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Clio on the Web: An Annotated Bibliography of Select E-Journals for History

By Joel D. Kitchens

For "net-savvy" historians and graduate students, there are an increasing number of electronic resources available on the World Wide Web.¹ A recent survey of historians shows a considerable number who regularly use computers and the Internet for teaching and research.² Several are also taking advantage of opportunities to publish in refereed, electronic journals, known as "e-journals." Some of the potential advantages of e-journals include greater innovation, diversity, and creativity in scholarship and writing; hypertext links in articles to related articles or primary sources; incorporation of multimedia material (sound, graphics, and moving pictures) into the article; a worldwide audience; publication of manuscripts too long for traditional print journals, yet too short to be published as books; quicker book reviews; faster distribution to readers; immediate feedback from peers; and, for graduate students, an introduction into the editing and publishing experience with little of the expense associated with printed journals.

Such advantages do not come without some drawbacks, however. Electronic-only journals can be difficult to find because established reference sources do not adequately list them. Updates to the e-journal sites are often irregular, late, or infrequent. Questions of quality and longevity inhibit full acceptance by the scholarly community. Access to back issues of the journals and technology migration questions have yet to be resolved. Finally, these journals are subject to problems inherent in the Internet, such as incorrect or obsolete URLs (Uniform Resource Locators), instability of host computer networks and servers, or problems with syntax in computer commands.³

Criteria for selection in this bibliography included electronic journals without print counterparts; a claim of peer-review and/or affiliation with a college, university, or scholarly organization; at least some of the articles published in English; and history as the main focus of the journal. All of the journals listed here are presently available free of charge. This bibliography is not a definitive list of scholarly e-journals of interest to historians, as there are other e-journals currently in existence. However, most of the journals not included took a much broader definition of "history" than that employed here. Also excluded were "e-zines," which are generally targeted toward a more popular readership. All of the information presented here is what could be inferred from the journals' web pages.

Electronic Journals in History: A Selected Bibliography

49th Parallel: An Interdisciplinary Journal of North American Studies

http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/49thParallel

Graduate students of the Department of American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, publish this quarterly journal. 49th Parallel publishes articles on 19th- and 20th-century North American history as well as other related topics in the humanities and social sciences. Submissions from graduate students as well as those from scholars still early in their careers are especially welcomed. Reviews of books, films, web sites, as well as historiography and review essays are encouraged. The editors review submissions and prefer manuscripts that make use of graphics and other multimedia or web projects. There is a place for news of upcoming conferences and calls for papers. The journal also has a list of hypertext links to other places on the web of interest to historians of American history, such as selected presidential libraries, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Library of Congress, the CIA, the FBI, H-Net, Making of America, and others. The journal is currently working on its third issue and there is an archive available for browsing. The current editorial team, made up of Kirsty Buckthorp, Andrew Johnstone, Emma Lambert, David Madden, and Joel Morton, can be contacted via e-mail at mailto:%2049thparallel@bham.ac.uk.

African Studies Quarterly: The Online Journal of African Studies

http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq

This interdisciplinary journal is published by the Center for African Studies and the Students in African Studies Association at the University of Florida. It features scholarly articles about continental African and diaspora topics (including slavery), book reviews, roundtable discussions, and essays on current topics. African Studies Quarterly (ASQ) accepts only original work for submission. All submissions are sent to at least two external referees for peer review. ASQ strives to have a three-month turnaround from submission to publication of its articles. The journal is working on its third volume and there are two complete volumes of back issues available for browsing. ASQ is also available via e-mail. Korwa Adar, Angelique Haugerud, Goran Hyden, Abiola Irele, Richard Joseph, Rene Lemarchand, Michael Lofchie, Guy Martin, Achille Mbembe, Barbara Mcdade, Rwekaza Mukandala, Richard L. Sklar, Aili Mari Tripp, and Jennifer Widner make up the current advisory board. Send e-mail to asq@africa.ufl.edu. (ISSN: 1093-2658)

American Graduate: An E-Journal of Social and Cultural History

http://www-dept.usm.edu/~amgrad

Published by graduate students at the Department of History of the University of Southern Mississippi, this journal offers graduate students and new scholars a chance to gain experience by publishing their research in a peer-reviewed journal. American Graduate publishes e-mail discussion forums, interviews with established historians, and reviews of books, in addition to original research articles. The editors welcome submissions on the general theme of social and cultural history, but the time period and geographic locale covered is wide open. Submissions on non-Western topics are especially welcomed. No back issues could be found in December 1999. James Walsh is the senior editor and can be reached via e-mail at american.graduate@usm.edu.

Chronicon: An Electronic History Journal

http://www.ucc.ie/chronicon

Published by the Department of History at University College, Cork, Ireland, the primary focus of this journal is Irish history. The main goal is to provide a forum for academic research, discussion, and debate. A single volume runs for one calendar year and new articles are added to the volume as they are accepted. The journal will allow prepublished articles also to be posted in order to prompt feedback and debate, and articles appearing as a result may be republished in Chronicon or another journal. The journal also publishes book reviews, notices, and conference news, and offers a forum for comments, criticisms, and authors' rebuttals regarding articles already published. Two volumes of back issues are available. Graduate students may submit papers through their advisor. Damian Bracken edits Chronicon and e-mail should be addressed to chronicon@ucc.ie. (ISSN: 1393-5259)

Cromohs: Cyber Review of Modern Historiography

http://www.unifi.it/riviste/cromohs

The scope of this journal, published by the Department of History at the Università Di Trieste is modern historiography (the "modern" defined as the end of the 15th century to the present). The journal accepts scholarly articles, reviews of other scholarly publications, proposals for seminars and conferences, and announcements of electronic texts. The editorial board reviews submissions. This is a true multilingual journal, as articles are accepted and published in English, Italian, French, or German. Back issues for browsing go back to 1996. Cromohs also features an extensive virtual library of many historiographic texts, some dating back to the mid-17th century, as well as links to historical resources on the Internet. Rolando Minuti and Guido Abbattista are the editors, and e-mail can be sent to either address: mailto:minuti@cesit1 or abba@rs950.cisi.unito.it.

Electronic Journal of Australian and New Zealand History

http://www.jcu.edu.au/aff/history

This peer-reviewed journal—a cooperative effort published at James Cook University with assistance from others, including Melbourne University and the Australian National University—publishes articles on Australian and New Zealand history, as well as on the effects of technology on history teaching and research. Submissions that might not be published in print (because of style or length) or that make use of multimedia are welcome here. The journal has a searchable archive and publishes book reviews in addition to original scholarly research. The journal provides links to digitized documents related to Australian and New Zealand history and to other web sites of interest to historians, as well as conference announcements. Paul Turnbull and Alan Mayne are the editors of the journal and can be contacted by sending e-mail to mailto:paul.turnbull@anu (ISSN: 1321-5752)

Essays in History

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/journals

Essays in History is published annually by graduate students in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. The journal was initially published in print, but went to an electronic-only format in 1994. In 1996, the journal added book reviews. Subject matter and time period are open and vary greatly. Referees drawn from the editorial board screen all submissions. There is a searchable archive of articles going back to 1990, or readers may browse the annual volumes individually for the same time period. The editor, Louisa Parker Mattozzi, can be contacted via e-mail at mattozzi@virginia.edu

Forum historiae iuris

http://www.rewi.hu-berlin.de/FHI

The law faculty at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, publishes this journal. Articles are accepted and published in German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. The time period covered ranges from ancient and Roman times to the present day. As the title implies, the primary focus of the journal is legal history, but works on other historical topics having strong connections to legal issues are accepted. There are no identifiable volumes, but all articles published since May 1997 are arranged by time period and topic. The journal actively solicits articles from up-and-coming scholars. Contact the editors, Christoph Paulus and Rainer Schroeder, at the following addresses for submission and editorial policy information: paulus@rewi.hu-berlin.de or schroeder@rewi.hu-berlin.de.

Net Reviews

http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews

H-Net Reviews is a journal dedicated to reviewing scholarly monographs, multimedia, and Internet sites and resources. The journal is under the umbrella of the H-Net, Humanities & Social Sciences OnLine network. While Mark Kornbluh is the editor of H-Net Reviews, each of the individual H-Net discussion networks has its own review editor and commissions its own reviews. H-Net Reviews collects the published reviews from the other networks and acts as the archive repository site for interested persons to visit and read the reviews of their choosing. There are over 100 discussion lists affiliated with H-Net and subscribing to any of them also subscribes one to e-mailed updates on new reviews that become available through H-Net Reviews. Those interested in reviewing should contact the person responsible for commissioning the reviews of the individual H-Net discussion list. Archives of back issues are organized in annual volumes going back to 1993, with a search engine. Unlike many other sources for scholarly reviews, H-Net Reviews welcomes feedback from authors whose works have been reviewed for the purpose of furthering scholarly discussion and debate. For questions related specifically to H-Net Reviews, contact hbooks@mail.h-net.msu.edu.

History Reviews On-Line

http://www.depauw.edu/~dtrinkle/hrol.html

This journal is published at DePauw University and is also devoted to reviewing books, CD-ROMs, and World Wide Web sites, on all topics and time periods of history. The journal has published eight issues since 1995, which can be browsed issue by issue. A search feature is under construction. An editorial board reviews all submissions. There are sections for general announcements and letters to the editor. Before submitting reviews, authors should contact the editor, Dennis Trinkle, at Dtrinkle@DePauw.edu.

Intermarium

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sipa/REGIONAL/ECE/intermar.html

This journal focuses upon central European history since the Second World War. The journal is jointly published by the Institute for Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute on East Central Europe at Columbia University. The journal offers scholarly articles, book reviews, conference announcements, and hypertext links to other web sites of interest. Many of the articles are reprints of articles that first appeared in overseas peer-reviewed journals and are now translated into English for Intermarium. Beginning with volume 2, issue 1 (no date listed), Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access the articles. Back issues are available for browsing. Contact the editors, Andrzej Paczkowski or John S. Micgiel, for submission information at either e-mail address: apacz@omega.isppan.waw.pl or jsm6@columbia.edu.

Journal of the Association for History and Computing

http://mcel.pacificu.edu/JAHC/JAHCindex.htm

This journal is published by the American Association for History and Computing. The journal is peer-reviewed by three referees in a double-blind process. The scope of the journal is the use of computers in historical research and teaching. The journal publishes original research articles, analyses of methodology, works in progress, reviews of books and electronic media, conference announcements, and calls for papers. There is a browsable archive of the first four issues to June 1998. There is also a language board to facilitate the publication of papers in languages other than English (mostly Western or Northern European languages). Contact the editor, Jeffrey Barlow, for submission information at barlowj@pacificu.edu.

Journal for MultiMedia History

http://www.albany.edu/jmmh

The Department of History at SUNY Albany publishes this new peer-reviewed journal. Time period and geographic scope are open. The editors wish to receive submissions regarding the use of multimedia—broadly defined as radio, television, graphics, computers, and the Internet—in research and the teaching of history. The journal also publishes reviews of books and other media. Two issues have appeared since fall of 1998. The journal also has hypertext links to other web sites of interest to historians, including the Library of Congress's American Memory Project, Making of America, Smithsonian Institute exhibits, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and the "Valley of the Shadow" project. Send e-mail to the editors, Gerald Zahavi or Julian Zelizer, at jmmh@csc.albany.edu.

Media History Monographs

http://www.scripps.ohiou.edu/

Media History Monographs, published through cooperation between Ohio University and Emory and Henry College, focuses on the history of journalism and mass communication. This journal actively solicits submissions that are too long to be published by traditional print journals, but are too short to stand alone as monographs. All research methodologies are welcomed and all submissions are refereed. The journal has an archive of back issues and three volumes have been published so far. This journal is one of the few that does not review books. Submissions should be sent to the editors, David Copeland or Patrick S. Washburn, at either e-mail address: Dacopela@EHC.edu or washburp@oak.cats.ohiou.edu.

The Medieval Review

http://www.hti.umich.edu/b/bmr/tmr.html

This journal began publication in 1993 as the Bryn Mawr Medieval Review and is related to the Bryn Mawr Classical Review (which was excluded from this study because it is also published in print). This journal publishes nothing but reviews of books and other media on medieval studies. More than 160 reviews were published in 1999. Back issues to 1993 can be browsed or searched. The journal is also available as a moderated e-mail distribution list. The Medieval Review is sponsored by the Medieval Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, Western Michigan University. Persons interested in acting as reviewers should contact the editors, Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis and Rand H. Johnson, at tmr-l@wmich.edu. (ISSN: 1096-746X)

The North Star: A Journal of African American Religious History

http://cedar.barnard.columbia.edu/~north

This journal specializes in African American religious history. While North America is the prime geographic area covered, articles on the African diaspora and other regions of Africa are also considered. The journal encourages submissions by graduate students as well as established scholars, and all articles are peer reviewed. In addition to scholarly articles, the journal presents conference announcements, resources in African American history, discussions of primary sources, web resources, and reviews of books and other media. The journal began publication in fall 1997 and five issues have been published so far. Back issues are available for browsing. The North Star is supported by a grant from Barnard College and is associated with the Afro-American Religious History Group of the American Academy of Religion. The editors are Judith Weisenfeld and Albert G. Miller. Send e-mail comments or questions to jweisenfeld@barnard.edu. (ISSN: 1094-902X)

Renaissance Forum: An Electronic Journal of Early Modern Literary and Historical Studies

http://www.hull.ac.uk/Hull/EL_Web/renforum

Early modern English literary and historical subjects are the primary focus of this interdisciplinary journal. Renaissance Forum is published by the English Department and History Department at the University of Hull, United Kingdom. The journal accepts submissions for articles, responses to published articles, and book and media reviews. All submissions are peer reviewed prior to publication. Calls for papers and conference announcements are also published. The archive of back issues can be searched by keyword, or there are indices giving access to the material by contributor, title of the article, author of the book, reviewer, and title of the book reviewed. Six installments have been published since March 1996. The journal is also distributed via e-mail. Robin Headlam Wells heads the editorial board, but e-mail regarding submissions should be sent to Andrew Butler at A.M.Butler@english.hull.ac.uk. (ISSN: 1362-1149)

Reviews in History

http://ihr.sas.ac.uk/ihr/reviews/revmnu.html

Dedicated to the reviewing of scholarly works, this journal is published by the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London. Reviews in History specializes in British and European history from the medieval period to the present day. Authors whose books have been reviewed by this journal are offered the right to reply to the review and the author's comments are published with the review. This journal is distributed by e-mail as well as on the World Wide Web. All previously published reviews can be browsed, but no method of searching is available. To date, 87 reviews and responses have been published. Reviews in History seeks to have books reviewed as soon as possible after the book's publication. Anne Shepherd, the editor, can be contacted via e-mail at ashepherd@ihr.sas.ac.uk or reviews@ihr.ac.uk for an e-mail subscription.

Screening the Past: An International Electronic Journal of Visual Media and History

http://www.latrobe.edu.au/www/screeningthepast

This journal publishes refereed, original articles examining the history of visual media (including film, still photography, television, and electronic media), their role in society, and the portrayal of history in the media. Screening the Past also reprints previously published material from peer-reviewed journals, classic articles that may not have been peer-reviewed, conference notes, calls for research, job notices, newly released books, reader discussions and debates, reviews of books and other media, and other Internet resources of related interests. There is an archive for browsing or searching for previously published articles back to 1997. Ina Bertrand and Peter Hughes are the editors and the La Trobe University Publications Committee and the School of Arts and Media publish the journal at La Trobe University. Send submissions or other communications via e-mail to screen@latrobe.edu.au. (ISSN: 1328-9756)

Conclusion

The World Wide Web is constantly changing, and three years from now this list may look very different. Some of the titles mentioned here will fold while new journals will be created. These journals, as well as those that follow, represent new opportunities for publication, while simultaneously increasing diversity and innovation in historical scholarship.

Increased use of e-journals by scholars and students is not an immediate death knell for print journals. E-journals must overcome several significant obstacles including acceptance as evidence of scholarly work by promotion and tenure boards, adequate coverage by indexing and abstracting services, and listing in the standard resources for librarians, in addition to technical problems inherent in the World Wide Web. However, most of these problems will be overcome with time and familiarity; as this happens, e-journals can take their place beside the refereed print journal article and the other accepted members of the publishing pantheon.

The Internet began as a faster means of scholarly communication. The history e-journal is just the latest incarnation of that form of scholarly communication that began in the mid-19th century with Historische Zeitschrift.⁴ Margaret Stieg predicted in 1986 that scholarly historical journals could not remain separate from the approaching information technology revolution. Others have echoed her conclusion that while the revolutions in information technology and scholarly communication will change the appearance of scholarly historical journals, the intellectual content will remain the same.⁵

Notes

1. See Michael O'Malley and Roy Rosenzweig, "Brave New World or Blind Alley? American History on the World Wide Web," Journal of American History 83:1 (June 1997): 132–155 and Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, "So That a Tree May Live: What the World Wide Web Can and Cannot Do for Historians," Perspectives 37: 2, (February 1999): 21–24; for just two articles discussing the myriad resources available through the Internet for historians.

2. Dennis A. Trinkle, "History and the Computer Revolutions: A Survey of Current Practices," Journal of the Association for History and Computing, 2:1 (April 1999), http://www.mcel.pacificu.edu/jahc/jahcii1/ARTICLESII1/Trinkle/Trinkleindex.html.

3. Joel D. Kitchens, "Clio's New Clothes: Electronic Journals for History and Some Considerations for Reference Service," Internet Reference Services Quarterly 4:2 (n.d.): 69–77.

4. Margaret F. Stieg, The Origin and Development of Scholarly Historical Periodicals (University, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 1986), 4–6.

5. Ibid., 196–197. See also Michael Grossberg, "History Journals in the Twenty-First Century," Perspectives (January 1997), online at http://www.theaha.org/perspectives/issues/1997/9705/9705not.cfm and Jeffrey Barlow, "Why an Electronic Journal?" Journal of the Association for History and Computing 1:1 (June 1998), http://mcel.pacificu.edu/history/jahc/Editorials/EditI1.HTML.

Copyright © 2000 by American Historical Association.
http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2000/0002/0002not1.cfm on December 26, 2004