Editorial Guidelines

1. Content standards

All articles submitted to Histories Today must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum length: 500 words. We recommend 800–2,000 words for the best reader experience.
• Original content: Articles must be original and not published elsewhere, in print or online. Simultaneous submissions are not accepted.
• Historical focus: Content must relate to history — any era, region, culture, or theme. Opinion pieces must be grounded in historical evidence.
• Factual accuracy: All factual claims must be verifiable. Speculative content must be clearly labelled as such.
• No self-promotion: Articles should not exist primarily to promote a product, service, or website. A single DoFollow link back to your site is permitted within the author bio.

2. Writing style & tone

• Audience: Write for an educated general audience — curious, intelligent readers who may not be academic historians.
• Voice: Informative and engaging. Avoid overly academic jargon, but do not over-simplify complex topics.
• Tense: Use the simple past tense for historical events.
• Language: British or American English is acceptable; please be consistent throughout your article.
• Inclusive language: Use respectful, inclusive language. Avoid anachronistic moral judgements without adequate historical context.

3. Article structure

We recommend the following structure, though it is not mandatory:

1. Introduction — Hook the reader; state what the article covers.
2. Body sections — Use H2 and H3 headings to break up content. Each section should cover one main idea.
3. Conclusion — Summarise the key takeaways or significance of the topic.
4. Sources / Further reading — List primary sources, books, or reputable online resources.

4. Sources & citations

• We do not require formal academic citations, but factual claims should be supportable.
• Include a "Further Reading" or "Sources" section at the end of your article with links or book titles.
• Do not cite Wikipedia as a primary source, though it may be used as a starting point.
• Avoid citing tabloid or low-quality sources for historical facts.

5. Images & media

• All images must be in the public domain, under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY or CC0), or be your own original work.
• Include image attribution in the caption or at the end of the article.
• Do not embed images from third-party sites directly — upload them through our dashboard.
• Maximum image size: 5 MB. Acceptable formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP.

6. Prohibited content

The following will result in immediate rejection:

• Plagiarised or AI-generated content presented as original writing
• Content that promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence
• Conspiracy theories presented as fact
• Content that glorifies war crimes or atrocities without critical context
• Promotional advertorials disguised as editorial content
• Articles with excessive keyword stuffing or clearly SEO-driven structure

7. Review process

1. After submission, your article enters a pending review queue.
2. Our editorial team reviews it within 3–5 business days. Regular contributors are reviewed within 2 business days.
3. You will receive an email notification with the outcome: approved, approved with edits requested, or rejected with a reason.
4. If edits are requested, you have 14 days to resubmit before the submission expires.
5. Approved articles are published immediately or scheduled by the editorial team.