Manuscript Studies is a specialized codicological periodical that has been published since 1962. It was established at the instigation of the Commission for the Cataloguing and Study of Manuscripts at what was then the Central Archive of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences as an independent forum for codicological studies. Apart from codicology, which is often described as the science of manuscripts, Manuscript Studies is also open to other auxiliary historical disciplines (particularly paleography) and other fields involving manuscript research (philology, art history, literary history, musicology and legal history).
Manuscript Studies presents the latest information on manuscript findings, analyses of their texts and catalogues of smaller manuscript fonds. It also deals with bibliological subjects, particularly the history of libraries and book fonds. It informs the specialist public of foreign bohemica and it also deals with methodological issues. In addition to reviews of the latest codicological literature, a chronicle and reports, a regular feature is the bibliography of domestic codicological output. Although Manuscript Studies is primarily a platform for Czech codicology, it is possible to publish contributions not only in Czech, but also in other languages, particularly German, English and Latin. Contributions should be accompanied by a brief English abstract and a more extensive résumé in German.
Since Volume XXXVII–XXXVIII (2009), Manuscript Studies has been a peer-reviewed journal. All contributions included in the Articles, Short Articles, Materials and Manuscript Bohemica from abroad an anonymous on both sides review procedure. Every contribution is assessed by two reviewers and on the basis of their statement the manuscript is accepted for publication, returned to the author for rewriting or entirely rejected. If the text is substantially rewritten then another review procedure round takes place. The final decision on publication of the text is in the hands of the journal's Editorial Board.
Since 2010 Manuscript Studies has been included in the List of Reviewed Non-Impacted Periodicals published in the Czech Republic.
Since 2015 the journal is indexed in the ERIH PLUS database.
Since 2005 abstracts have been published by the Digital Library of the CAS http://dlib.lib.cas.cz/ and the CEJSH (The Central European Journal of Social Science and Humanities) online database: http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/ .
ISSN 0585-5691
Periodicity: Once a year
Publisher: Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS, v. v. i.: Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR, v.v.i., Gabčíkova 2362/10, 18200 Prague 8
(in collaboration with the Commission for the Cataloguing and Study of Manuscripts (Komise pro soupis a studium rukopisů)