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Classic Manuscript Format
Important note: Both versions of this article contain identical text.
The only differences are font and a few minor formatting elements.
If a publication specifically asks for “Shunn Classic” format, they mean you should use a Courier font, as below.
Shunn / Format / 3
for it in your contract. Until then, this is extraneous (and in
fact presumptuous) information.
Place the full title of your story a third to halfway down
the first page, centered on its own line. (The editor may use
that empty space to make notes for the production team.) Double-
space once down and center your byline below the title. Your
byline indicates the name that gets credit for the story when
it’s published. This is not necessarily the same as your legal
name up top, which is the one that will be printed (we hope) on
your check. It could be a pen name, or a variation on your legal
name. Even if the two names are identical, each must appear in
its appointed slot.
Double-space two more times down, and that’s where you’ll
start the actual text of your story. As a matter of fact, you
should set your line spacing to double from here forward, because
the full text of your story should be double-spaced. Text reads
more quickly when it has room to breathe, but more importantly
the editor needs room between the lines to mark up your
manuscript with her trusty blue pencil. (This is the case even
with electronic manuscripts, which can be marked up with a stylus
on a tablet screen.)
The first line of every paragraph should be indented one
half-inch from the left margin. Do not place extra line spaces
between paragraphs, as is the common practice in online writing.
First-line indentation is sufficient to indicate that a new
paragraph has begun. (You can set the paragraph formatting in
Last updated 12 July 2021
“Proper Manuscript Format” by William Shunn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Go deeper with More on Formatting, William Shunn’s look at advanced topics in manuscript formatting. Submit your questions to info at format dot ms. We regret that we cannot respond to all submissions individually, nor can we accept or open email attachments.