The Borthwick Institute invites users of the cause papers database to help us by contributing abstracts of individual causes. Abstracts are short summaries which move beyond the catalogue to provide a further indication of what is contained in the original documents. Users can see all causes which currently have abstracts by selecting the ‘Has Abstract’ option in Advanced Search.

If you would like to contribute an abstract, please first read the Guidance Notes below.. All contributors are required to register before submitting abstracts. When browsing Cause Papers records, those without abstracts display a link which you can click on to add an abstract for that particular cause. Saving your abstract automatically sends your work to us.

In order to create abstracts, you must hold a user account and login. You can register for a user account. If your registration is successful, you will receive an email containing a link that you must click on to activate your user account. If you are already a registered user, you can login. You can change your account details or delete your account at any time - deleting your account will not delete the abstracts that you have contributed.

Abstracts are short accounts of individual causes drawn from research on the original documents, no more than 250 words in length. They draw the reader’s attention to the main features of the cause and allow users of the database to better target their research. Before writing, it is recommended that contributors look at other abstracts on the site to get a feel for typical style, tone and content.

An abstract should include, where possible, brief statements of:

• the plaintiff's case, any response or countercase made by the defendant, and any further countercases made by the plaintiff.
• content of depositions and how these commented upon any objections made to witnesses by either party. These can be treated collectively.
• the final result of the case: this should be a very brief description and where relevant should include any appeal made to a higher court. Where the case does not continue to sentence, attention should be drawn to the point at which the case comes to an end (if known).

Abstracts should avoid repeating information already in the database, such as full names, ages and places of residence (unless necessary to differentiate between two individuals). There is also no need to cover information common to a particular type of case.

It is not usually necessary to quote heavily from the original cause, but we would welcome revealing quotations, especially for defamation cases, in which the language used is central to the allegation. If quoting from Latin, please also provide an English translation.

An abstract should not attempt to emphasise a case's attachment to a particular research agenda in such a way that the description of the content is skewed, nor should it include relevant information which is not contained within the case itself as it survives, nor conjecture. The purpose of the abstract is to give a researcher enough information to decide whether or not access to the cause paper is required.

Contributors may like to indicate any unusual information contained in the case. They can also note any documents which might be valuable to a fellow researcher, but which are not obvious from the database, such as inventories or pew maps. However, it is not necessary to enter into detail.

Owing to the automatic nature of the system, it is not possible to enter into personal correspondence with contributors about their work: all help is gratefully received. After you submit your abstract we will check it before making it publicly available, a process which may take some time. We reserve the right to edit abstracts where this is felt necessary for increased accuracy or brevity, or to reject abstracts. It is not possible to acknowledge authorship of the abstracts on the website. Copyright on all abstracts is vested with the University of York. By submitting an abstract, you agree to permit the University of York to use it as it sees fit.

We also invite users to help us improve the cause papers database by contacting us to provide feedback, let us know of errors in transcription, or to report technical problems with the site.