Last updated:

Revised 19 June 2026

These are the guidelines and instructions for authors interested in submitting an article to Provenance: The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria. Further information about the journal and its aims and scope can be found on the About Provenance webpage.

Provenance publishes both peer-reviewed scholarly articles and more informal general interest articles.

 

1. GENERAL

1.1      To be eligible for publication in Provenance, articles should be based on research of PROV records and/or the records of another archival collection. Any subject or any matter derived from or expanded upon using PROV or other archival collections will be considered. Articles that explore the administrative history of the state and its government agencies and administrators are also welcome. The aim is that all articles should expand our knowledge and understanding of PROV’s archival collection, thus making the holdings more accessible, and add to our understanding of the history and cultural heritage of Victoria as seen from diverse perspectives.

1.2      Provenance aims to publish and promote the work of a wide range of authors, including research degree students, early career academics, professional historians and archivists, community-based and family researchers, and other passionate non-academics.

1.3      The journal will not accept articles that have been previously published or are currently being considered for publication in other journals. However, once published in Provenance, authors will have the right to re-publish their articles elsewhere subject to acknowledgement of prior publication in Provenance.

1.4      No payment is available or will be made for articles submitted for publication in Provenance. Any costs incurred by authors in the preparation of articles for submission or re-submission for publication in Provenance are the responsibility of authors.

1.5       There will be no article processing fees, open access fees, or any other costs charged to authors whose submissions are accepted for publication.

1.6      When submitting articles, authors must clearly state whether they intend their article to be considered for the refereed section or forum section. Authors who are in doubt about this distinction are encouraged to contact the Editor prior to submitting a contribution to the journal.

 

2. REFEREED ARTICLE

2.1      Articles submitted for the refereed section of the journal are to be written in a scholarly style with a clear argument, using appropriate conventions of citation and evidence, addressing a topic of current debate.

2.2      Refereed articles should reference relevant existing scholarship and demonstrate how the article is situated within the broader context of your area of study. The following questions may be useful to ask in preparing an article for the refereed section:

  • In what way does this article contribute to an understanding of something we don’t already know, build on existing scholarship, or confirm an understanding of a particular topic?
  • How does this article position itself in relation to the existing literature on this topic? What secondary sources and work by existing authors do I need to engage with?

2.3      The following resources provide further guidance for writing journal articles for peer review:

2.4      Refereed articles should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words. Subject to agreement with the Editor, longer or shorter articles may be accepted.

2.5      Refereed articles will be formally reviewed by anonymous referees with relevant expertise. Two referees are appointed for each article by the Editor in consultation with the Provenance Editorial Board (for further details see Section 4: REFEREED ARTICLES – PEER REVIEW PROCESS).

 

3. FORUM ARTICLES

3.1      All other articles may be considered for inclusion in the forum section. Articles in this section generally do not require the kind of extended analysis or argument expected of refereed articles. However, they should include structural elements that frame your argument or introduce your topic and its relevance to readers, such as an introduction and conclusion. Forum articles do not require the same degree of reference to existing literature as refereed articles, but they are expected to acknowledge key work in the area if appropriate.

3.2      Examples of articles that are considered for publication in the forum section include discussions of first-person research, experiences researching archives and using records, research journeys, and the impact of records on researchers. Other examples include articles highlighting historical sources or parts of the PROV collection.

3.3      Forum submissions should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Subject to agreement with the Editor, longer or shorter articles may be accepted.

3.4      Articles submitted for this section of the journal will be assessed for publication by the Provenance Editorial Board (for further details see Section 5: FORUM ARTICLES – EDITORIAL BOARD REVIEW PROCESS below).

 

4. REFEREED ARTICLES – PEER REVIEW PROCESS

4.1      To protect and preserve the privacy of authors and referees of articles submitted for peer review, and to ensure that decisions about publication are based solely on merit, there will be no direct communication between authors and referees. No identifying information about authors will be shared with referees, and vice versa. All communications will be directed to the Editor, who will in turn communicate with authors and referees.

4.2      The Editor will appoint two referees for each article that will be considered for publication in Provenance. Articles will be returned to authors with a copy of both referee reports, which will include one of the following recommendations (left) with their explanation (right):

RecommendationExplanation
AcceptArticle is more or less ready to publish in its current form
Accept with minor editingArticle is generally ready to publish but requires some minor editing (as specified by referee)
Accept with revisionArticle needs further work and revision (as specified by the referee) which will make it ready to publish
Revise and resubmit Article is not ready for publication and needs to be substantially revised (as specified by the referee), then resubmitted to undergo another round of peer review
RejectArticle is fundamentally flawed according to referee assessment(s). In some cases referees may provide guidance on how a completely reconceived &/or thoroughly revised could be written on the topic, but this would essentially be like submitting a new article that would be starting from scratch and submitted for peer review on its own merits.

4.3      The Editor may reject articles for reasons including:

  • The article does not fit the scope of Provenance
  • The article does not explore, enhance or illuminate the subject significantly
  • The author is unwilling to revise an article on the advice of referees
  • The Editorial Board considers there may be legal risks, including the possibility of defamation or plagiarism.

 

5. FORUM ARTICLES – EDITORIAL BOARD REVIEW PROCESS

5.1      The Editor, in consultation with the Editorial Board, will review all submissions for the Forum section of the journal. Recommendations for publishing and reasons for rejecting articles will be the same as for the peer review process.

5.2      If minor editing or other revision is requested, the journal editors will explain the extent of the revisions required and can provide some basic advice on how this can be done.

 

6. DISCLOSURE OF AI USE IN COMPOSING ARTICLES

6.1       AI tools do not meet the requirements of authorship, as they cannot take responsibility for articles that are submitted to the journal for publication.

6.2       Authors that use AI tools as part of the research and writing of articles submitted to the journal, or the production of images/graphical elements that appear as figures in the article, or in the collection and analysis of data used in the article, must be transparent in disclosing any of these uses of AI tools in their methodology discussion within their article (or a similarly entitled section of the article dealing with methods and how they approached their research and writing in producing the article). As part of their disclosure, authors should include the name of the AI tool(s) they have used, what specific use(s) they made of the AI tool(s), and the extent to which they checked the work of those tools as the responsible author. Authors do not need to disclose the use of AI tools for checking grammar, spelling and punctuation, however, if they have used AI tools to compose whole sentences and paragraphs, such use does need to be disclosed.

6.3       The journal’s position on AI use and its disclosure reflects that of the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE), as stated on their website: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/authorship-and-ai-tools

 

7. SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES

SUBMITTING TEXT FILES

7.1      All articles should be submitted electronically. Each article submitted must include the following components. Ideally, each of these should be submitted as separate electronic files:

  • The author’s biographical details, including a contact email address (up to 100 words)
  • An abstract summarising the purpose of the article (up to 250 words)
  • The article with all references and sources included as endnotes.

7.2      References must be supplied as endnotes rather than footnotes and should be no more than 10% of the size of the article and be devoted to citation of sources only. Within text, references to endnotes should be marked by superscript Arabic numerals.

7.3      Provenance will be compiled initially using Microsoft Word. Articles can be accepted in any compatible format but by preference the article should be saved as a Word document (.docx) and should be named using the name of the submitting author as the primary means of identification. For example, if Robert John Citizen submitted an article the file names would be:

  • CitizenRJ-Biography.docx
  • CitizenRJ-Abstract.docx
  • CitizenRJ-Article.docx

7.4      All files should be submitted electronically, by preference as attachments to an email message addressed to provenance@prov.vic.gov.au. Please ensure that the subject line of the email header includes the words Provenance submission - additionally specifying whether the submission is intended for the Refereed section or the Forum section.

SUBMITTING IMAGE FILES

7.5      If authors wish to include still images, figures or other non-text material, each element should be sent as an additional, separate file. Images and drawings should be sent separately using the following file formats:

  • gif (GIF) format for line drawings or figures that contain large quantities of same-­colour background; and
  • jpg (JPEG) format for photographs.

7.6      Each element, regardless of its type, is to receive a file name in the following format:

  • [surname] [initials]-Fnn.xxx

‘F’ stands for ‘figure’, nn is the numerical reference of the file in order of its appearance in the text, and xxx is the file type. For example, in R J Citizen’s paper, which contained two photographs and a table as a line drawing, file names might be:

  • CitizenRJ-F01.jpg
  • CitizenRJ-F02.jpg
  • CitizenRJ-F03.gif

7.7      Within the text of the article, the location of images should be indicated  using the markers [Insert CitizenRJ-F01.jpg here], [Insert CitizenRJ-F02.jpg here], and so on, reflecting the order in which images appear. Use square brackets and bold formatting to ensure these markers are easy to identify. Each marker should appear on its own line, with a line space above and below, so that it stands out clearly within the article.

7.8      Directly beneath the marker, a caption must appear for each image explaining the image or its purpose in the article, the collection from which it was sourced, and any other acknowledgements.

7.9      Please do not embed image files within Word documents. Image files must be submitted separately as GIF or JPEG files only.

 

8. STYLE AND LAYOUT

8.1      The Macquarie Dictionary should be used for spelling and the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th edition, published by John Wiley & Sons should be used in determining textual style matters.

8.2       Some specific matters of style to note include:

  • Use endnotes for all bibliographical information – the documentary-note system outlined in the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th edition, should be followed when preparing references;
  • Citation of public records from the PROV collection should be consistent with guidelines detailed in How to Cite Public Records which can be accessed online via the PROV website;
  • Citation of material sourced from other institutions must be cited in accordance with the requirements of those institutions;
  • The use of short titles and the inclusion of subtitles is encouraged – the Editor reserves the right to alter titles in consultation with authors;
  • The documents submitted should not include headers or footers, and authors’ names should not appear except when being used in references or in the author’s biographical file;
  • Title font should be 16 point Arial, left aligned;
  • Text font should be 11 point Arial, left aligned, double-spaced. Paragraphs should be separated with a single line space, although no spacing should separate a heading from the sentence that follows;
  • Main headings and sub-headings should be 12 point Arial bold, and bold italic respectively;
  • Short quotations within text should be indicated by use of single quotation marks. Use ‘ (the apostrophe on most keyboards) rather than ` to open and close quotations, and use double quote marks only for quotes within quotes;
  • Substantial quotations should be set separately, with right and left indentation of 1 cm and be single-spaced;
  • Always preserve spelling, punctuation and grammar of original information being quoted and use as appropriate in square brackets [sic] to indicate that you are citing the original;
  • Abbreviations and acronyms should be expanded on first use to introduce readers to the word regardless of how familiar you consider it to be.

8.3      A full list of style requirements is maintained in the Provenance journal style sheet.

 

9. INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

9.1       Victoria’s state archival collection contains historical government records that reflect a range of values and attitudes that have been held by Victoria’s public servants and its general population throughout Victoria’s history since the time it was established as a colony. These records were created in the context of government policies and legislation that have impacted many different people and communities, sometimes adversely. Records in the collection may contain descriptions and content that is outdated, insensitive, offensive and potentially upsetting, particularly those that focus on some aspect of race, ethnicity, age, disease, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other identity categories.

9.2       While the information in records held by PROV may not reflect current understanding or past experience for the individuals and groups they relate to and describe, this information does provide historical context about government in Victoria, past policies and programs, and the legislative and regulatory frameworks through which they operated. The views expressed in these records are not the views currently held by Public Record Office Victoria, or any of its employees.

9.2       The Provenance editorial board advises authors to consider and be mindful of how they use and contextualise information from historical sources, including the use of direct quotes from records that contain words, descriptions and information that are insensitive, inappropriate and potentially upsetting. The use of such direct quotes requires contextualisation and/or a critical perspective that seeks to explain their scholarly relevance. Authors should also consider including content warnings when articles use or reproduce graphic or culturally sensitive content from original records (for example, racial or gender slurs, or detailed descriptions of violence or sexual abuse).

9.3       The journal aims to adhere to principles of inclusivity and will only publish articles that contain inclusive, respectful, and culturally sensitive language. To ensure the journal adheres to these principles, changes to language may be requested as part of feedback when articles are assessed for their suitability for publication. This will be based on advice received by the journal’s editors from members of its editorial board, and from peer reviewers (in the case of peer-reviewed articles).

9.4       Some useful resources for guidance on inclusive and respectful language and referencing:

 

10. RESPECTFUL WRITING ABOUT FIRST PEOPLES AND INDIGENOUS DATA SOVEREIGNTY

10.1     The Provenance editorial board expects that records about First Peoples, particularly sensitive information or relating to individuals and families, should be used with care and respect. Outdated and racist phrases and terms appearing in historical records should not be replicated without contextualisation, for example by using quotation marks and critical analysis. Specific terms for Aboriginal nations, groups and languages should be used where appropriate, rather than speaking generally about Aboriginal people.

10.2     Use of research authored by First Peoples, or in collaboration with First Peoples, is encouraged in contextualising the use of historical information about First Peoples. See for example:

10.3     Authors utilising and publishing records that contain cultural knowledge (Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property - ICIP) or the personal and/or sensitive information of Victoria’s First Peoples should make reasonable efforts and act in good faith to ensure that any disclosure of information or images contained in those records, is consistent with the sensitivities and views of relevant Aboriginal individuals and communities to whom the records relate.

10.4     A useful resource that prospective authors should consider consulting is the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council’s list of Victoria’s Registered Aboriginal Parties at: https://www.aboriginalheritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/victoria-registered-aboriginal-parties.

10.5     Further information about publication and re-use of records about First Peoples in the PROV collection can be found in PROV’s cultural sensitivity statement: https://prov.vic.gov.au/cultural-sensitivity-statement.

10.6 For additional guidance on an ethical approach to writing about First Peoples, including the use and publication of data and records about First Peoples see:

 

11. COPYRIGHT

11.1      The authors who contribute to Provenance must undertake to clear any copyright for material and images in their articles before their articles are published. It is the responsibility of the author to supply copies of images or other material that will be published in the article.

11.2      Authors will be asked to sign an intellectual property agreement when their article is accepted for publication to allow for maximum dissemination of the author’s work. Copyright in each article remains with the author of the relevant article. Authors have the right to re-publish their articles elsewhere subject to acknowledgement of prior publication in Provenance.

11.3      Users of the Provenance website may have rights to reproduce material from this site under the provisions of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Copyright Act 1968. In addition to any such rights, and unless stated otherwise, the author of each article has granted  permission for physical or electronic copies of the text and graphics in that article to be made for classroom or research use, provided:

  • Copies are distributed at or below cost;
  • The author and Provenance are attributed on each copy;
  • Notice of relevant copyright ownership is attached to each copy; and
  • The Editor, Provenance, is notified of the use within one calendar month of use.

 

12. PRODUCTION CYCLE

12.1     Provenance is published once annually.

12.2     The following schedule is indicative of its annual production cycle:

  • Call for papers and articles submitted by authors for consideration by the Editorial Board
  • Articles refereed and comments returned to authors
  • Revised articles resubmitted by authors
  • Copyediting of final articles
  • Online layout
  • Proofreading and PDF proofs created
  • Online publication

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

PROV provides advice to researchers wishing to access, publish or re-use records about Aboriginal Peoples

Learn more