Foreword Page
OUP treats the foreword as optional preliminary matter and notes that it is typically written by an eminent person in the field who is not associated with the work. This guide covers its practical role and placement rather than duplicating the separate Foreword vs. Preface comparison.
A foreword is optional opening material commonly contributed by someone other than the book’s author. Whether to include one, who writes it and where it appears should follow the publisher’s instructions.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
["Foreword inclusion and contributor choice are publisher/editorial decisions; use the separate Foreword vs. Preface guide for the label distinction."]
Further guidance
Placement
["Treat the foreword as preliminary/front matter and follow the publisher’s ordering requirements."]
Practical Application
Treat a foreword as optional front matter and follow the publisher’s ordering and contributor instructions. It is commonly supplied by someone other than the main author to introduce, contextualize, or endorse the work.
Purpose
["Use a foreword when an invited contributor provides introductory context, endorsement or perspective before the main text."]
Reader Check
Does the manuscript actually need a foreword under the publisher’s front-matter plan, and is the contributor role distinct from the author’s own preface?
Worked Example
If an invited subject-matter figure contributes a short opening piece before the author’s text, label and place it as a foreword only if the publisher’s specification uses that front-matter category.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Front and end matter — Oxford Academic (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · OUP book-workflow guidance for forewords, prefaces, half-title/frontispiece, epigraph, illustration/map lists, contributors, reader notes and endpapers