Articles and Historiographies

All articles must be based on primary source research done by the author. The best submissions will have a clear thesis that is supported by primary sources and carried throughout the entire paper. The author should also engage with the secondary literature on their topic either in the body of the paper or in a historiographical footnote. You may only submit one article.

Historiographies must focus on one general topic and survey the landscape of the literature therein. Far from a mere summary of the contents of various works, they should evaluate the prevailing interpretations and discuss how they speak to each other. There is no limit on how many works to include in the historiography, but there should be enough to identify certain trends and explain why they are in vogue or have otherwise fallen out of style. The most effective submissions will cover what the future of the field looks like and where it needs to go. You may only submit one historiography.

Formatting:

• Papers should be 6000-7500 words in length excluding footnotes and bibliography
• Times New Roman, 12 point font, Double Spaced
• All articles and historiographies should adhere to the latest edition of Chicago/Turabian’s Manual of Style and include a bibliography
• Save the document as .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .rtf

To submit your article or historiography, please click on the “Submit Article” tab in the navigation bar. You will need to set up an account using your email address as your login. After this is completed, continue the submission process by following the instructions that the site lays out. Be sure to type up a short abstract (no longer than 500 words) that provides a succinct summary and indicates which one of the following categories applies to your paper: American, World, or Public History. In order to avoid confusion, note that we ask that you input your CV when the site prompts you to upload a cover letter.

When uploading your CV and submission, please title each file in the following manner:

        Last name.first name.cv

        Last name.first name.field (either American, World, or Public).article

        Last name.first name.field (either American, World, or Public).historiography

Reviews – Books, Websites, and Exhibits

Book reviews must be centered on historical monographs published within the last three years. You may only submit one book review for consideration. For the purposes of our journal, we define a historical monograph as a scholarly work written by a historian on a historic topic. This could be someone who specializes in public history, political history, intellectual history, etc.

The website and exhibit review sections are meant to offer a place for public history students to provide information on the different ways that history is being presented to the public, either physically or electronically. The Madison Historical Review is looking for reviews of institutions at both the nationally- known and local levels. In this way, the journal can act as a forum for the diverse ways that history is interpreted and presented to the public.

Book Review Guidelines:

• The review should be double-spaced and 900-1000 words in length
• Please use parenthetical citations for direct quotes from the work being reviewed.
• All reviews should state the author’s thesis and how the argument is developed and supported throughout the work.
• Reviews should not be strictly summaries, but should include analysis of the author’s approach, use of sources, organization, intended audience, etc.
• If the book is an edited collection of essays, you may focus on specific chapters that you consider particularly important. You should also give readers an idea of the content and overall purpose.
• Inform the reader how the work being reviewed fits into a larger historiography. Does the author add to or change the existing knowledge of the subject?
• Refrain from listing typographical or minor errors unless these significantly affect the quality of the work.
• The heading of each review should conform to the following format:

          Title. Author’s first and last names. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Pages.

Exhibit Review Guidelines:

• The review should be double-spaced and 900-1000 words in length
• Reviews should focus on the themes of the exhibit, and how well those themes are presented.
• Each review should state the effectiveness of the exhibit’s design and subject matter.
• Per guidelines of The Public Historian, reviewers should contact the exhibit’s curator to determine the exhibit’s goals, intended audience, and the specific conditions, such as social or financial, that it was created against. This will ensure a more-fair review of the exhibit.
• Images of reviewed exhibits are encouraged but not required. For any reviews featuring images that are chosen for publication, it is the responsibility of the author to receive formal institutional permission for use.
• For citations, please conform to the standards found in the Chicago/Turabian Manual of Style.
• The heading of each review should conform to the following format:

          Title of Exhibit. Name of curator. Name of institution, date range for exhibit.

Website Review Guidelines

• The review should be double-spaced and 900-1000 words in length
• Reviews should focus on three primary types of websites, namely:
  • Archival websites containing digitized primary documents.
  • Websites affiliated with institutions such as museums, historical societies, libraries, or universities that present online exhibits.
  • Websites created by independent scholars that present original research projects.
• Each review should critically analyze the specific content presented on websites and how that content is organized.
• Reviews should note the type of audience that the website appears to be intended for.
• Reviews should highlight any particularly innovative technology found on the website, as well as examine how user-friendly the website is.
• For citations, please conform to the standards found in the Chicago/Turabian Manual of Style
• The heading of each review should conform to the following format:

          Name of website. URL information. Website creator, institution that maintains website. Date that reviewed visited website.

To submit your review, please click on the “Submit Article” tab in the navigation bar. You will need to set up an account using your email address as your login. After this is completed, continue the submission process by following the instructions that the site lays out. We DO NOT require that you type up an abstract, so feel free to skip this step. In order to avoid confusion, note that we ask that you input your CV when the site prompts you to upload a cover letter.

When uploading your review and CV, please title each file in the following manner:

        Last name.first name.cv

        Last name.first name.field (either American, World, or Public).bookreview

        Last name.first name.field (either American, World, or Public).exhibitreview

        Last name.first name.field (either American, World, or Public).websitereview