Author Guidelines

Nebraska History Magazine, published quarterly by the Nebraska State Historical Society, accepts well-researched articles, edited documents, and other annotated primary materials relating to the history of Nebraska and the Great Plains. Articles are reviewed by qualified scholars before publication.

Nebraska History has a twofold mission. Since 1918, we’ve been the publication of record for the history of our state. As such, we expect our contributors to abide by the highest standards of scholarship. At the same time, we do not exist solely for the benefit of scholars and researchers. We take seriously the Nebraska State Historical Society’s motto:

“The Nebraska State Historical Society collects, preserves, and opens to all, the histories we share.”

We strive to make historical scholarship accessible to intelligent, curious, nonprofessional readers. We are firm believers in the enduring value of the well-crafted historical narrative.

Submissions may focus on political, economic, social, and ethnic themes; on institutional and architectural history; or biography. Manuscripts should reflect research in primary sources. Family histories or personal reminiscences are rarely published and must be of exceptional value or statewide interest to be considered.

If you’re unfamiliar with Nebraska History, a good way to learn more is by reading some of the articles honored with the annual James L. Sellers Award, which recognizes the Nebraska History article judged best by an independent panel of judges (see below). In addition, more than a thousand past articles from NH are available as PDFs.

SUBMISSIONS, MANUSCRIPT REVIEW, and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

We prefer to receive submissions by email (contact information below). Please send:

• An electronic version (Word, OpenOffice, WordPerfect, RTF, etc.).
• If you know of photos and artwork suitable for illustrating the article, go ahead and send low-resolution scans, or include detailed descriptions of possible illustrations and note where they can be obtained.
• A brief author vita

If you are obtaining photos for your article, remember that high-resolution scans will be required for publication. (Scan originals at 300 dpi or higher, especially if the original is small.) Bear in mind that before publication we will also need written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce images.

Note: Attachments exceeding 20 MB cannot be accommodated by our system. If your submission is larger than 20 MB, please break it into two or more parts and attach to separate e-mails.

Submissions will be acknowledged promptly. Manuscripts are subject to review by qualified referees. Authors usually will be notified within sixty days regarding publication.

LENGTH AND STYLE:

There are no rigid length requirements for Nebraska History articles. The preferred range is from 3,000 to 7,500 words. Short articles (1,000 to 2,000 words) providing a historical context for current social and political issues are welcome, as are short articles (up to 1,000 words) responding to previously published articles. Edited manuscripts and detailed treatments longer than 7,000 words occasionally are used in Nebraska History.

Articles are subject to in-house editing following the conventions of the current edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Documentation should be in the form of double-spaced endnotes as described in The Chicago Manual of Style. Authors will be consulted about major substantive revisions. Authors will have an opportunity to review final copy-edited manuscripts. Major revisions cannot be made after an article has been typeset.

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE, REPRINTS, AND COPIES

Upon acceptance of a manuscript, the author will be asked to sign a consent form giving Nebraska History the right to publish the article and reprint it in other Nebraska State Historical Society publications, including digital and online versions. The consent form also requires authors to guarantee that the article is original and has not been simultaneously submitted to any other publication. The contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Each author will receive six free copies of the issue in which the article appears. Authors may purchase additional copies at a 40 percent discount from the single-copy price. Nebraska History does not offer article reprints; authors may make their own reprint arrangements.

THE JAMES L. SELLERS AWARD

The Nebraska State Historical Society awards a cash prize and plaque annually to the author of the Nebraska History article judged best by an independent panel of judges. The award is named for James L. Sellers (1881-1966), professor of history at the University of Nebraska and a member of our governing board for twenty years.

For more information, contact the editor:

David L. Bristow
Nebraska State Historical Society
1500 R Street
Lincoln, NE 68508-1651
(402) 471-4748
[email protected]