Magazine Submission Guidelines
The mission of the History Center is to educate, engage, and inspire with links to the past, understanding in the present, and guidance for the future by preserving regional history and presenting the American experience with a Western Pennsylvania connection.
Please follow these guidelines when submitting to Western Pennsylvania History magazine:
FORMAT: Attach the text as a Microsoft Word document; do not paste the Word doc or the images into the body of an e-mail. Also do not embed the images in the Word doc.
LENGTH: 3,000-4,000 words + photo captions/credits and embedded endnotes.
IMAGES: 8-10 high-resolution files (TIFF preferred; if JPEG, save at highest quality/least compression). If images are too large for email, send via OneDrive or similar file sharing service. We do not accept low-resolution images from the internet or images obtained without written permission from the copyright holder.
CAPTIONS: Number the image file names in the order they should appear in the article. Please include a brief descriptive caption and credit the source for each photo.
STYLE: We use the Chicago Manual of Style with a few changes to suit History Center style.
BIO: Include an author bio at the end of the text, 30 words max.
Further information for prospective authors:
1. An article must be based on primary sources and original analysis of historical events with a strong connection to Western Pennsylvania. It must include thorough citations formatted as endnotes.
2. If sending a proposal, be specific about what your article will focus on; if sending a manuscript, make sure it has a clear, concise thesis statement (which is more than just what the article will be about).
3. Articles should not be of a general nature but should be written to be enjoyed by a general audience. We do not accept reprints, book excerpts, verbatim documents, genealogy, etc.
4. There are no deadlines until an article is accepted and scheduled for publication. The magazine is published Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Publication in a particular issue cannot be guaranteed.
5. Submissions are subject to review and modification by our internal Publications Committee, both before and after being accepted for publication.
6. The magazine pays authors upon publication, typically $250, via invoice with a W-9 form.
7. The History Center will hold copyright of the published article and retains the right to reprint articles in any format or media, along with the right to grant that permission to others.
8. Submissions can be e-mailed to HHCPublications@heinzhistorycenter.org
9. At time of submission, it is likely that the next two issues are already filled, so publication may take a year; submit all materials far in advance if a topic is time sensitive. We take great care in proofreading, editing, and designing articles, which requires quality time.
10. We also consider non-fiction book reviews of 200-300 words (occasionally longer), which should include basic info (publisher, year, page count, special features, cover format, cost) plus reviewer byline and a small but hi-res image of the cover. There is no pay for book reviews. Columns (very rarely assigned) are 500-600 words, 3-5 images.
Updated 1/24/23