Submissions

Exceptional Writers Wanted!

The Journal of the American Revolution is a popular, peer-reviewed history forum for scholars and enthusiasts alike. Most submissions are published within four weeks of the final article delivery. Submitting articles to JAR provides an exciting possibility to build a large, loyal readership among our world-wide community. More so, our authors benefit from thoughtful and respectful reader commentary following each article. Also unique among online magazines, Journal of the American Revolution produces an annual hardcover collection of the best articles from the previous twelve months. Our authors and their articles are frequently cited in books, news media, and other educational resources.

With contributors ranging from graduate students and history teachers to trade authors and award-winning academics, writing for Journal of the American Revolution is a great resume builder for young scholars and provides a forum for clear, thoughtful writing for a general readership enthusiastic about this period of history.

We welcome submissions from both seasoned scholars as well as emerging talent with only a few simple editorial guidelines.
Types of submissions we consider (email us your idea first):

  • Features (long-form articles, well-researched, with endnotes; typically 1500 to 4500 words including notes, with an absolute maximum of 6000 words)
  • Shorts (pithy, short-form articles, including ranked lists)
  • Tours (photo and video tours of American Revolution-related sites, events, museums, etc.)

Our editorial guidelines are simple:

  • Before sending a finished article, send a proposal to see if your topic is suitable for JAR. Send your ideas to the editor.
  • All submissions must be original works by the author, and exclusive to or re-purposed for the Journal of the American Revolution
  • All submissions must be factual and based largely on primary sources. We do not publish opinion pieces.
  • All submission must be focused on, or relevant to, the American Revolution and American founding era, roughly 1765 through 1805.
  • We strive to publish meticulous, ideally ground-breaking research and well-written narratives about unknown or lesser-known topics or new information about well-known topics.
  • Specific, highly focused articles are preferable to surveys or overviews.
  • All submissions must include endnotes (primary sources please) using the Chicago Manual of Style; short-form contributions can include endnotes or source credits within the body of the article.
  • All submissions should follow our document set-up guidelines and style guide
  • All submissions must be made in Microsoft Word and include the authors name, email address and phone number.
  • All submissions should include a recommended title (10 words or less). JAR reserves the right to edit any title.
  • Submissions should include at least one artwork suggestion to represent the theme or character of the submission; additional artwork is welcome (authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use artwork that is not public domain). JAR reserves the right not to use art suggestions and to provide alternative and additional artwork if necessary.
  • First-time contributors: Don’t forget to include your head shot in color and a short bio (75 to 100 words); our readers are interested in your credentials—education, employment or previous employment, other published works or current research.
  • All work will be reviewed in a timely manner and we reserve the right to reject any work for any reason; however, we expect you to proofread and copyedit your own work, being consistent with Chicago Manual of Style and our own guidelines; we also reserve the right to modify submitted works for style (grammar, punctuation, spelling, clarity). Any edits of significance will be returned for author review
  • See the Journal of the American Revolution Style Guide for answers to frequently asked questions about word usage and style rules.