Punctuation
Q. In the initial manuscript stage (submitted by hard copy, if it matters), is it preferable to include page numbers or not, considering that they would be useful for editors’ reference but do not reflect the actual page numbers used for publication? And if page numbers are preferred, where do they go? Should the first page be numbered? Should pages with endnotes? Bibliography?
A. Yes, page numbers are important on every single page of a paper manuscript, if only to save the editor when the manuscript ends up on the floor. An editor often refers to page numbers during editing, and designers and print buyers and marketers need to be able to estimate the length of a project. Page numbers at the upper right are conventional, although some publishers request them at the center bottom. Other locations are unconventional. Please see CMOS 2.21: “Numbering by chapter or whole book. Book manuscript pages may be numbered by chapter as long as the chapter number or other element also appears (for example, ‘intro. 1,’ ‘intro. 2’ ‘chap. two, 1’ ‘chap. two, 2’). Some publishers prefer that they be numbered consecutively from page 1 through the end of the book, including endnotes and other back matter. In a paper-only manuscript, pages added after the initial numbering may be numbered with a or b (for example, 55, 55a, 55b).”
