Find answers to FAQs about the AHA, membership, the annual meeting, awards and grants, publications, advertising, and professional issues.

The AHA

Q: Does the AHA help with historical preservation?
A: Unfortunately, the AHA does not have the resources to conduct individual research regarding preservation requests. Nevertheless, the following organizations may be able to help you: National Trust for Historic Preservation and National Register of Historic Places.

Q: Does the AHA endorse or publish books?
A: In its two periodicals—the American Historical Review and Perspectives on History—and on its web site, the AHA offers reviews, notices, and discussions of books and films.

The AHA also publishes a variety of booklets and directories of practical use to teachers and students of history. For details, visit Publications & Directories.

Q: Is this the American Historic Society (coin sellers)?
A: The AHA is in no way affiliated with the American Historic Society nor do we have anything to do with selling coins.

Membership

Q: What are the benefits of creating a nonmember user account with the AHA?
A: A nonmember user account gives you free access job ads posted on the AHA Career Center. As a nonmember you can purchase publications and other items through Oxford University Press.

Q: How much does it cost to join AHA?
A: There are many membership categories at the AHA, please check our Membership page to find the category you fall into.

Q: What do I receive as a member?
A: As a member you will have access to AHA publications like the American Historical Review and Perspectives on History, as well as to a host of great professional resources including the Directory of History Departments, Historical Organizations, and Historians, and special discounts and perks at the AHA annual meeting. For a full list of member benefits please go to our Member Benefits page.

Q: Does AHA offer multiple-year memberships?
A: Yes, AHA now offers a three-year membership renewal option. This is a great way to “lock-in” your current membership rate with a 5% discount.

Q: If I join the AHA today, when will my membership expire?
A: One year (or three years) from the month you join.

Q: I just received a renewal notice but my membership doesn’t expire for four months. If I renew now, what will my new expiration date be?
A: Your membership will expire one year (or three years) from your current expiration date.

Q: I submitted an online application. How soon can I log on to member services?
A: Online applications and renewals are processed immediately. Member services links can be found at MY AHA.

Q: When will I get my AHR and Perspectives on History?
A: Beginning in 2021, the American Historical Review will be published in March, June, September, and December, while Perspectives on History is published nine months out of the year (September-May). Both publications are also available online. Please visit our Publications page for more information.

Q: What is the claim period for missing publications?
A: Claims of non-receipt must reach the AHA within five months after the publication date, or we will not honor the claim.

Q: I do not wish to receive print copies of the AHR or Perspectives of History. What should I do?
A: You may request to stop receiving print copies of the AHR, Perspectives, and the annual meeting Program when you join or renew by marking the appropriate check box on the rate page. A $20 postage fee is added for members with international addresses, including Canada and Mexico, unless they decline all print publications.

Q: My spouse/partner is a member of the AHA: Can I join at a discounted member rate?
A: The AHA Council has eliminated the Spouse/Partner category.

Q: I’m going to be moving, and I want to make sure my publications catch up with me. When do I need to let you know my new address?
A: If you’re moving be sure to update your address a few weeks in advance. Visit the Member Information Update page to change your address online, or print and mail the change of address form to the AHA offices.

Q: I have signed up to become a member with a joint membership in the APSA and the ACLS Humanities E-Book Project and History Compass. Why can’t I access my member benefits for these joint memberships?
A: To access joint membership benefits your payment has to first be forwarded to the joint programs. After the joint program has processed your payment, you will receive login instructions by e-mail. You’ll start receiving your benefits from the joint memberships about a three to four weeks after you sign up. Please note that your joint membership will expire one year from the date received by the joint program.

Q: Can I cancel my membership during the year and receive a refund?
A: Membership may be cancelled by contacting the AHA membership department by email at members@historians.org or mail; however, AHA is not able to offer refunds for cancelled memberships.

Annual Meeting

General

Q: Why can’t my significant other, friend, or adult family member accompany me into the Exhibit Hall?
A: The exhibit hall is a professional service provided by the AHA to registrants at the meeting.

Q: Does my minor child need a badge to enter the Exhibit Hall?
A: Parents and guardians whose children, 15 years old and younger, will accompany them to the meeting may bring their own child into the Exhibit Hall at no extra charge. Attendees ages 16 and up must register at the appropriate registration rate. The AHA assumes that parents and guardians will provide appropriate supervision for their children.

Q: Is there funding for travel?
A: The AHA offers grants to help graduate students, early career, and un/underemployed historians attend the annual meeting. Only AHA members are eligible to apply.

Q: How does the AHA select the location for the annual meeting?
A: We rotate the location of the meeting around the country on roughly a five year schedule to facilitate attendance by members in different parts of the country. We usually meet in large cities as there are only a few cities in the country that have enough hotel space to accommodate our meeting. See “The Annual Meeting: The Policy Issues” for further information.

Q: Why can’t the meeting be held in a single hotel?
A: The meeting is simply too large. We need a minimum of 3,000 guest rooms; three large spaces to accommodate the exhibit hall and registration; 75 meeting rooms for AHA and affiliate sessions; and sufficient suites and parlors to accommodate interviews.

Submitting Proposals

Q: Do the guidelines for panel proposal allow more than one presenter from the same institution?
A: There is nothing in the guidelines that requires institutional diversity; however, the Program Committee is usually concerned about sessions that seem too narrow in their institutional breadth—it generally looks for panels that draw together historians from an array of subject areas and institutions. As part of your proposal, you should explain how the session would benefit from having more than one speaker from the same institution.

Q: Can I serve on more than one session at the meeting?
A: You may, but only within fairly strict limits. The annual meeting guidelines allow that: “Participants may present only one paper of original research per year; and serve in one other capacity at the annual meeting, such as serving as chair and/or commentator on another panel, or participating in professionally-oriented sessions.” The policy is intended to assure that historians will not have to choose between the presentation of their scholarship and their service to the profession and their colleagues.

Q: I have been invited to participate in two different panels. Can I submit more than one proposal?
A: Yes. If both proposals are accepted, the Program Committee may ask you to withdraw from one session if your participation would violate the guidelines.

Q: Can I present at the annual meeting two years in a row?
A: Yes. The AHA Council eliminated the policy against appearing on the program two years in a row in 2004.

Q: Can I submit a single paper?
A: No, although the Program Committee will accept individual submissions for the poster session. Experience shows that it is virtually impossible to form panels around single papers. The AHA recommends the AHA Communities discussion as an effective way to find suitable co-panelists.

Q: Do I have to be a member of the AHA to present at the annual meeting?
A: All participants, except for foreign scholars and those from other disciplines, must be current members of the Association. Everybody who attends the annual meeting should be registered for the annual meeting.

Q: How do I submit a paper with two authors?
A: Once you have entered the first author, go to “People and Presentations,” click on the first author’s name, and click “add new person” to add a second author for the presentation.

Still have questions? See the Instructions for Submitting Proposals.

Registration

Q: Are there day passes to the conference?
A: No. The AHA Council has determined that day passes are not financially feasible.

Q: If I am registered with an affiliated organization at this meeting, why is it a different registration?
A: Several of our affiliates charge a nominal registration fee to cover the expenses of their solo sessions. These fees do not provide access to the AHA’s professional services.

Q: I am an AHA member and registered for the conference. Can my spouse/partner get a guest badge?
A: No. Given the high cost of organizing and staging the annual meeting, the AHA Council has determined that is not financially possible to provide discounted or gratis guest or spousal registration. Guests of members are, of course, welcome to attend AHA sponsored events and receptions, including the awards ceremony, as well as the presidential address and the reception that follows, and most sessions. Registration badges will be required, however, to use AHA’s professional services, including the Exhibit Hall.

Q: Do non-historians on the program have to register for the conference?
A: Yes, all attendees must register for the meeting.

Annual Meeting Career Fair

Q: What is the Career Fair?
A: The annual meeting Career Fair brings job candidates and students together with mentors from various career paths. There are tables where informal discussions can take place and where information can be shared with current or future job candidates about what career opportunities exist for those trained in history. It is usually held in the afternoon of the third day of the meeting.

Q: Does the AHA have a Job Center at the meeting?
A: The AHA will no longer sponsor employment interviews at its annual meeting. This change encompasses both the Job Center and interviewing suites facilitated by the Association. In making this decision, the AHA Council took into consideration the dramatic decline in conference interviewing in recent years, along with issues relating to the conference’s general tone and atmosphere, technological change, and financial considerations, especially for prospective interviewees.

Awards and Grants

Book Prizes

Q: When will the book prize judges’ addresses be posted?
A: Contact information for the judges will be online from March 30 to the May 15 submission deadline.

Q: Is this book eligible for this year’s round of prizes?
A: For annual prizes, books must have a copyright imprint of the previous calendar year. Eligibility dates are listed on the prize announcements.

Q: Are electronic publications eligible?
A: Yes. Committees will apply the same general standards to the review of electronic books as to those published in print. The American Historical Review also offers a specific prize for the Best Digital Article.

Q: Is there an application? Do I need to attach a cover sheet or CV?
A: Publishers and authors send books directly to the members of the prize committee. No supplemental materials are necessary, although it is useful to provide a mailing address for the author.

Q: Can a book be submitted for more than one prize?
A: Yes.

Q: Must nominations be submitted by the publisher? Are self-nominations permitted?
A: Authors may submit copies of their books directly to the prize committee, but should be aware that submissions are not returned.

Q: When are winners announced?
A: Prizes are announced in the November edition of Perspectives on History.

Q: What is the amount of the prize?
A: Book prizes carry a monetary award of $500 or $1,000, except where the prize announcement specifically notes that the prize is honorific.

Q: Are edited volumes eligible for prizes? What about collections of documents?
A: The Waldo G. Leland Prize is awarded every five years for a reference tool in history, and The J. Franklin Jameson Prize is awarded biennially for outstanding achievement in the editing of historical sources. If you have questions about your eligibility for another prize, please contact the Awards Administrator.

Q: A portion of my book falls outside the time period described in the terms of the prize. Am I still eligible?
A: Our general rule of thumb is that the book will be eligible if more than half of its content fits within the time period described in the terms of the prize.

Other Prizes

Q: How large is the award for the Roy Rosenzweig Prize?
A: The current award amount, which is awarded jointly with the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, is set at $4,000.

Q: Does the AHA offer scholarships for undergraduates?
A: Unfortunately, the American Historical Association has no scholarships or financial aid to assist with college or graduate school expenses. The AHA does offer the Raymond J. Cunningham Prize for the best article by an undergraduate.

Grants

Q: Where is the application for the Beveridge, Kraus, Littleton-Griswold, and Schmitt Grants?
A: Links to more information about each of the grants can be found on the Grants & Fellowships page. AHA members can access the applications on MY AHA.

Q: When will recipients for the Beveridge, Krauss, Littleton-Griswold, and Schmitt Grants be announced?
A: Applicants will be notified by email in May.

Publications

Q: Can I subscribe to one of your publications without being a member?
A: For individuals, only members can receive subscriptions to the American Historical Review and Perspectives on History, included for no additional charge as a benefit of membership. However, nonmember institutions can obtain subscriptions to Perspectives or the AHR.

Q: How do I order publications?
A: All AHA publications can be ordered through Oxford University Press.

Q: Do I have to be an AHA member to order publications?
A: You do not have to be an AHA member to order pamphlets through Oxford University Press, although members do receive special pricing of 30% off list prices for all products.

Q: My publication order has not yet arrived, what do I do?
A: Contact Customer Service at Oxford University Press.

Q: Does the AHA offer desk copies?
A: Due to an inability to vet requests the AHA does not offer desk copies, copies for professors and teachers assistants can be purchased through Oxford University Press.

Advertising

Q: Where can I find job ads?
A: The AHA publishes classified job ads online and in Perspectives on History. New ads can be found on the AHA Career Center. To receive job alerts, members and nonmembers can log in with their AHA user name and password. You can create a new nonmember account at historians.org/createaccount.

Q: How can I submit an advertisement?
A: Ads are accepted online. There are several types and venues for advertising: classified ads online and in the print Perspectives on History and display ads in Perspectives on History, the American Historical Review, and the annual meeting Program. Information about advertising as well as the AHA’s policies can be found on the website.

Q: How much does it cost to post a job ad?
A: Rates are based on the length of time the ads appear online. The AHA’s Institutional Members receive a discounted rate. For information on display (box) advertising, see the Advertising page.

Q: How much does it cost to post a job ad online only?
A: Ads can be posted both online and in the print Perspectives, or online only. All ads appear online; there is a small fee to also publish them in the print Perspectives. Rates are listed in the AHA Career Center.

Q: What are the deadlines for submitting a job ad?
A: The deadlines are listed on the Advertising page.

Professional Issues

Q: Does the AHA have an official position on plagiarism and professional conduct?
A: The Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct outlines the shared values of the profession.

Q: Does the AHA have guidelines on the hiring process, tenure, and promotion?
A: In addition to the general guidelines in the Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct, the Association periodically issues best practices, reports, and guidelines on hiring, tenure, and promotion that are collected on our Statements & Standards page.

Q: What resources does the AHA have to help with a departmental review?
A: The AHA offers this article, “How to Organize an Outside Review,” to help with a departmental review.