Print files

•	Print on 8 ½ x 11 sheets, double-spaced, print on one side only.
•	Start numbering from page 1 of the text (do not paginate the front matter).
•	Start each chapter on a new page.
•	Limit yourself to 3 levels of headings and subheadings to simplify the structure of the work. Apply these levels consistently throughout the text.
•	Footnotes – prepare as endnotes at the end of each chapter.
•	Keep a copy of your submission.

Electronic files

•	CCH accepts files prepared using Microsoft Word for Windows or WordPerfect for Windows. We can work with most versions, but prefer the most current possible. Please do not send Macintosh files.
•	Label each disk clearly with your name, the title of the manuscript, the disk’s contents, and the software program used. Keep back-up copies.
•	Separate e-mail files into chapters or sections to avoid transmitting large data files.
•	Format your document as little as possible, since most formatting will be stripped out in the conversion process during editing and production.
•	Use a standard font such as Times Roman, 11 point. Heads can be differentiated in a sans serif font such as Arial (level 1 head - 14 point, level 2 head - 12 point, level 3 head - 11 point).
•	You can use bold face or italic type as you wish.
•	Don’t worry about bad line or page breaks, e.g., widows and orphans.
•	Always use numeral keys for numbers (don’t use capital letter O for zero or lower-case l for the number one).
•	List footnotes as endnotes at the end of each chapter rather than using an automated footnote function. We can reset them as footnotes later, after data conversion.
•	Use the tab key to indent a paragraph or to align elements in a table or column. Do not use the space key to indent or align text.
•	Space only once between sentences or after a semi-colon or a colon.
•	Enter an extra line between paragraphs, and between paragraphs and headers.
•	Use the spell-check tool.
•	Keep a back-up copy of all your files. Make any further revisions on another copy.

Software Products and Workflow Tools

We do not have a standard set of guidelines for submitting content for software products since our requirements differ from project to project. However, we will provide authors with specific details for submission of materials once the product opportunity has been fully evaluated and outlined by the business development team.

For example, in some cases the content will consist of written text that is to be incorporated into a software product. In this case, we would accept MS Word or WP files. We will review each project submitted and discuss appropriate options with the author in a timely and efficient manner.


Copyright and Permissions

If you include material taken from a work owned by another individual or organization, you may need to acquire permission from the original source. All quoted material must be properly credited and cited, regardless of permissions.

Generally, you need permission to use a long excerpt from a short document, or to reprint a significant total amount from a single source document, in one or more excerpts. The importance of the borrowed material to your discussion is also significant: the piece may be short, but if it illustrates the whole point of your argument, it must be cleared for permission.

As a rule of thumb, you should acquire permissions for any excerpt that runs to more than 200 words from a single source document. For a short document (for instance, a journal article), the limit would be 100 words. Trademarks are also protected and require permission to use, as does any proprietary information copied from the Internet, where indicated.

No permission is required for material that is in the public domain, which includes items for which the copyright has expired, or was never registered. In Canada, copyright protection extends for the life of the author plus 50 years. (Some countries have extended that term to 70 years.) Government legislation is generally considered to be in the public domain (i.e., statutes and regulations), but some other government publications need to be cleared for use (e.g., guidelines and procedures documents).

Permissions can take weeks or months to clear, so the process must begin as early as possible. Contact the publishers of the works concerned: if they do not hold the copyright they will forward the request as appropriate. CCH has a standard Permission Request Form available for your use.

Reference Books

Preferred Dictionary: The Canadian Oxford Dictionary.


Recommended Style Guides:

General purpose: The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Tax and Accounting: The Canadian Tax Foundation Style Guide.
Legal: Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 4th Edition. Toronto: Carswell, 1998 (“The McGill Guide”).
CCH Canadian House Style

Punctuation

Dates

Numbers

Capitalization

Italicization

Lists

Whatever style you follow for lists, try to be consistent throughout your document.

Footnotes

Examples of notes:

1. Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42, s. 29 as amended.
2. Ibid. at ss. 29.3 and 29.4.
3. Hughes, J. “The Theory of Capitulation” (1999) 14 Hornsey Law Rev. 120. For further discussion see J. Brown, “Theory discredited” (2000) 21 Cap. L.J. 15.
4. J. Brown, ibid.
5. Hughes, supra note 3.
6. Supra note 1, at s. 80.