Home PublicationsABI Journal Submission Guidelines

ABI reserves the right to edit all articles for content and style. All articles are reviewed by the VP-Publications, the Executive Editors and an Associate Editor prior to publication. You must be an ABI member to contribute articles to the Journal. All articles submitted for publication must be first-run articles that have not been previously published, and you will be required to sign a publication agreement for this reason. For a PDF of the publication agreement, scroll to the bottom of the page.

Suggested Article Length

Columns: 2,500-3,000 words (between 6 and 9 columns)

Articles of substantial length may be published in two or more parts. ABI reserves the right to edit articles due to space constraints, and only when necessary. Articles will be published either as Features or within a Column, depending on space and availability.

Submitting Your Article

All articles must be submitted in an editable electronic format, preferrably via e-mail. ABI does not retype articles. Documents can be saved as WordPerfect or Microsoft Word. E-mail the attached document to Carolyn Kanon at ckanon@abiworld.org.

It is important to submit your articles by the deadline given. Authors are invited to submit a head shot (color is preferred, but black and white is acceptable) for use with the article. Electronic images must be 300 dpi for optimal print quality, and at least 2" x 3". Photos from Web sites are too low-resolution and are unusable. Hard copies of photos can be scanned at ABI to the proper resolution.

Format

Headlines: center at top of page, bold. NO all caps or small caps. Always include a headline.

Bylines: center and italicize the following beneath the title if you are on the Journal Editorial Board. Always include a byline.

Subheads: bold subheads, upper/lower case.

Margins: one inch on top, bottom, left and right.

Page Numbers: do not include page numbers.

Graphics

Charts and graphs may be placed in your document as you want them to appear, but always include the original images in a separate file (e.g., Excel-generated charts used should be sent in their original Excel file or a pdf) and e-mail them in addition to the original article.

Quotes

Indicate quotes with quotation marks. If applicable, indicate emphasis added in parenthesis at the end of the quote. If you are omitting the beginning, end or any part of a sentence, use the ellipsis (...).

Pull-out Quotes

As space allows, pull-out quotes will be used to emphasize important thoughts. You may indicate potential pull-out quotes at the end of the article. Final determination will be made by the Editor-in-Chief.

Italics

Italicize names of cases. Use italics for emphasis (do not use underlines or bolds).

Cases

Titles: always italicize case names.

Cites: cite according to West Bankruptcy Reporter using B.R.; otherwise, use Blue Book Form.

Acronyms

When utilizing an acronym, refer to the item, bill or organization initially by its full title and the acronym in parentheses. On subsequent references, the acronym stands alone (e.g., The American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) is headquartered in Alexandria. ABI holds many conferences throughout the year).

ABI Members

If you mention a current ABI member, bold the full name. You can confirm member status by checking the online directory at ABI World.

Capitalization

Lowercase "state" in all references; lowercase professional titles unless they precede the person's name.

Commas

• In a simple series, omit the comma before the conjunction (e.g., The flag is red, white and blue).
• Use the serial comma if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction (e.g., I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast).
• Omit comma before Inc., Corp., Co., Ltd., L.P., P.C., etc. (e.g., Smith & Smith Inc.).
• Omit comma after name and before suffix (e.g., John A. Doe Jr.; John A. Doe Sr.; John A. Doe III).
• Omit comma following a month and preceding a year (e.g., February 1994 (not February, 1994)).
• Include commas when listing a full date (e.g., On Feb. 18, 2007, ABI announced its meeting).

Terminology

BAPCPA (the bankruptcy law enacted Oct. 17, 2005)
the Bankruptcy Code
the Code
the Bankruptcy Act (prior to 1978)
chapter 7, chapter 11, etc. (NOT capitalized)
Title 11
U.S. Trustee
panel trustee
bankruptcy judge
bankruptcy court
district court
Section 1031 (at the beginning of a sentence)
§1031 (within a sentence)
out-of-court
parties in interest
Supreme Court
pre-petition
post-petition
debtor-in-possession (use DIP on second reference)
court (uppercase only when naming a specific court and in all references to the U.S. Supreme Court)

Cities and States

When referring to a city, list the city and state unless the city is one of the following, in which the city stands alone:

In listings of cities and states, all states should be abbreviated except Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah.

State Abbreviations:

Spell out the names of the states when they stand alone in textual material (e.g., The floods in Missouri were devastating).

Questions

If you have any questions about Journal guidelines, please contact Carolyn Kanon (ckanon@abiworld.org) at (703) 739-0800.