English lit. doctoral dissertation workflow: Ulysses + NWP

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joseph_anton
Posts: 5
Joined: 2016-04-28 06:06:11

English lit. doctoral dissertation workflow: Ulysses + NWP

Post by joseph_anton »

I wonder if any other users of Nisus Writer Pro would like to compare notes on preparing a doctoral dissertation in English Literature or another humanities subject with similar requirements (MLA style) for submission?

I’ve been using Ulysses with Bookends for drafting and have tested the following workflow for exporting to Nisus Writer Pro:
  • Quick Export from Ulysses to .docx (using the 'Simple MLA’ style available through the Ulysses style exchange)
  • Open .docx in Word and save as .rtf
  • Point Bookends at .rtf using ‘Scan Document’ to produce citations and bibliography
  • Open .rtf in Nisus Writer Pro, save as Nisus Compressed Rich Text file
I wonder if there are any Templates or Style Libraries available for Nisus Writer Pro that would be useful to apply at this point?

Finally, I'd like the resulting document to be as readable and visually appealing as possible while staying with the guidelines given by the MLA and my department (both of which allow some flexibility). One question is whether to use traditional Times New Roman 12-point or to substitute another clear and easy to read font (such as Minion Pro, an Adobe font). I'd be interested to hear other users' thoughts on this or other adjustments to the appearance of the text that could be made in the final stages.
ProfT
Posts: 91
Joined: 2005-03-09 06:53:40
Location: La Mirada, CA

Re: English lit. doctoral dissertation workflow: Ulysses + N

Post by ProfT »

I wrote my dissertation in Palatino and liked it's readability. When it was published it was done in Garamond, which also turned out very nicely. I know that many journals use Century Schoolbook.
exegete77
Posts: 200
Joined: 2007-09-20 17:58:56

Re: English lit. doctoral dissertation workflow: Ulysses + N

Post by exegete77 »

Over the last 26 years I have found Times New Roman the least dependable, partly because there are so many fonts that carry the name Times New Roman, but the specifications differ. Not a good situation.

I have found Adobe Minion Pro and Adobe Garamond are both excellent choices. I had published a book in 2006 using Callisto, which worked fine for that specific project. But it had some limitations that would not do well if I were to publish now.

A new one that is free is excellent as well: Linux Libertine ( http://www.linuxlibertine.org/index.php?id=1&L=1 ). It looks great, and handles many typographic needs. While I have not formally published with it, I have written articles and assorted papers using Libertine. Last week I received an excellent book published using Libertine (800 pages long, excellent typographic work). I would definitely consider it as an appropriate font.
iMac 21.5” / MBP 13” Retina
Mac user since 1990
joseph_anton
Posts: 5
Joined: 2016-04-28 06:06:11

Re: English lit. doctoral dissertation workflow: Ulysses + N

Post by joseph_anton »

Thank you both for these excellent suggestions - I’ll be sure to try them out.

I assume that the font is embedded in the .pdf document and will thus be available to anyone else who uses it (e.g. the printer, or other people who access the dissertation online through ProQuest)?
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