Special Characters in Research Papers: How to Use Special Characters in Manuscript for Journal Submission
The addition of special characters can be a tricky job, and using them wrongly can result in the unwanted interpretations of the text. You have to be extra careful while using special characters in writing your manuscript. Besides, many authors find usage of special characters a difficult job, as they usually don’t have to use them. This article is specially devised to give you the standard approach regarding special characters. It simply answers all questions you have and helps you with using special characters in your manuscript effectively.
To begin with, select a custom Unicode font. ‘Times New Roman’ and ‘Minion Pro’ are generally recommended. These fonts provide a variety of character sets. You can use another (secondary) font for special characters if the manuscript requires characters that are not available in the main (primary) text font. However, this can only be done if the secondary font is a Unicode font. In such a case, make sure that you appraise the editor of the change.
How to use Greek in the Manuscript?
Use New Athena Unicode for the entire manuscript, if possible. Or, you can also use Times New Roman. The mentioned fonts provide large Greek sets besides underdots. You can also select Minion Pro for the entire manuscript if you don’t need underdots. Moreover, avoid IFAO-Grec font. For printing or e-book publishing, these fonts are not recommended. They lack important font weights, such as bold. Remember, journals usually appreciate the usage of Unicode fonts. The reason is that Unicode fonts rarely create problems for publishing procedures.
How to use Asian characters in the manuscript?
Select Arial Unicode font for Asian languages such as Japanese, Sanskrit, Chinese, Korean, etc. You can also use Adobe Ming Std or Adobe Song Std, they usually have the required characters. For Arabic, you can select either Arial Unicode or Times New Roman.
How to use Musical symbols in the manuscript?
For the entire manuscript, select Times New Roman. It has a vast variety of musical symbols.
Now you have the complete guide to using special characters in your manuscript. Follow the given instruction and ensure success!
