Civil War History receives more than 100 submissions a year. Of these, 13, or about 1 in 10, will eventually be published in CWH.
Initially, the editors read each submission to verify its suitability for CWH and to identify experts to serve as external referees. Depending on the nature of the particular piece, the editors will seek anywhere from two to three referees; two is the usual number.
The review process is fully closed to ensure author-referee anonymity and may take anywhere from three to six months to complete. Referees are asked to include—and go beyond—a recommendation about publication. Once all referee reports are returned to CWH, the editor, as a general rule, reaches one of four decisions:
- An article may be accepted outright;
- It may be conditionally accepted, pending specific changes;
- It may be returned for revisions with encouragement to resubmit;
- Finally, it may be returned outright.
Revise and resubmit is a typical outcome for a CWH submission. Authors should not interpret this decision as a polite rejection but, rather, as an indication that the referees recognize the manuscript’s promise and that the editor hopes the author will undertake the recommended revisions and resubmit the article to CWH.
The editor expects that manuscripts submitted to CWH are not under consideration by other journals or previously published in whole or substantial part (as a book chapter, for example). Kent State University Press holds the copyright of articles published in Civil War History. CWH authors who wish to reprint their article (in whole or substantial part) will need to obtain the Press’s permission.
Civil War History 