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."]
Purpose
["Use a foreword when an invited contributor provides introductory context, endorsement or perspective before the main text."]
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