Masthead
Editorial Board Members of PublicPast
Publication Record
About This Journal
Scope
Editorial Scope & Focus
PublicPast publishes original scholarship and long-form writing on history, with an emphasis on depth, narrative craft, and accessibility to a general readership. We cover all periods and regions of world history, with no prescribed geographical or chronological specialisation.
Our primary content categories are Research Articles, Narrative History, Book Reviews, and Essays, which together present original research, historical analysis, and critical engagement with the field. Editorial Articles are published exclusively by the editorial board and offer argued perspectives on what historical events and patterns mean for contemporary life. All opinion pieces are clearly labelled as such.
We do not publish fiction, travel writing, or purely current-affairs commentary that is disconnected from historical context. Every piece published in PublicPast must be grounded in evidence and cite sources in Chicago Author date style.
Policies
Editorial Policies
Accuracy & Fact-Checking
All articles are reviewed for factual accuracy by the editorial team before publication. Authors are required to provide primary or reliable secondary sources for all historical claims. Corrections are published promptly and transparently.
Citation Style
PublicPast follows the Chicago Manual of Style (Notes-Bibliography) for all citations. Authors submitting work are asked to include a bibliography or reference list. We adapt citation presentation for web readability while preserving full source information.
Editorial Independence
PublicPast accepts no advertising that influences editorial decisions. Opinions published represent the views of individual authors. The editorial board does not endorse or oppose any political party, government, or ideological movement. Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of intellectual merit and adherence to our scope.
Open Access
All content published in PublicPast is freely available to read without subscription or paywall. We believe that public history must be genuinely public. Authors retain copyright over their work; PublicPast is granted a licence to publish and archive.
Corrections & Retractions
Errors brought to our attention are investigated promptly. Corrections are appended to the original article with a date stamp and a clear note of what was changed. In cases of serious inaccuracy or ethical breach, articles may be retracted; retraction notices are published in their place.
Submissions & Review
PublicPast welcomes submissions from writers, historians, researchers, and informed commentators. Submissions should be original, previously unpublished, and between 1,500 and 8,000 words. All submissions undergo a double-blind review process: neither the author nor the reviewer is disclosed to the other. Where specialist knowledge is required, the Editorial Board passes the submission to an anonymous subject matter expert. Authors are notified by email at each stage. We do not charge submission or publication fees currently.
Get in touch with the editorial team.