each chapter should contain the concept in its title. For example, each chapter in the Sympathy volume includes ‘sympathy’ in its title. Titles should be kept rather simple, but the editor will ultimately decide on what is appropriate. See Tables of Contents in the books already published here. Chapters will be numbered, though Reflections will not be. They will appear in the Table of Contents without numbers, but with titles like Reflection: Eternity in Music (in the Eternity volume).

Abstracts and Key Words: For use in cataloging OSO and not in the published volumes themselves, contributors are required to submit an abstract of about 150 words and 5-10 key words for their chapters. When writing these, please make sure to compose abstracts in the third person. Volume editors, in addition to submitting an abstract of 150 words or fewer and 5-10 keywords for their introductions, must submit an abstract of 250 words or fewer summarizing the entire volume and 5-10 keywords that convey the main ideas of the volume as a whole. If you need further guidance on writing abstracts and keywords, contact Lucy Randall (email above).

Chapters will be submitted as individual, clearly labeled Word files with appropriate bibliographical materials (see below). Authors are asked to submit chapters with properly formatted footnotes and the bibliography for their work.

Reflections will be inserted between chapters of the main text as the editor sees fit. Unlike the chapters, the Reflections will not be numbered. The latter will be set off as autonomous units in the book. The editor should suggest where the Reflections be placed.

Reflection authors will submit their text, along with its images, appropriate captions, and copyright information. For help with copyright matters, see below.

Bibliography and Notes:

• IMPORTANT: OPC volumes will have footnotes (rather than end notes) and these must use the longer form of Chicago Manual of Style citation style and not the shorter author-date form of citation. For examples and instructions, see the Chicago Manual of Style.
• Editors will want to coordinate abbreviations for their volumes. For their assistance, OUP has compiled a list of abbreviations that have been used in previous OPC volumes, which can be obtained from Lucy Randall (email above) or Jamie Chu ([email protected]).
• Contributors should provide a full bibliography at the end of their papers, which can be used for compiling a master bibliography for the volume. These bibliographies, when compiled by volume editors, will need to be separated into Primary and Secondary sources.
• It will be important to have a thorough index, which volume editors will be asked to compile when the book is in production and the page proofs have been prepared. The OUP production team will provide the volume editors with indexing guidelines when the time comes

A few notes on style:

* Across the board in the OPC series, the term “western” will not be capitalized (except when at the beginning of a sentence) and the OUP-hired copy-editors will be instructed accordingly. Likewise, the term “counter-reformation” should not be capitalized, and the same goes for any of the traditional names used for classic periodizations. Where possible, please be aware of this in communicating with contributors before they write chapters and in writing your own pieces for OPC volumes. This goes for similar terms. If you are in doubt about a term that will be used frequently in your volume, please consult with Christia.

*The term “neo-platonic” will not be used in the OPC series. Rather, ‘Platonism’ and ‘Platonist’ will be used with specific periods noted. E.g., “The important fifteenth-century Platonist, Marsilio Ficino argues ….”

*If contributors are referring to something that comes up in a Reflection elsewhere in the volume, please make sure that they capitalize “Reflection”.

Images and Permissions: Any contributor whose chapters include illustrations and images will need to apply for and obtain permission for using the material (including print, online, and e-book permissions, which sometimes require separate applications) before submitting their final chapters to the volume editor.

Contributors will be asked to provide their volume editors with confirmation or proof that images are in the public domain or have been cleared for use in the OPC volume. Volume editors should compile this documentation and send it to OUP at the time of submitting the manuscript.

To be clear, the onus is on contributors to investigate whether or not images are in the public domain, require permission, and have been granted permission for all the formats of the OPC book (online, e-book, and print formats). If these steps are not taken or there is a delay in hearing from contributors on image-related matters once the manuscript is in OUP’s hands, the images will not be included in the volume.

• Coordinating text and image: At the place in the text where the image or illustration will appear, there should be a call out, which should have the format [INSERT FIGURE 1 HERE].
• Images and illustrations should be submitted in a separate file with the figure number (relating to the call out). The images should be TIF or JPG files of 300 dots per inch or higher and the image as it appears in the electronic file should be at least as large as you want it to appear in the printed book, keeping in mind that the trim size of OPC volumes is 5 ½ inches by 8 ¼ inches. If images do not meet these standards, the production editor will need to pull them from the manuscript, which will be a shame as images tied to Reflections are a key feature of OPC volumes.
• Captions should be submitted, numbered and in proper order (coordinated with the call out number) in a separate Word file.

II. Finding Free Images*

A. If you don’t have a specific image in mind and just want to browse…

1. http://search.creativecommons.org/: Website that provides links to free images from almost any conceivable category. Has a search function that allows you to search multiple providers of Creative Commons images from a single webpage. Included providers are Europeana, Google Images, Flickr, Fotopedia, Jamenda, Open Clip Art Library, SpinXpress, Wikimedia Commons, You Tube.

If you have a specific image in mind…these two links are the surest-bets for finding the image you want quickly. Keep in mind however, both sites can also be searched through the above “creative commons” link (#1).

2. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page: Provides millions of images that are free to use and covers a vast range of material. The site allows a user to either search using his/her own keywords, or browse by content-related links, including various topics, locations, and media. This website is also searched by the above “creative commons” link.

B: Need something more specific? The following sites also provide free images, but the content is much more focused:

1. http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm/ Provides free access to thousands of images digitized from the The New York Public Library’s collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, and photographs.

2. http://www.artstor.org Images for Academic Publishing (IAP) hosted through ARTstor. Scholars at subscribing ARTstor institutions can access publication-quality images for use in scholarly publications free of charge through the ARTstor Digital Library. To find IAP images, simply add “IAP” to your search criteria. An icon reading “IAP” is located directly beneath the thumbnail image in your search results. Please note, only images designated “IAP” are free-use. In order to use any other images found through the ARTstor website, the user will need to verify the Terms of User that the provider has specified. This information is usually available in the photo’s attached information; to access, click the “i” icon under the image.

C. Still can’t find what you’re looking for? These sites provide links to images that are SOMETIMES free to use. Both sites cover a range of material, but the content is confined to that held in the respective repositories. A good place to find images if you have a general idea of a type of image you’re seeking but no specific image in mind.

1. http://discover.odai.yale.edu/ydc/ Cross Collection Discovery (CCD) provides a way to search across Yale’s collections of art, natural history, books, and maps, as well as photos, audio, and video documenting people, places, and events that form part of Yale’s institutional identity and contribution to scholarship.
-this database includes data from the Yale museums that is free to use, including:
-Yale University Art Gallery includes objects in the following categories: African art, Asian art, American decorative objects, American paintings and sculpture, Ancient art, art of the Ancient Americas, Coins and Medals, European Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Prints, Drawings and Photographs.
-Yale Center for British Art also provides images of British art in their collection from the medieval to the contemporary. Includes paintings, drawings, watercolors, books and manuscripts.
-Yale Peabody Museum: Natural History Museum with images related to Botany, Anthropology, Zoology, Historical Scientific instruments, minerology.
**Objects in Yale collections are free to use, but this site does provide some material that is restricted. Please refer to the individual repository website and to the rights information in the record for each item.**

2. http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml A website that provides links to other sites with free-use images, most related to the US government or government agencies. Search by categories, including: Defense and International Relations, Environment, Energy, and Agriculture, General Government, Health and Nutrition, History, Arts, and Culture, Money and Taxes, Public Safety and Law, Science and Technology (includes NASA photos).
**Not all images discoverable on the linked sites is unrestricted. Before using an image found through the links on this site, the user must verify the rights information for the specific item in question.**

*Even if art is free and/or in the public domain, you still must cite it appropriately.

The option of last resort. If you have tried the options above and still can’t find what you need, the following resources allow you to purchase image rights. Make sure to consult with your volume editor before purchasing art for your chapter to make sure that you agree that the piece of art is essential to your chapter or Reflection.

1. http://www.granger.com/index.asp Search using a long list of keywords, countries and world regions. Includes material from prehistory to the present.

2. http://www.artres.com/ Search using your own keywords, pre-generated keywords, locations or artists.
3. http://www.bapla.org.uk/ British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies. Images for purchase. Rounds up major Image Suppliers in the UK. Includes images in the following categories: Abstract, Architecture, Art and Entertainment, Celebrities, Current Issues/Social Documentary, History, Industry and Commerce, Natural World, People and Culture/Lifestyle, Science and Technology, Sport, Transport, Travel, Geography.
4. http://www.mfa.org/collections/mfa-images Search for images in the database of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Prices for reproduction of an image range between $50-100, per image. Images are sorted into the following categories: Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania, The Ancient World, Contemporary Art, Photography, Prints and Drawings, Musical Instruments, Textiles and Fashion Arts, Jewelry.

Reflections and Images

            One of the most original aspects of OPC is the inclusion of interdisciplinary materials and related images. Commissioning and organizing Reflections is a challenge in some cases. Here’s some help.

• Reflections: Getting Them Right
• Images: Finding Them and Getting Rights

Reflections: Getting them Right

            What they are supposed to be: Reflections are short essays (about 1200-1600 words or 3-4 pages of printed text). Each is a self-contained unit, placed between chapters. They should be written by specialists in art, literature, music, religion, science, or other disciplines related to philosophy and should reflect on the concept from a new or surprising perspective. Reflections are not a way to fill gaps in the philosophical story. Rather, they should explore the boundary between philosophical and extra-philosophical materials and focus on particular examples. In other words, the point of Reflections is to use non-philosophical materials to enliven, enrich, or exemplify the philosophical concept. For examples of successful Reflections, see Reflections on the website. Reflection authors are encouraged to use images

How to make them work: Editors have sometimes found it challenging to find the right authors for Reflections. Strategies for finding appropriate authors are: enlist a friend or colleague in the relevant departments (e.g., music, art, biology) or ask such colleagues to identify talented advanced graduate students (although this should be the exception and not the rule). Feel free to confer with Christia Mercer. It is important to communicate clearly to the prospective Reflection author the set of problems discussed in the volume. A Reflection should engage (at least) one of these problems from the perspective of its author’s discipline. Please use the Reflections on the website as models.

IMPORTANT: Reflection authors will be allowed to put longer versions of their essays in companion web site for the volume along with videos, graphs, images, links to articles, and so on.

Illustrations and Images

Most Reflections and some chapters will use illustrations and images to illustrate points and enrich discussion. For models of Reflections and their use of illustrations, see the website. Lucy Randall at OUP ([email protected] ) will help editors and Reflection authors track down appropriate images and obtain  permissions where necessary. See Submitting a Manuscript.

Images and Permissions:

Contributors whose chapters or Reflections include images and illustrations will need to apply for and obtain permission for those images (or else make sure and provide proof that the images and illustrations are in the public domain) and must provide a usable, high-resolution image file for each piece of art that they wish to use. Otherwise, the art won’t be included in the volume.

• Coordinating text and image: At the place in the text where the image or illustration will appear, there should be a CALL OUT, which should have the format [INSERT FIGURE 1 HERE].
• Images and illustrations should be submitted in a separate file with the figure number (relating to the CALL OUT). The images should be TIF or JPG files of 300 dots per inch or higher and the image as it appears in the electronic file should be at least as large as you want it to appear in the printed book. If images do not meet these standards, the production editor will need to pull them from the manuscript.
• Captions should be submitted, numbered and in proper order (coordinated with the CALL OUT number) in a separate file.
• Permissions:  Clearing permissions is a tricky business these days. Lucy Randall at OUP will help. Many images are in the public domain and therefore don’t require permissions clearance, so we encourage you to explore those options before selecting art in order to keep costs low.
• To keep costs low, we recommend that authors search online to try to find inexpensive or free images. The following sites are good places to search.

Step One: Free Images:

• Remember, if you do choose to use art in the public domain, you will still need to submit it as a high-res digital file.

The best places to start for free images, with the widest topic coverage:

If you have a specific image in mind…this is the surest-bet for finding the image you want quickly.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page  Provides millions of images that are free to use and covers a vast range of material.  The site allows a user to either search using his/her own keywords, or browse by content-related links, including various topics, locations, and media.

The best places to start for free images, with more focused coverage:

The following sites also provide free images, but the content is much more focused:

1. http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm/  Provides free access to thousands of images digitized from the The New York Public Library’s collections, including illuminated manuscripts, historical maps, vintage posters, rare prints, and photographs.
2. http://www.artstor.org  Images for Academic Publishing (IAP) hosted through ARTstor. Scholars at subscribing ARTstor institutions can access publication-quality images for use in scholarly publications free of charge through the ARTstor Digital Library. To find IAP images, simply add “IAP” to your search criteria. An icon reading “IAP” is located directly beneath the thumbnail image in your search results.  Please note, only images designated “IAP” are free-use.  In order to use any other images found through the ARTstor website, the user will need to verify the Terms of User that the provider has specified.  This information is usually available in the photo’s attached information; to access, click the “i” icon under the image.

Step Two:

If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, these sites provide links to images that are SOMETIMES free to use.  Both sites cover a range of material, but the content is confined to that held in the respective repositories.  A good place to find images if you have a general idea of a type of image you’re seeking but no specific image in mind.

1.  http://discover.odai.yale.edu/ydc/   Cross Collection Discovery (CCD) provides a way to search across Yale’s collections of art, natural history, books, and maps, as well as photos, audio, and video documenting people, places, and events that form part of Yale’s institutional identity and contribution to scholarship.

• this database includes data from the Yale museums that is free to use, including:
• Yale University Art Gallery includes objects in the following categories: African art, Asian art, American decorative objects, American paintings and sculpture, Ancient art, art of the Ancient Americas, Coins and Medals, European Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Prints, Drawings and Photographs.
• Yale Center for British Art also provides images of British art in their collection from the medieval to the contemporary.  Includes paintings, drawings, watercolors, books and manuscripts.
• Yale Peabody Museum: Natural History Museum with images related to Botany, Anthropology, Zoology, Historical Scientific instruments, mineralogy.

**Objects in Yale collections are free to use, but this site does provide some material that is restricted.  Please refer to the individual repository website and to the rights information in the record for each item.**

2.   http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml  A website that provides links to other sites with free-use images, mostly related to the US government or government agencies.  Search by categories, including: Defense and International Relations, Environment, Energy, and Agriculture, General Government, Health and Nutrition, History, Arts, and Culture, Money and Taxes, Public Safety and Law, Science and Technology (includes NASA photos).

Step Three:

The option of last resort.  If you have tried the options above and still can’t find what you need, the following resources allow you to purchase image rights.

1.  http://www.granger.com/index.asp  Search using a long list of keywords, countries and world regions.  Includes material from prehistory to the present.

2.  http://www.artres.com/  Search using your own keywords, pre-generated keywords, locations or artists.

3.  http://www.bapla.org.uk/  British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies.  Images for purchase.  Rounds up major Image Suppliers in the UK.  Includes images in the following categories: Abstract, Architecture, Art and Entertainment, Celebrities, Current Issues/Social Documentary, History, Industry and Commerce, Natural World, People and Culture/Lifestyle, Science and Technology, Sport, Transport, Travel, Geography.

4.  http://www.mfa.org/collections/mfa-images  Search for images in the database of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.  Prices for reproduction of an image range between $50-100, per image.  Images are sorted into the following categories: Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania, The Ancient World, Contemporary Art, Photography, Prints and Drawings, Musical Instruments, Textiles and Fashion Arts, Jewelry.

Published volumes

Volumes under contract

Volumes in the works

The goal of Oxford Philosophical Concepts is to offer historically sound accounts of central concepts in the history of philosophy. Each volume is a history of its concept written by eminent scholars. Each traces the concept’s original inception through its transformations to its modern use. Each presents the underlying problems that the concept was supposed to solve and explains how approaches to the concept – and sometimes the concept itself – shifted in order to solve those problems. Each volume’s editor is responsible to set its focus, gather the best international scholars as contributors, and organize a workshop for its authors. Volumes include lexicons and thorough indices.

Recent scholarship has made evident the benefits of reexamining the standard narrative about the history of western philosophy and broadening our philosophical sources. Editors are encouraged to rethink conventional periodizations and reconsider contributions by women and by Islamic, Judaic, and other traditions. One of the most innovative features of OPC is its recognition of the rich relation that art, architecture, music, literature, science, religion, and other cultural practices have with philosophy. Historians in all fields flirt with philosophical ideas, while historians of philosophy have learned the philosophical benefits of greater contextualization. OPC Reflections speak to this need for smart interdisciplinary exchange between philosophy and non-philosophical materials.  OUP expects the series to have a broad international appeal and will publish the books as inexpensive paperbacks and include them in OUP’s subscription-based digital archive, Oxford Scholarship Online. OPC volumes will interest students and scholars across academic fields and historical periods

Christia Mercer is the Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. She studied art history in New York and Rome, before going to graduate school in philosophy. Since publishing Leibniz’s Metaphysics: Its Origins and Development in 2001, she has published papers on early modern Platonism and its centrality in early modern thought. Her most recent awards include: Sovern Fellowship, American Academy, Rome, Italy (2010); Senior Fellowship, Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel, Germany (2013); Resident Fellowship, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy (2013); and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2012-13).

Mercer gave the Ernst Cassirer Lectures at the University of Hamburg in 2005, won the 2008 Columbia College Great Teacher Award, and the 2012 Mark van Doren Award, which annually recognizes a professor for “commitment to undergraduate instruction, as well as for humanity, devotion to truth and inspiring leadership.” She is presently finishing a book, Radical Rationalism: The Philosophy of Anne Conway.

Introduction

Part I: Ancient and Medieval 
Ch. 1: Aristotle and the Discovery of the Efficient Cause (Thomas M. Tuozzo)
Ch. 2: The Stoics and Galenic Medicine (R. J. Hankinson)
IR 1: Representations of Causation in the Iliad (Tobias Meyers)
Ch. 3: Late Antiquity and the Earlier Medieval Era (Ian WIlks)
Ch. 4:  Later Medieval Philosophy (Kara Richardson)
IR 2: Medieval Sacramental Theology

Part II:  Early Modern
Ch. 5: From Suarez to Descartes (Tad M. Schmaltz)
IR 3: Causation and Musical Inspiration (Ann Harwell Celenza)
Ch. 6: Spinoza and Leibniz (Martin Lin)
IR4:   Machines and Reason in Leibniz (Matthew L. Jones)
Ch. 7: Malebranche and Berkeley (Lisa Downing)

Part III:  Later Modern and Contemporary
Ch. 8:  Hume (Peter Kail)
Ch. 9: Kant (Eric Watkins)
Ch. 10: Contemporary Themes: Humean (Douglas Ehring)
Ch. 11: Contemporary Themes: Aristotelian (Stephen Mumford)

For models of Invitation Letters for Chapter contributors, click here

For models of Invitation Letters for Reflection contributors, click here

Workshops

To maximize collaboration among authors and encourage philosophical coherence, volume editor(s) are encouraged to have workshops. Each workshop has three main goals. It will set a firm deadline for contributions, allow scholars to discuss their work, and make the volume as consistent in terminology and ideas as possible. Having exchanged drafts of chapters ahead of time, contributors will be able to discuss their ideas and coordinate their efforts at the workshop. Each workshop will also encourage a broader interdisciplinary range than historians of philosophy usually attempt. Workshop organizers are encouraged to invite specialists from other disciplines with the aim of approaching the concept from other perspectives (artistic, cultural, literary, and so on). Many editors will want to arrange their own workshop. I am hoping to find funding for a few at Columbia. Let me know if you would be interested, although I cannot make any promises!

Efficient Causation Workshop Program

Eternity Workshop Program