Scholarly contribution

Prepare your Encyclopedia Article

roseList documents mentioning Prepare your Encyclopedia Article
MoEML publishes encyclopedia entries for
Your research may demand a different structure, but we have found that encyclopedia entries usually lend themselves to this structure:
Though MoEML embraces the inherent variety of styles in a collaborative encyclopedia, our readership will appreciate a certain amount of consistency. Please follow these guidelines closely.

Streets

For a student-friendly expansion of these guidelines, see Guide for Student Researchers.
Within the general structure outlined above, be sure to address the following items, if relevant and as evidence exists:
  • Indicate its beginning and end points.
  • Note its trajectory using Stow’s habitual east to west or north to south distinction.
  • Note which other streets it crosses.
  • Indicate which wards the street passes through.
  • Indicate whether the street is labelled on the Agas map, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • Indicate whether the street is labelled on any other early modern maps of London, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • When applicable, consult Prockter and Taylor’s The A to Z of Elizabethan London and compare their placement of the street with its label on the Agas and/or other maps.
  • Consult Stow’s 1603 A Survey of London and cite or paraphrase Stow’s discussion of the street.
  • Consult the 1598 and 1633 editions of A Survey: deletions and additions often yield important information.
  • Walk your reader along the trajectory of the street when possible, describing the cultural significance of the street’s inhabitants and structures.
  • When possible, provide the origin of the street’s name and/or its etymology (Ekwall is a reliable secondary source for correcting Stow’s colourful but sometimes spurious early modern etymologies).
  • Conduct further research using our recommended sources.
  • Discuss the literary significance of the street, drawing examples from early modern plays and texts (Chalfant’s discussions of Jonson’s references to London are a good model, as are the essays by Harris on Ludgate and Johns on Coleman Street).
  • If it is of particular interest, it may be appropriate to include a subsequent history of the street. Readers often ask if the street is still there today. Google Maps, Google Streetview, and modern A–Z volumes can be helpful in proactively providing an answer to their question. When MoEML launches its new map platform, readers will be able to link directly from the Agas map or encylopedia page to Google Maps.

Sites

For a student-friendly expansion of these guidelines, see Guide for Student Researchers.
Within the general structure outlined above, be sure to address the following items, if relevant and as evidence exists:
  • Indicate whether the site is labelled on the Agas map, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • Indicate whether the site is labelled on any other early modern maps of London, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • When applicable, consult Prockter and Taylor’s The A to Z of Elizabethan London and compare their placement of the site with its label on the Agas and/or other maps.
  • Consult Stow’s 1603 A Survey of London and indicate in which ward the site stands.
  • Consider consulting the 1598 and 1633 editions of A Survey: deletions and additions often yield important information.
  • When possible, cite or paraphrase Stow’s discussion of the site.
  • Indicate its location in terms of nearby streets and sites, giving precise coordinates when possible
  • When possible, provide the origin of site’s name and/or its etymology.
  • Consider conducting further research using our recommended sources.
  • If it is of particular interest, it may be appropriate to include subsequent history of the site.

Churches

  • Indicate whether the church is labelled on the Agas map, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • Indicate whether the church is labelled on any other early modern maps of London, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • When applicable, consult Prockter and Taylor’s The A to Z of Elizabethan London and compare their placement of the church with its label on the Agas and/or other maps.
  • Consult Stow’s 1603 A Survey of London and indicate in which ward the church stands.
  • Consider consulting the 1598 and 1633 editions of A Survey: deletions and additions often yield important information.
  • When possible, cite or paraphrase Stow’s discussion of the church.
  • When possible, provide the origin of church’s name and/or its etymology.
  • Consider conducting further research using our recommended sources.
  • If it is of particular interest, it may be appropriate to include subsequent history of the church.
  • It may also sometimes be appropriate to include a link to the modern-day church website.

Playhouses

For a student-friendly expansion of these guidelines, see Guide for Student Researchers.
These guidelines are a work-in-progress, to be expanded and refined as the number of playhouse entries grows. We appreciate feedback from users and contributors.
Playhouses are a special category of site within MoEML. Playhouses and their sites have been well researched by playhouse historians. Recent archaeological excavations have revealed new information about a number of London playhouses. The encyclopedia entries pertaining to the playhouses, therefore, will rely upon the best secondary research and will occasionally be updated as new information comes to light. MoEML intends to direct users to the many excellent digital resources that offer more detailed analysis of the playhouses than we can offer here. As a contributor, you will redact the secondary research, locate the playhouse within London’s neighbourhoods, summarize (if possible) the impact of the playhouse on the surrounding sites and streets, and point our users to other resources, both print and digital.
We do not expect your article or project on the playhouse to address the following issues in a formulaic way. Use this list as a guide to the kinds of information that our readers want. As seems appropriate to you, use headings and subheadings, include tables (see Using The Repertory Table Spreadsheet to read instructions on using repertory tables and download a template spreadsheet), link to external or internal webpages, provide images (e.g., Folger Shakespeare Library Image Database). Collaborative projects are welcome.
  • Location
    • Indicate the approximate location of the playhouse.
    • Indicate its location in terms of nearby streets and sites. Precise coordinates, if known, are already in our database. If MoEML has not yet added coordinates, we may ask for your assistance in pinpointing the future playhouse site on the Agas map.
    • Indicate whether the playhouse is labelled on any other early modern maps of London, noting the spelling and location of the label.
  • Site
    • What was on this site before it was used for a playhouse?
    • Were buildings repurposed or torn down?
    • What is on the site now? (Most of our encyclopedia entries save this information for the end of the entry.
  • Building
    • Outline the history of the structure.
    • Who built it?
    • What, if anything, do we know about its construction?
    • Is there any particular technology associated with this playhouse?
    • Has the playhouse been excavated by archaeologists? If yes, what were their findings? Consult Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) and the publications by Julian Bowsher listed in our bibliography and . Check the LAARC Online Catalogue.
    • What documents survive pertaining to the playhouse’s history? Find relevant items in
      EMLoT
      , use the evidence of those documents in your entry, and indicate where we can make links to EMLoT pages.
  • Playing History
    • Discuss the companies that played at this playhouse (and when), if known (in tabular form if there are more than two).
    • List and discuss plays known or conjectured to have been performed at this playhouse (in tabular form if there are more than two plays known to have been performed here).
    • An overview of the repertoire, if known. Draw upon recent repertory studies.
  • Links
    For the most part, links to other webpages can be embedded right into your entry. Indicate which words should be the hyperlink to the resource. We like to link to the following projects:
    • Scholarly or professional websites dedicated to the history, afterlife, or reconstruction of the playhouse you are researching (e.g., Shakespeare’s Globe).
  • Literary and Print References
    • Search EEBO, Stow, and other sources for any print references to the playhouse.

Wards

This information is forthcoming. Thank you for your patience.

Neighbourhoods

This information is forthcoming. Thank you for your patience.

Topographical Features

This information is forthcoming. Thank you for your patience.

Recommended Resources

See our Guide for Student Researchers, written to help our Pedagogical Partners.

References