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Maryland Historical Magazine

Published by the Maryland Center for History and Culture since 1906, the Maryland Historical Magazine is a semiannual, peer-reviewed journal read widely by specialist as well as general audiences. With a circulation of 4,000 copies per issue, it enjoys one of the largest readerships among state historical journals in the nation. The magazine is an indispensable resource for scholars, teachers, families, librarians, archivists, students, independent researchers, and the general public.

Maryland Historical Magazines laid out on a table.

About the Maryland Historical Magazine

Recent issues of the Maryland Historical Magazine are available on our website. Printed copies of the journal, mailed to your home, are a benefit of MCHC membership. For more information on how to become a member or renew your membership, click here.

Past issues of the magazine have been digitized through a partnership with the Maryland State Archives. Click here to search past issues of the Maryland Historical Magazine.



Aims and Scope

The Maryland Historical Magazine publishes innovative, well-researched articles on all periods and aspects of Maryland’s social, political, and cultural history. We tell the story of the United States through the lens of Maryland: submissions should therefore consider the dynamic between the local, the statewide, and the national, and the relevance of the past to the present, providing context and comparison. Potential submitters should aim to write in an engaging style for a diverse audience. The best way to get acquainted with the types of content, format, and length we look for is to read some of the rich content we have already published.

We welcome submissions in a range of historical fields and intersections between history and other areas. These include, but are not limited to: literary history, women’s history, LGBTQ+ history, history of sports, theater, philosophy, art history, material culture, history of science and technology, folklore, anthropology, or environmental humanities. Recent articles have addressed issues of aspiring female entrepreneurs and writers in a male-dominated literary world, the cultural history of mourning on the example of a family’s grave marker statues, and agricultural experimentation in 18th-century Maryland.

We particularly encourage submissions that highlight the Museum and Library collections of MCHC. Our staff will gladly assist with manuscript preparation in this regard.


Article Submission Guidelines

The Maryland Historical Magazine publishes:

  • Full-length original research articles (up to 10,000 words excluding endnotes, appendices,
    figures, or captions. Longer pieces must be approved by the Editor-in-chief);
  • Research notes and Maryland Miscellany (up to 5,000 words excluding endnotes);
  • Book reviews of relevant new historical research (although we do not accept unsolicited
    book reviews for the time being, qualified reviewers are invited to join our database of
    potential reviewers here);
  • The annual “Maryland History Bibliography: A Selected List,” compiled by our colleagues at the University of Maryland Libraries.

In addition to these standard features, we are open to innovative article proposals in other formats: photographic essays (unpublished or authorial photographs and commentary); translations (English as target language); primary sources, etc. Please contact our editorial staff to discuss your ideas.


How to Submit An Article

Submissions must be in Word format and emailed to publications@mdhistory.org.

To ensure a double-anonymous peer review, please do not include your name or any identifying information in this document, including metadata. See how to remove metadata from your document).

Authors are encouraged to include with their submission a current CV and/or cover letter providing more background information about their research: these are for editorial use only and will not be shared with reviewers in the evaluation process.

Images that accompany your submission should be included in the Word document as reference images (low resolution). Should the article be accepted for publication, authors will be responsible for obtaining high-resolution images, necessary reproduction permission, and for ensuring that their sources are properly credited. When images in MCHC collections are used, we provide assistance in terms of processing image requests and waiving reproduction fees.

Read the Style Sheet for authors.

Questions about the submission process should be addressed to our editorial staff.


The Review and Publication Process

The review process for submissions is overseen by the Editor-in-chief, in collaboration with MCHC staff and the Publications Committee, a select group of experts and specialists on Maryland and US history. Submissions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • How well do they fit the Aims and Scope of the Magazine?
  • Do they contribute to our knowledge of Maryland history, in terms of content, method,
    approach, or perspective?
  • Do they demonstrate meticulous research and proper annotation of relevant sources?
  • Are they written in a dynamic, engaging style that can appeal to specialist and general
    audiences?

It is mandatory that submissions:

  • Are pieces of original scholarship, written entirely by the submitting author(s), with all
    primary and secondary sources properly annotated;
  • Have not been published previously, entirely or in part;
  • Are not currently being considered for publication by another journal.

Submissions are first assessed by the Editor-in-chief. If they are appropriately formatted and fit the Aims and Scope of the Maryland Historical Magazine, they undergo a double-anonymous peer-review process. This can take between several weeks and several months, depending on the complexity of the submission and availability of reviewers. The Magazine relies on a wide network of peer reviewers, which includes members of the MCHC Publications Committee as well as external reviewers: qualified experts are invited to join our database of potential reviewers. Review reports are sent back to the authors, with three possible recommendations: to reject the submission; to revise and resubmit; or to accept the submission with no or minor edits. Our practice is to complete the evaluation process in no more than two rounds of review. 

Final publication decisions are made by the Editor-in-chief.

Authors whose work has been accepted for publication sign a publishing agreement with MCHC before their article can appear in print. Accepted articles are copyedited for content and style prior to publication, in cooperation with the authors. 

Questions about the review and publication process should be addressed to our Editor.


Book Review Guidelines

The Maryland Historical Magazine features reviews of newly published books on Maryland history, history of the Chesapeake and the Mid-Atlantic, and general US history relevant to our readers.

Authors should aim to write book reviews of 750–1,000 words. Reviews should provide an outline of the content, thesis, and intended audience of the book, followed by the author’s expert commentary on the book’s strengths and shortcomings, as well as which type(s) of audience(s) might be interested in reading it. Authors should be specialists in the research area addressed by the publication and should place the book reviewed in context with other contemporaneous research.

We do not accept unsolicited book reviews. You may, however, join our database of potential reviewers here.


Peer Review Guidelines

Curating content for the Maryland Historical Magazine is a meticulous, collaborative process, the essential part of which is peer review. In addition to members of our Publications Committee serving as internal reviewers, we rely on a pool of external reviewers—local and national specialists on various aspects of Maryland history. If you wish to join our database of potential peer reviewers, please fill out a Reviewer Application Form.

Peer review serves two main purposes. The first is to help the editorial staff make a decision on whether a submission can be accepted for publication. The second is to provide useful feedback to authors on their work, whether in terms of highlighting the merits of their research and writing, or pointing out areas for potential improvement.

Upon reading the submission carefully, we ask that our peer reviewers produce a 1–2 page report on the submission’s main thesis or contribution to its respective field, then focus on the submission’s strengths and, if needed, areas that would require revision in order to be accepted for publication. Finally, we ask that the reviewers make one of the following recommendations: publish with no/minor revisions; revise and resubmit; or reject the submission.

Our editorial staff will update the reviewers on the status of the submissions they have reviewed.

JOSEPH L. ARNOLD PRIZE

The Joseph L. Arnold Prize for Outstanding Writing on Baltimore‘s History is awarded annually by the Baltimore City Historical Society. The winning essay is automatically considered for publication in the Maryland Historical Magazine. To facilitate the evaluation process, authors are encouraged to consult the Magazine‘s Submission Guidelines above and the Style Sheet.

For more information on the Joseph L. Arnold Prize, open calls, and how to submit, please visit BCHS‘ website.

Past Issues

Recent issues of the Maryland Historical Magazine are available here. Printed copies of the journal, mailed to your home, are a benefit of MCHC membership. For more information on how to become a member or renew your membership, click here.

Past issues of the magazine have been digitized through a partnership with the Maryland State ArchivesClick here to search past issues of the Maryland Historical Magazine.

2021

Spring/Summer
Fall/Winter *ADA-compliant version coming soon

2020

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2018

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CONTACT

If you have any questions about submitting to the Maryland Historical Magazine, please contact our editorial staff at publications@mdhistory.org or 410-685-3750.