Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Entries are ordered alphabetically according to their bold headings (see section 3 below), ignoring spaces, hyphens, apostrophes, accents, and all bracketed material, up to the comma, and then in the same way after the comma. Where two headings are identical (ignoring bracketed material) the entries are ordered chronologically or, if that is not possible, in order of importance, and distinguished by lower-case roman numeral. The prefixes “Mac” and “Mc” are alphabetized as “Mac”, and “St.” is alphabetized as though it were spelled out. Headings containing numerals are ordered as though the numerals were spelled out. Entries on people are entered under surname, forename, or particle, according to prevalent usage for each individual; a cross-reference entry is generally included to lead the reader to the form of the name under which the article may be found. General style In matters of orthography, terminology, and punctuation the Dictionary generally follows American practice. Place names An effort has been made to identify small places by naming a larger place nearby, or by locating it within a state or area. Where a place name has changed in the course of history the name current at the time under discussion has been used. For the current names of cities the orthography of The Times Atlas of the World: Comprehensive Edition (London, 1987) has been adopted. Dates In article ... log in or subscribe to read full text