Submission Guidelines

Submission Guidelines

The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography invites submissions of original research or interpretation on all aspects of the social, cultural, political, and economic history of Pennsylvania, by authors including but not limited to historians, literary scholars, and art historians. As part of an institution-wide initiative to make history relevant to all, we are especially interested in three types of articles:

  • Those that draw on our strengths as a research library and showcase the innovative approaches that HSP fellows and other researchers are applying to our collections;
  • Those that address groups who have traditionally been underrepresented in historical scholarship; and/or
  • Those that engage issues with contemporary relevance.

Specific areas of interest include women, gender, and sexuality; race and racial justice movements; labor and working-class history; and arts and culture. Articles that enhance the chronological span of the journal will also be looked upon favorably.

We expect that no essay submitted to us has simultaneously been submitted elsewhere. All submissions should be based on original research or new interpretations and should reflect the highest standards of scholarship. We proudly publish graduate students and other early-career scholars alongside the most prominent members of the field.

The best way to get a sense of what we publish is to read recent issues of the journal. Authors are also encouraged to discuss their essays with the editor before submitting them. When ready, authors should submit manuscripts electronically. Please send submissions in .doc or .docx to the editor as an email attachment.

Manuscripts should be double-spaced, with footnotes inserted as reference in the same file. Please use the Chicago Manual of Style, but we also recommend referring to a recent issue of PMHB, because we depart from Chicago style in some particulars. See additional formatting tips here.

Manuscripts should be no longer than thirty-five pages, including notes (which should also be double spaced). Please include potential images and/or tables in a separate file, along with captions. Images from repositories other that HSP must be obtained by the author. Digital TIFF files must be at least 300 dpi at print size. Securing permission to publish from the repository and the copyright holder is the responsibility of the author.

The editor provides the first screening of all manuscripts. Promising manuscripts are sent out for peer review by at least two readers. This process takes anywhere from six weeks to three months, occasionally longer. Reviewers’ reports will be shared with authors and revisions requested where appropriate.