Dear all
this is currently under development. Comments welcomed
best wishes
davidz for the Vestiges editors
As an initiative to promote life writing in Africa we introduce the
<<Vestiges Biographical Notes Series>>
Vestiges: Traces of Record
http://www.vestiges-journal.info/
This will allow the rapid publication of shorter (or longer)
biographical notices about prominent individuals who are no longer with
us (see appendix for guidance about notes on the living). We envision
these notes as providing guidance for future historians, alerting them
to possible subjects for further research.
Templates
We provide templates in English and French. These outline the minimum
which is required. We will happily include longer, more elaborate
entries and, with the permissions of the families involved, we can also
include funerary orations and video but these must stand as appendices
rather than the main entries. Note that this series is published under a
Creative Commons CC BY license so it may be used by Wikipedia.
Template: Headings
Summary
Basic information: date and place of birth, date and place of death. A
few sentences about their significance.
Early life
Career
Notable Achievements
Awards/ Honours/ Public Recognition
References
Other Sources
Appendices: funerary eulogies, commemorative video, photographs
Note on length: there is no fixed requirement for the length of the
Biographical Notes. We expect they will be mainly from 300 to 1000 words.
We recognise that for many people, for example, in rural Africa, there
are no or very few documentary sources. If the Biographical Note is
based on oral testimony the names of the interviewees should be given in
Other Sources. If anonymity has been promised please explain why this
was deemed necessary.
Note on publication schedules etc
Unlike the main journal this series is not governed by the notion of
issues: notes will be published as soon as they are submitted and edited
with a referring Date and Sequence number and later included in an
official issue of Vestiges
Appendix: Note on Entries on Living People
Sadly we cannot accept Entries on Living People without their explicit
permission – such is the concern about the possibility of litigation we
need a signed letter of approval of the text and for its publication in
Vestiges from the research subject if they are still living at the time
of writing.
Template
I the undersigned ____________________ have seen the text of the
biographical summary prepared by ___________________ and I approve its
publication in the Vestiges Biographical Notes Series.
This letter stands as certification that I will not make any claim
against the author or Vestiges for libel or on any other ground on the
basis of the text published in Vestiges Journal.