About the Journal

Editorial Policies

Mandate and History

Founded in 1968, Histoire sociale / Social History has become a leading publication of socio-historical research. The journal includes articles, research notes, book reviews, and other submissions that contribute to social history in Canada and abroad. The journal is interested in all types of social phenomena, whether cultural, political, economic, or demographic, without methodological, temporal, or geographic restrictions. The journal gives priority to studies that explicitly integrate different sub-fields of social history and are innovative in sources, method, or interpretation.

 

In past years, Histoire sociale / Social History has also published special issues focused on specific topics. These special issues are designed to complement our regular publication of submissions by Canadian and foreign scholars. The journal also contains a lengthy section of book reviews that provides a critical look at the most recent socio-historical productions.

 

Founded by historians from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, Histoire sociale / Social History benefits today from the collaboration of colleagues from the University of Ottawa and York University. The journal is published twice yearly, in May and November, with the financial assistance of the University of Ottawa, York University, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

 

General Editorial Policy

Histoire sociale / Social History is published twice per year. Texts submitted for editorial and external reviewer approval must fall within the journal's mandate and meet the requirements of an academic research journal of national and international scope. Before submitting a manuscript, please ensure it meets the journal’s publishing standards as set out in the “Manuscript Presentation” and “Style Guide” sections below. 

 

The journal accepts only exclusive and unpublished material. This means... 

 

  • that it is an unpublished work that is not being evaluated by another journal; 
  • that one waits to receive a response from the journal’s editorial committee before submitting a text currently submitted for consideration by Histoire sociale / Social History to another journal or publisher; 
  • That, if and once accepted for publication, the copyright belongs exclusively to Histoire sociale / Social History, unless otherwise agreed and noted.

 

Authors are asked not to deposit any content published by Histoire sociale / Social History in institutional repositories or to share PDFs of their published work over the web. Rather, authors are asked to provide a link to the journal’s content either on the Histoire sociale / Social History’s Project MUSE webpage or OJS website. 

Open Access (OA) Policy

Authors who wish to make their published manuscript freely available (Open Access) are asked to communicate with the journal upon submission to discuss options.

 

The Journal’s Open Access material can be found archived on its OJS webpage.

 

Author Self-Archiving

Authors are permitted to deposit published manuscripts in an institutional repository to fulfil any Open Access requirements demanded by funding agencies. 

Definitions of Content

Articles 

Texts that are 11,000 words in English and 12,000 words in French (inclusive of footnotes and Figures, Tables, and Graphs) and make an original contribution to knowledge. The journal gives priority to studies that explicitly integrate different subfields of social history and are innovative in source, method and interpretation.

Research Notes 

A research paper that seeks to advance a theoretical perspective, present preliminary results of ongoing research, or offer a rigorous examination of a primary question or source. Maximum length: 5,000 words.

Round-tables 

Round-tables are peer-reviewed collections of reviews by multiple authors on a single scholarly book, and are published together so as to prompt discussions on topics of historical significance. In publishing round-tables, Histoire sociale / Social History wishes to offer a platform to open a dialogue among historians on issues of historical significance. Collections may be anywhere between 2 and 5 reviews, each at a length of 1000–1200 words. 

Forums

Similar to round-tables, forums are peer-reviewed panels of experts exchanging comments on particular themes, rather than particular books, and are moderated by a specialist in the matter. Themes are chosen by the Board or can be suggested to the journal. Collections may be anywhere between 2 and 5 reviews, each at a length of 1000–1200 words. 

Thematic Sections 

In order to further research on particular topics which merit research, Histoire sociale / Social History publishes Thematic Sections. Thematic Sections are collections of articles and may also include research notes and book reviews grouped under a particular theme. Thematic Sections include a minimum of three peer reviewed manuscripts, such as articles and research notes. In addition to these special thematic sections, the journal may propose and is receptive to proposals for full special thematic issues.

Colloquia

In order to facilitate scholarly discussion around important topics, Histoire sociale / Social History occasionally publishes groups of articles known as Colloquia. Colloquia are collections of non-conventional works, such as methodological surveys, blog posts, and scholarly podcasts (accompanied by a transcript or text of 1000-2000 words), either commissioned by Histoire sociale / Social History or independently submitted which touch upon a particular topic or theme. While the creation of a colloquium may come as a result of one or several works submitted to Histoire sociale / Social History, sometimes, the journal will create the colloquium call for works. Taken together, submissions should not surpass a length of 11,000–12,000 words. 

Creative Scholarship and Multimedia

Creative Scholarship and Multi-Media offers a space to publish peer-reviewed material that falls out of the traditional scope of research articles found in the printed pages of Histoire sociale / Social History but would otherwise be of interest to scholars. Work published as Creative Scholarship and Multimedia may range from critical discussions of new methodological approaches to analytical interventions into matters of social-historical theory and practice. The journal encourages submissions of creative scholarship in the form of multimedia and alternative media—comics, soundworks, podcasts, picture or image essays, and videos—accompanied, when necessary, by an adequate text description. It may also include critical interviews or group projects that aim specifically at going beyond the standard research article to present scholarly research and innovative socio-historical interpretation. Peer-reviewed material published as Creative Scholarship and Multimedia will vary, but will be grounded in the relevant scholarly literature and be pertinent to the overall theme of social history.  

Podcasts

Podcasts are brief, recorded interviews with authors whose peer-reviewed work has appeared in Histoire / Social History. At times, the interview will accompany an article that has appeared in Social History in a recent or current issue. At other times, the interview will be with authors who have recently appeared in the news and whose work has been featured in Histoire sociale / Social History in the past. Designed to be “bite-sized,” ranging from a couple to ten minutes, these podcasts highlight the noteworthy scholarly work going on in the pages of Social History.

 

Bilingualism at Histoire sociale / Social History

Histoire sociale / Social History is a bilingual journal that publishes in English and French and caters to a largely bilingual audience. Both languages may be used. Quotations or citations from either language need not be translated unless a specific argument regarding the language or translation is being made. 

 

Quotations in English or French must be retained in their original language in the text. If the author wishes to provide a translation for convenience, it should appear as a footnote.

 

Quotations should not be italicized, but placed within quotation marks. 

 

On the recommendation of the Translation Bureau, translate the names of universities according to the rules found here. 

 

Example:

Université de Moncton

University of Moncton

Université Laval

Laval University

Université de Montréal

University of Montréal

Université Laurentien

Laurentian University

Université d’Ottawa

University of Ottawa

Université Sainte-Anne

Saint Anne’s University

 

The Submission Process

Authors are requested to submit their papers in Word as an attachment to an email sent to the journal's email address, hssh@uottawa.ca. 

 

Please save the file with the following nomenclature: short title, submission date (year, month, day). For example: Hogs, Cows, and Residents 1984.07.31.

 

Your email should include your name, article title, a 100 to 150-word abstract, institutional affiliation, and full contact information.

 

Submitted documents should contain :

  • An abstract of the article with keywords;
  • The article written in accordance with the publishing standards;
  • Any images or illustrations as separate documents in original format, preferably minimum 300dpi. Do not integrate the images into the document unless necessary for the peer review. 
  • No references that may reveal the author’s identity. 

Submission Guidelines

Writing Abstracts

Submissions of research articles and research notes should include an abstract of 100–150 words. Please include the abstract on the first page following the title, and in italics. Please also include your abstract in the body of your submission email. 

 

Abstracts should add substance to the title and clearly define the topic, demonstrate the research that has been conducted, and briefly describe some of the key findings and conclusions.

 

Abstracts need to maximize discoverability: the keywords it contains will be indexed, and the information included in abstracts will contribute to the ranking of your article by search engines. If you write a detailed and descriptive abstract, your article will have a higher chance of being discovered in search engines than an identical article without an abstract. 

 

Getting people to find your article is just the first step. You also want your article to be read and cited. A well-written abstract is the best tool to achieve this. By telling readers exactly what your article contains, they can quickly and easily determine if its content is relevant to their research.

 

An effective abstract should do the following:

  • It should lay bare why it is of interest to the reader.
  • It should provide a statement of the topic or questions under consideration. 
  • It should describe an approach or methodology. 
  • Summarize the findings, the most important elements the article will communicate. 

 

A few additional points to consider:

  • Include the specific geographic location or region explored.
  • include the time period examined.
  • What makes this research new / interesting / important.
Do's and don'ts of writing an abstract

To do: 

  • Use keywords, terms, and phrases;
  • Define all acronyms, even the most common ones;
  • Work within the defined word limits, 100–150 words;
  • Get feedback from other experts in the field and editors;
  • Write for the right audience.

 

Don’t do:

  • Don't use only the first paragraph or a set of sentences copy and pasted from the text;
  • Don't use technical or specialized jargon without defining it;
  • Do not include any supplemental information that is not also included in the full text.
  • Do not include references.

 

Choosing Keywords

Keywords are important because they are used to index your text in search engines. Articles and research notes must therefore be accompanied by 7–8 keywords. Keywords are intended to complement both the title and abstract and are effective tools to make the article “findable” online.

 

It is important that the keywords are not vague. Instead, use direct and descriptive terms that accurately reflect the contents of your work.

 

Keywords do not necessarily have to be the terms that appear most often in your text, but they should give the reader an idea of the field and area of study. Keywords do not need to be a single word; they can be short phrases.

 

Writing a Biographical Note

The biographical note is summarized in a short text that provides the current institutional affiliation of the author. 

Before submitting your manuscript

  • Ensure the manuscript does not exceed the permitted word count, 11,000 words (inclusive of footnotes, Figures, Tables, and Graphs); 
  • Ensure that the text meets the stylistic requirements outlined in this document. 
  • Histoire sociale / Social History publishes original content. Please confirm that you have not submitted or published this article, a very similar article elsewhere or in a published monograph or edited collection in English, French or any other language. 
  • Make sure the text has been rendered anonymous, that the author names have been carefully removed. Remove the author names from the document’s properties. In particular, watch for entries such as "from my thesis", "my previous work on", etc.
  • When writing or editing your text, consider your target audience, generally professional academics or graduate students interested in the topic under investigation but also with a broader interest in social history worldwide. Some will have a specialized understanding of the themes under consideration while others may be more interested in how your research contributes more broadly to social history writ large. 
    • Avoid using unnecessary jargon;
    • Explain concepts clearly upon their first use, even if they should be well understood within the discipline;
    • Avoid wordy and awkward sentences; as a general rule, use Plain Language whenever possible. 
    • Avoid clichés and colloquial phrases, such as “nowadays”
    • Text language in Word set to English (Canada)
    • Straight apostrophes (‘) are systematically replaced with typographic or “curved” apostrophes (“). 
  • Please review each paragraph and the whole text for repetitive use of keywords. Repetitive use of words and phrases can take away from the flow of an article. 

The Peer Review Process

Upon receipt, each submission is read carefully by the editorial committee to determine whether it meets Histoire sociale / Social History’s mandate and merits being sent for peer review. The peer review evaluation process is conducted entirely anonymously, unless otherwise negotiated and agreed: The evaluators do not know the name of the author of the text they are evaluating and the author will not know the names of the evaluators of the text. 

Articles are subject to anonymous assessments by a minimum of two external reviewers before being considered for publication by the editorial committee. 

 

Research Notes are submitted to an anonymous evaluation by at least one external reviewer before being considered for publication by the editorial committee.

 

Book Reviews and Review Essays are not subject to evaluation. 

 

The external reviewers render one of the following verdicts: 

  1. Accept the manuscript for publication
  2. Accept the manuscript with minor changes
  3. Do not accept the manuscript unless the author makes major changes
  4. The manuscript is rejected. 

The reviewer is invited to add comments relevant to the enhancement of the text. In cases where the two judgements are inconsistent, a third external review may be requested. 

 

Manuscripts submitted to Histoire sociale / Social History are peer-reviewed before being considered for publication by the editorial committee. When making a decision, the editorial committee systematically sends the anonymous reports of the evaluators to the authors. 

 

The decision to publish rests with the editorial committee and then the editorial board. It is made jointly with the guest editors of thematic sections or issues, if applicable. The decision of the journal is final.

Contractual Terms & Conditions

Submitting a text to Histoire sociale / Social History includes a commitment to no previous publication and to take steps towards a competing publication.

 

The author affirms that the article is original, that they are the author and the owner of the copyright. The author retains copyright. The author grants Histoire sociale/Social History an exclusive license for first publication and a non-exclusive license to reproduce and distribute the full article or excerpts thereof. 

 

Authors of accepted articles are required to sign a copyright agreement whereby the author agrees to transfer copyright to the publisher.