The Newsmagazine of the American Historical Association

Perspectives welcomes articles on all aspects of the practice of history and by all kinds of historians, at all degree levels, and of all professional ranks. We strive to be a place for historians across the discipline to share their ideas and enthusiasm. All articles for Perspectives on History should be written in a style that can engage a wide audience, and all article submissions are subject to review by the Perspectives editorial board.

Submission Guidelines

Please see our full guidelines for detailed article types and word counts.

Pitches

Sending a pitch prior to an article’s submission gives us a better understanding of the topic and your viewpoint as an author by quickly establishing the nature of the story you’re proposing, its relevance to our readership, your point of view, and the sources you’ll consult. A good pitch also gives the editors a sense of your writing style.

Pitches to Perspectives should include the following elements:

  • The topic of the story, the underlying problem or conflict behind it, and your angle on it.
  • The reason why this story is worth publishing now. What makes it newsworthy, timely, or important for the historical community?
  • The “so what”? What’s the big picture? Its relevance to historians is important, and often how it fits into society at large.

Important Information

Potential authors should search our archives to see if we’ve published any articles on the same topic, and review our copyright policy. Please note that Perspectives on History does not publish book excerpts or book promotions, and that all manuscripts must be original and not submitted elsewhere

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