What does History@Work publish?

Full-length blog posts: We publish original, full-length posts, typically between 700 and 1,000 words, on topics about issues in the field of public history. We consider our primary audience to be other public historians, and we expect pitches (more on how to pitch below) and posts to reference and build on the existing field of public history writing, reflection, and practice. For example, a post about a controversy over a public memorial or museum exhibit should reflect some awareness that this is not a first-time or unique occurrence. What is new?

Project Showcase blog posts: Project Showcase posts are shorter posts (usually ranging between 300-500 words) that focus on an author’s contribution to a particular field or area of inquiry. Through the editorial process authors will be encouraged to focus on 1-2 insights from their work and connect the piece to a broader scope through the use of several hyperlinks. For examples, see some of our previous posts in this category.

Other: We also publish specially-commissioned posts by regular History@Work authors, NCPH staff, volunteers, members, contributors to our journal, The Public Historian (TPH), and others. These posts range from reflections about our working groups to Q&As that complement museum exhibition reviews in TPH to how-to’s about programming we run.

How can I submit a blog post pitch for consideration?

If you have a pitch for a blog post for the History@Work editors to consider, you can email it to us anytime. We consider pitches on a rolling basis. The pitch should be 1-3 paragraphs and:

1. introduce you and your topic,
2. present the main argument(s) or the main question(s) you’ll explore in your post,
3. and summarize what you hope readers might gain from reading your post.

You may have already drafted a prospective post, but please send the pitch only. We will return full drafts. Check out examples of successful pitches here (pdf | word doc). Send queries about publishing to the editorial team: [email protected].

If I start the editorial process, what can I expect?

The process varies on a case-by-case basis. But here is a list of steps most writers can anticipate completing after the History@Work editors express interest in considering your draft:

Editing

• After we accept your pitch and before you draft an essay, we’ll email you comments and suggestions from the Lead and Affiliate editors who have been assigned to your post.
• After taking a look at those comments and suggestions, you will email us your first draft back. Sometimes we’ll go back and forth with this a few times, always providing you with clear deadlines for drafts. Please keep “track changes” on throughout the editorial process.
• There are many factors that affect how long it takes us to edit your draft. Sometimes it takes a few days, and sometimes it takes a few weeks! Regardless, we’ll keep you updated on its status so you know where you stand.

Copyediting

• Once everyone is happy with the content (including any images you want to publish) and we add the post to the web template, our copyeditor fixes any errors we haven’t caught such as typos and repeated words. Occasionally the copyeditor hyperlinks text to direct our readers to additional, relevant information on your topic. If the copy editor has any content questions, we will bounce those back to you.
• For logistical reasons, we don’t typically run this final, pre-publication draft by writers unless you make a special request to do that. We will, of course, immediately correct any errors or make reasonable clarifications after publication should the author request those changes be made.

Timing

• Most of what we publish gets posted within two months after a pitch is accepted. That said, when we publish your posts varies based on what else we have in the pipeline. Immediately before and after the NCPH annual meeting is usually our busiest time of year. Blog posts submitted and edited in the spring, therefore, may mean the post will go through a longer publication timeframe. No matter what, we’ll let you know along the way what we can anticipate in terms of timing.

Promotion

• Once your post is up, we will promote it on our social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, and BlueSky). If we feel the post might make for a good, longer contribution to a journal such as The Public Historian, we might suggest you consider developing it further.

My pitch was accepted! What guidelines should I keep in mind as I write my first draft?

Style: All posts should be:

• written in accessible, jargon free language for a general audience in a way that embraces complexity and critical and intellectual rigor. We accept posts written in a variety of voices ranging from the journalistic or scholarly to the provocative, wonky, or reflective.
• clear, well-reasoned, and supported by evidence as needed to make your point. Citations must be integrated into the text or hyperlinked (no footnotes).
• accessible to a general educated audience with an interest in doing history in public.
• informed by some sense of the practice and politics of public culture.
• limited to 1,000 words (500 words for Project Showcase posts)

Images: We publish at least one image with each blog post. Images should at least be 300 dpi. Images should be referenced in the text. Authors should provide captions and credit lines. It is the author’s responsibility to secure permission to publish online in perpetuity. You can read our full image guidelines here: Word doc | pdf.

Accessibility: Posts and media should conform to standard guidelines for accessible web content, many of which are outlined here. For example, authors should provide appropriate alternative text that History@Work editors can include in the metadata of the image(s) you would like us to publish. In addition, all supplementary text material should be offered as a Word Document as well as a PDF. We will help you with this as needed.

See also our style guide on disability-related language. You can access that here: word doc | pdf. Feel free to use this with your own editing team or organization.

What other digital content does NCPH publish?

NCPH publishes a variety of free digital content, available on its website, ranging from best practices documents to e-publications to back issues of Public History News. NCPH’s journal The Public Historian is available to members and others with subscription access.

History@Work regularly includes an “Around the Field” post with items of possible interest to public historians. These items, along with additional NCPH-specific news, are also included in the weekly Public History News Update which is distributed via email to NCPH members. To submit an item for possible inclusion in these listings, fill out the form at https://ncph.org/around-the-field-form/.