MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Guidelines in accordance with the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

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The journal accepts only original manuscripts in Polish or English. Texts must not have been previously published in any language, nor may they be simultaneously under review by another journal.

Artifex Novus (AN) accepts the following types of manuscripts:

• Research articles (up to 40,000 characters including spaces) – original papers presenting new research findings, theoretical analyses, fundamental research, and other contributions falling within the scope of the journal.
• Review articles (up to 15,000 characters including spaces) – papers containing synthetic and critical reviews of scholarly monographs in the fields of art history and architectural history. They should present the main arguments, methodology, structure, and significance of the reviewed publication for the current state of research.
• Reports / In memoriam – reports on significant conferences, research projects, or scholarly events directly related to the Institute of Art History or to other academic events organized at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw (UKSW).

All submitted manuscript types must comply with the general formatting requirements presented on this website, the AN manuscript template, and the ethical standards adopted by the Editorial Board.

1. TEXT FORMATTING

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• File format: Microsoft Word (.docx)
• Margins: 5 cm on all sides
• Font (main text): Times New Roman, 12 pt
• Line spacing (main text): 5
• Font (footnotes): Times New Roman, 10 pt
• Line spacing (footnotes): 0
• Alignment: justified (full justification)
• Bold should be used exclusively for headings in the main text.
• Italics should be used exclusively for the titles of cited works and foreign-language expressions.

! Please DO NOT use:

• manual tabs for text alignment,
• non-breaking spaces to control line breaks,
• manual line breaks (Shift+Enter) to force the end of a line,
• manual adjustment of letter spacing or deletion of individual characters at the ends of lines.

2. MANUSCRIPT LENGTH AND STRUCTURE

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• Research article should not exceed 55,000 characters including spaces (including the main text of up to 40,000 characters including spaces, a Polish-language abstract of 600-800 characters including spaces, an extended English abstract of 1,800-2,500 characters including spaces for articles published in Polish, as well as 5-10 keywords, the bibliography, and all required statements).
• Review article should not exceed 18,000 characters including spaces (including the main text of up to 15,000 characters including spaces, Polish and English abstracts of up to 600-800 characters including spaces each, as well as 3-6 keywords and a bibliography containing at least four scholarly publications cited in the review).
• The article should contain:

1. Title (in Polish and English).
2. Author information: author name(s) and surname(s), affiliation (name of the university and institute), ORCID, and correspondence e-mail address.
3. Main text – may be continuous or divided into sections/subsections. For section and subsection titles, use the built-in Microsoft Word heading styles: Heading 1 – titles of the main parts of the article (e.g., “1. Introduction”, “2. Background”, “3. Results and/or Discussion”, “4. Conclusion”); Heading 2 – subsections (e.g., “2.1. ...”); Heading 3 – sub-subsections (e.g., “2.1.1. ...”), if needed. Body paragraphs (use the “Normal” style). AN Word template should be applied after the completion of the peer-review process and language editing. A manuscript prepared in accordance with the template will have the correct semantic structure, facilitating the production of an accessible digital version of the publication compliant with current legal requirements (European Accessibility Act, EAA). [TEMPLATE]

! Headings should not be created by manually changing the font size or by applying bold formatting alone.

4. Abstract (in Polish and English).
5. Keywords (in Polish and English).
6. Footnotes: placed at the bottom of the page and formatted in accordance with the journal’s editorial guidelines. [GUIDELINES]
7. Statements: Author Contributions (if there is more than one author), Funding, Bioethics Committee / Ethics Committee Statement, Data Availability Statement, AI Tools Statement, Conflict of Interest, Acknowledgements. [STATEMENTS]
8. References: divided into (1) archival sources / printed sources / typescripts, (2) scholarly literature, and (3) websites. Entries should be formatted in accordance with the journal’s editorial guidelines. [GUIDELINES]
9. Figures: should be numbered, included with the text file, and provided with appropriate captions. The location of each figure should be indicated in the main text by a reference in parentheses: (Fig. 1). [GUIDELINES]

3. FIGURES (including photographs, drawings, diagrams, maps, graphs, and reproductions)

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• A maximum of 10 figures may be included with an article. In exceptional cases, where duly justified on scholarly grounds, a larger number may be accepted with the approval of the Editorial Team.
• Format: JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg), TIFF (.tif/.tiff), PNG (.png) → uncompressed
• Recommended image size: 2880 × 1800 pixels at 300 dpi
• To be submitted electronically together with the manuscript
• ! The author bears full responsibility for obtaining all required permissions and licences for the use of figures, as well as for ensuring compliance with copyright and related rights regulations.
• ! For materials protected by law, the author is required to provide proof of having obtained the rights, permissions, or licences necessary for their publication in both the print and electronic versions of the journal, or to indicate the legal basis for using the material without the need to obtain separate permission, in particular the expiry of economic copyright, the right of quotation, or another form of permitted use. This obligation applies separately to rights relating to the photograph, the work or object depicted therein, as well as image rights and obligations arising from personal data protection regulations, where applicable.

4. ABSTRACT AND KEYWORDS

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Abstract

• Abstracts should include key terms reflecting the main subject of the article and commonly used in international academic discourse (e.g., iconography, iconology, visual culture, artistic patronage, art reception, cultural heritage, stylistic and/or comparative analysis).
• Length: 600-800 characters including spaces (in Polish); 1,800-2,500 characters including spaces (in English for articles published in Polish); 600-800 characters including spaces (in English for articles published in English).
• The abstract should briefly present:
  • a concise presentation of the research problem addressed,
  • the objective of the study,
  • its main findings,
  • the conclusions.
• The abstract must accurately reflect the content of the article and must not overstate the significance of the findings.
• Citations and uncommon abbreviations should not be used in the abstract.

Keywords

• Keywords should correspond to terms commonly used in academic search engines (e.g., Scopus, Google Scholar) and should avoid overly general expressions.
• Please provide 5-10 keywords for a research article and 3-6 keywords for a review article.
• Specific terms relevant to the subject of the article should be used, while also being commonly recognized within the discipline, in order to facilitate indexing and retrieval.

5. EDITORIAL OPTIMIZATION OF THE TITLE, ABSTRACT, AND KEYWORDS

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The Editorial Team reserves the right to make changes to the title, abstract, and keywords of accepted manuscripts in order to improve their clarity, consistency, and visibility in international databases, search engines, and other digital discovery tools.

These changes do not affect the scientific content, interpretation, or conclusions of the article.

The revised version will be provided to the author(s) for approval during the final proofreading stage prior to publication.

6. FIGURES, TABLES, AND ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

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   In accordance with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and other applicable accessibility regulations, the Editorial Team of AN requires that all graphical elements be accessible to persons with disabilities. This requirement applies both to figures (photographs, drawings, diagrams, maps, graphs, reproductions, etc.) and to tables.

6.1. Figures (Content, Files, and Alternative Text)

• Figures should be numbered consecutively: Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, etc.
• Each figure in the manuscript must have:
  • a caption placed below the figure, including the name of the author/creator of the work, the name of the object or the title of the work, the current location or repository, the date or period of creation, and, where applicable, the technique or medium;
  • source information, where applicable (e.g., Reproduced from …, Photo by K. Kowalski, Public domain photo, National Museum in Warsaw, accession no. …, Photo from the NMW archives, etc.).
  • a corresponding reference in the main text. Figure references (e.g., Fig. 1) should be placed in the main text as close as possible to their first mention.

6.2. Uploading graphic

In addition to the figures embedded in the manuscript file, authors must:

• upload each figure as a separate high-resolution image file together with the manuscript submission;
• use a standard file format, such as JPG, PNG, or TIFF;
• name each file according to its order of appearance in the manuscript (e.g., Fig.-1, Fig.-2, Fig.-3);
• submit the files via the journal submission platform or, if necessary, by electronic transfer (e.g., e-mail, WeTransfer, or SwissTransfer).

6.3. Editable charts and graphs

• Where charts or graphs were originally created in Microsoft Excel, they must be submitted in a single editable Excel file and uploaded together with the manuscript.
• The submission should therefore include, where applicable:
  • the manuscript file;
  • separate high-resolution image files for all figures;
  • one editable Excel file containing all charts and graphs originally created in Excel;
  • a separate Word file containing alternative text descriptions for all figures.

6.4. Alternative Text for figures

To meet accessibility requirements, each figure must be accompanied by a brief alternative text (alt text) that can be read by screen readers.

In AN, authors do not provide alternative text directly in the figure properties of the manuscript file. Instead:

• a separate Word file should be prepared, for example entitled "[author's surname] Alternative Text for Figures";
• all figures must be listed in the file in the order in which they appear in the manuscript;
• for each figure, first provide the full figure title or caption (identical to that used in the manuscript), followed on the next line by the alternative text.

Example structure:

Figure 1. [figure caption / full title of the figure]
Alt text: ...

Figure 2. [figure caption / full title of the figure]
Alt text: ...

• Alt text should:
  • consist of 1-3 concise sentences;
  • explain what the figure shows;
  • communicate the essential information available to a sighted reader;
  • describe the main objects, relationships, comparisons, units, and other relevant features;
  • for charts and diagrams, identify the variables on each axis, units of measurement, the relevant time period, and the main trend, relationship, or comparison.
• Alt text should not:
  • repeat information already provided in the caption unless it is necessary for understanding the figure;
  • rely solely on colours, shapes, or visual appearance;
  • include unnecessary phrases such as "the image shows", "the photograph depicts", or "the figure illustrates", unless such information is relevant.
• Alt text should be consistent with the content of the article and factually accurate. [TEMPLATE].

6.5. Tables and Short Descriptions

• Tables should be numbered consecutively: Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.
• Each table must include:
• a concise and informative title placed above the table;
• a short textual description placed between the table title and the table itself;
• a clear and meaningful header row;
• a corresponding reference in the main text.
• The short table description should consist of 1-3 sentences and:
• explain what type of data or information the table presents;
• identify the main columns, variables, groups, periods, and units of measurement, where applicable;
• clarify the structure of the table where necessary;
• indicate the most important pattern, comparison, relationship, or trend;
• avoid reproducing the content of every table cell.
• Tables must be created as editable Word tables, not as images or screenshots.
• Authors should define a clear header row containing concise and meaningful column headings. Do not rely solely on bold formatting to identify column headings.
• In Microsoft Word, select the first row and choose: Table Properties → Row → Repeat as header row at the top of each page. This setting helps screen readers correctly associate data cells with the appropriate column headings.
• Authors should also:
• avoid nested tables;
• avoid excessive cell merging;
• avoid using empty rows or columns solely for spacing purposes;
• avoid excessively complex table structures;
• explain all abbreviations, symbols, and units of measurement in the table, title, or table notes.
• Supplementary materials, appendices, datasets, and additional files submitted with the manuscript should, wherever possible, be provided in accessible digital formats. [TEMPLATE]

7. REFERENCES AND CITATION STYLE

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• The Editorial Team of AN requires authors to ensure that submitted manuscripts comply with the journal’s editorial requirements. [GUIDELINES]
• In footnotes and the reference list, the Editorial Team does not use international citation styles (e.g., APA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, MLA). Instead, AN follows its own footnote and reference style, commonly used in the humanities in Polen, which includes full bibliographic details in footnotes and an unnumbered reference list, arranged alphabetically by authors’ surnames, at the end of the manuscript.

8. STATEMENTS
   

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Author Contributions: Please provide a statement specifying the individual contribution of each author. For scholarly articles with more than one author, please use the following format (replacing X.X., Y.Y., and Z.Z. with the authors’ initials):

“Conceptualization, X.X. and Y.Y.; methodology, X.X.; software, X.X.; validation, X.X., Y.Y., and Z.Z.; formal analysis, X.X.; investigation, X.X.; resources, X.X.; data curation, X.X.; writing – original draft preparation, X.X.; writing – review and editing, X.X.; visualization, X.X.; supervision, X.X.; project administration, X.X.; funding acquisition, Y.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.”
! A detailed explanation of these contribution categories is available on the journal website under the section: Form Templates → [STATEMENTS].  

Funding: Please provide one of the following statements:

“This research received no external funding.” or “This research was funded by [NAME OF FUNDING INSTITUTION], grant number [XXX].”

Institutional Review Board Statement: Please provide one of the following statements:

“Not applicable.” or “The study was approved by the Bioethics Committee (or Ethics Committee) of [NAME OF INSTITUTION] (protocol number [XYZ] and date of approval).”

Data Availability Statement: Please provide one of the following statements:

“Not applicable.” or “The data presented in this study are openly available in [NAME OF REPOSITORY / PLATFORM] at [URL], reference number / DOI: [identifier].” or “The data presented in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

Acknowledgements: Please provide one of the following statements:

“Not applicable.” or “The authors would like to thank [name of person / institution] for administrative support, technical assistance, language editing, and/or providing access to research materials.”

AI Tools Declaration: Please provide one of the following statements:

“The authors declare that no artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.” or “During the preparation of this manuscript and/or the research on which it is based, the authors used [tool name, version information] for the following purpose(s): [e.g., language editing, text generation, data analysis, data interpretation, image preparation]. The authors reviewed and edited the generated output where necessary and take full responsibility for the content of this publication.”

Conflict of Interest: Please provide one of the following statements:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.” or A full disclosure of any personal, professional, institutional, or financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the research. If the research received external funding, please also provide one of the following statements:

“The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.” or A statement describing the role of the funder in the design of the study; the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; the writing of the manuscript; and/or the decision to publish the results.

9. REQUIRED SUBMISSION INFORMATION

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Before submitting a manuscript to Artifex Novus, the corresponding author is required to complete the mandatory online thematic classification form. [ONLINE FORM] The form includes questions concerning, among other things, whether the manuscript relates to:

1. the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
2. research concerning Polish history, culture, literature, language, religiosity, or cultural heritage;
3. the gender equality perspective in the design, conduct, or interpretation of the research, where applicable.

The information collected through this form is used for institutional reporting, indexing, and monitoring purposes and does not influence editorial decisions.

Authors who identify a relevant Sustainable Development Goal are encouraged to include the corresponding SDG identifier among the article keywords.

! The form must be completed at the manuscript submission stage.

The form is also available at: <https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/tSy0cq5cmX?origin=lprLink>

10. PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

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For each manuscript accepted for publication, the author(s) are required to sign a Publishing Agreement with UKSW Scientific Publishing House, together with the required Appendix.

• The Publishing Agreement form should be downloaded from the journal website: [AGREEMENT] + [APPENDIX].
• The documents must be completed, printed, and signed by hand (a qualified electronic signature is also accepted).
• The documents must then be scanned, and the scanned copy of the agreement should be sent by e-mail to the issue editors (contact details are available in the Upcoming Issue section) or uploaded to the submission system together with the manuscript and all supplementary files (image files, the Excel file containing graphs, and the file containing alternative texts for figures).
• The hard-copy version of the agreement, together with the Appendix, must be sent by regular mail to the Editorial Office:

Editorial Office of Artifex Novus: ul. Wóycickiego 1/3, Building 23, Room 224, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland

• Agreements signed with a qualified electronic signature should, after signing, be submitted to the AN Editorial Team as the original digital file containing the qualified electronic signature, or uploaded to the submission system together with the manuscript and all supplementary files. The document should not be printed or scanned, and submission of a paper copy is not required.

! The publication process cannot be completed without a properly completed and signed Publishing Agreement.

11. PRE-SUBMISSION CHECKLIST 

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! Before submitting a manuscript, ensure that:

1. The manuscript is written in Polish or English.
2. The total length of the manuscript must not exceed 55,000 characters including spaces for a research article (approximately 8,500-9,500 words), and 18,000 characters including spaces for a review article (approximately 2,700-3,000 words).
3. Author information is complete and accurate for all authors, including institutional affiliations, e-mail addresses, and valid ORCID identifiers.
4. The title of the article has been translated into English/Polish.
5. The abstract is 600-800 characters including spaces (in Polish and/or English), and, for articles written in Polish, the extended English abstract is 1,800-2,500 characters including spaces.
6. A total of 5-10 keywords (for research articles) or 3-6 keywords (for review articles) have been provided in both Polish and English.
7. The formatting of footnotes and references complies with the editorial requirements of AN. [GUIDELINES]
8. All required Statements (e.g., Author Contributions, Funding, Conflicts of Interest, Acknowledgments, etc.) are included at the end of the manuscript and contain either the appropriate information or the notation “Not applicable”, and any use of AI Tools Declaration has been briefly described. [STATEMENTS].
9. All figures included in the manuscript are numbered, provided with captions and, where applicable, source information, and are referenced in the main text.
10. All figures have been submitted as separate high-resolution image files and labelled accordingly: Fig.-1, Fig.-2, etc.
11. A separate Word file containing alternative text (alt text) for all figures has been prepared.
12. All graphs have been compiled into a separate Excel file and submitted/uploaded together with the manuscript.
13. All tables are numbered and provided with titles and brief descriptions.
14. The online thematic declaration form (SDGs / research on Polish heritage / gender equality perspective) has been completed. [ONLINE FORM].
15. Following acceptance for publication, a signed Publishing Agreement together with the Appendix has been submitted: a scanned copy (by e-mail to the issue editor(s)) and the original (hard-copy version) by post to the AN Editorial Office. [AGREEMENT] + [APPENDIX].
16. Following the completion of the peer-review and editorial process, the manuscript has been prepared using the AN (Word) template, with the Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 style hierarchy applied to section and subsection titles. [TEMPLATE].