3. General layout
This is not currently part of the peer-reviewed material of the project. Do not cite as a research publication.
a. Skald Biography
A maximum of 150 words, this will be printed before the first extended poem of each skald; if there are no extended poems, before the lausavísa numbered 1.
b. Title of extended poem, lausavísur or group of fragments
Titles should follow the evidence of the mss, where available. # Where there is none, refer to the guidelines in >> 9. 3 Names and sigla for poems and groups of verses (but note that this matter is currently under review by the General Editors). A date should follow the title, if this can be given with reasonable certainty.
c. Introduction
# The poem title, with abbreviated title (as given in the sigla list on the skaldic website) in parentheses, should appear in the first line of the Introduction. It should follow the form: Harmsól 'Sun of Sorrow' (Gamlkan Has).
A brief introduction to extended poems will include such information as: traditions about the circumstances of composition; # probable date, if ascertainable; evidence for the title and, if appropriate, discussion of its possible meaning (e.g. Haustlǫng); evidence for the reconstruction of the poem. # There should be a brief reference to the main previous editions (or a cross-reference to the relevant part of the Volume Introduction).
# Individual stanzas and sub-groups of stanzas, either Anon or by named skalds, may also have brief Introductions, where it is necessary to introduce issues of attribution or detail mss different from the other stanzas.
The introduction to the lausavísur in a particular prose source may cover such topics as: ms. preservation, authenticity, speakers credited with stanzas, relation to the themes of the work and theories about the possible origins of stanzas in extended poems. It should not duplicate information in the Contexts to individual stanzas.
Editors should note the prose works in which the poetry is preserved, and specify the main ms. chosen (or mss, if this varies), together with its date and the reason(s) for giving it priority. (# Exceptions are made for contributions to SkP I and II: in these cases, the main ms. and reason(s) for priority should be provided by Contributing Editors, but these matters will be discussed in fuller detail by the Volume Editors in their Introductions to the vols.) In many cases a somewhat more extensive discussion of textual matters will be appropriate, outlining issues of transmission, textual relations, and editorial policy, especially where stanzas are preserved in more than one major ms. grouping. (The edition as a whole will include discussions of textual relations within individual ms. groupings.)
# All significant editions should be listed in the Editions line (see also § B-6, below); others, including C18th-19th ones, should be mentioned in the Introduction to the poem but not the Editions line, unless of continuing significance. However, if there is a discussion of previous editions in the general Introduction to a volume or prose work, there should merely be a cross-reference in the poem Introduction to where the reader can find the information.
The Introduction must include a list of all the mss which contain all or part of the poem. On first mention of a ms. the full siglum plus abbreviation should be given (# including the superscript ('x') in the case of paper mss). Thereafter, only the abbreviated siglum should be cited.
In cases where mss are extremely numerous, those not used in the edition should be listed in the Introduction but not thereafter.
# Paragraphs should have line breaks but no indentation.