Submissions
The Columbia Journal of History encourages undergraduate students to submit research papers and essays that relate to the field of history. We publish outstanding student research papers from seminars, upper-level electives, independent study, and thesis programs. We encourage additions to scholarly debate through original research.
The strongest submissions are best structured as Historical Research Manuscripts.
Submissions should be double-spaced in Microsoft Word .doc or .docx format, follow the Chicago citation style, and include footnotes as well as a Works Cited section. Any illustrations (e.g., texts, charts, tables, graphics, images, multimedia, supplementary datasets, etc.) must appear within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end. They must also include the appropriate citation and must either be drawn from the public domain or be otherwise free of licensing restrictions. Although we will consider submissions of any length, the majority of published pieces range from 5000 to 7000 words (20 to 25 double-spaced pages), excluding references. Longer papers should be shortened to fit this page-length recommendation before submission. We will not consider papers that do not adhere to the stylistic requirements outlined above. Please review the Citations Submission Guide and adjust your paper to CJH’s style before submission.
The submission must not have been previously published in any student, professional, or academic publication. If you have also submitted your piece to another publication, please inform us if you have been selected for publication by their team. We do not republish papers.
Authors must be willing to commit upon acceptance to an editorial review process (~1-2 months) during which our editors will prepare the submission for publication. Our submissions for the Spring 2026 issue is now open.
Note: The Columbia Journal of History uses a double-blind review process. Please remove your name and any identifying information from the submitted document.