Menu

Encyclopedia of the History of Science

Submission Guidelines

Philosophy of the Encyclopedia of the History of Science

The Encyclopedia of the History of Science publishes high-quality, up-to-date articles on the history of science and technology, broadly construed, in order to promote the research and insights of professional historians and strengthen public knowledge and awareness of the history of science and technology.


After reading the guidelines below, registering an account and signing in, click here to start a submission.


Who Can Submit?

Most articles are solicited by members of the Editorial Board, however, we do accept unsolicited submissions by qualified authors, by which we mean those with a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in history or a relevant discipline for the topic, and who have published refereed works on the proposed topic in respected peer-review journals or books. Editors have the final say in the determination of who may constitute a qualified author.

Article Preparation

Encyclopedia of the History of Science articles shall quickly and authoritatively orient readers to the important information about an entry as well as to the relevant scholarship on the topic. Articles shall typically focus on synthesizing and interpreting existing research rather than presenting new material. Authors shall write so that articles can be understood by educated non-experts yet appreciated by experts in relevant fields. Except in very rare circumstances and with permission of the Editorial Collective, entries should not be shorter than 500 words or longer than 10,000 words, exclusive of notes and references.

Articles shall include more than just the essential facts about the entry; they shall also direct readers to relevant debates in the literature or widespread misunderstandings about the topic. Articles shall remain neutral in tone even (perhaps especially) if the author is involved with any of the scholarly debates; all articles shall  present the basic contours of scholarly disagreements and direct readers to the appropriate sources to learn more. Where appropriate, articles shall also note relevant online resources as well as link to other topics already published.

Formatting and Technical Requirements

All entries shall be submitted in Microsoft Word formats or in .rtf (rich text format). Footnotes as well as in-line citations may be used as appropriate to direct readers to corresponding entries in the bibliography. Footnotes can be created either manually or with Word’s automatic function; citations (even the first for an entry) should only include the author, a short title, and specific page numbers because there will be a full bibliography with every article. Authors should either use the template provided by the corresponding editor, or remove excessive auto-formatting from their submission, e.g., section breaks should be indicated by typing out the heading on a separate line rather than using special formatting. All bibliographic entries should be formatted following the Chicago Manual of Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html  and will eventually be linked to the Isis CB http://isiscb.org so that resource can be consulted if there are any questions about citations.

Authors are encouraged to include images with submissions. Authors are responsible for securing permission to use any images submitted and for obeying all relevant copyright restrictions. At least one image should ideally have landscape orientation so it can be used as a default image for the article (for best results this image should be larger than 750px by 324px (aspect ratio of 125:54)). Other file types, figures, and addenda will be accepted on a case-by-case basis and authors should consult with the Principal Editor or commissioning editor during the file submission process to ensure the article will display properly once uploaded.

Author Agreement

Authors shall retain copyrights in their articles but shall agree to publish their article with the Encyclopedia of the History of Science (ETHOS) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License. Authors hereby grant to ETHOS and Carnegie Mellon University Libraries a nonexclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, translate, transmit, prepare derivative works, and publish their contribution on the Internet. Authors represent and warrant that any article submitted is wholly original and not published or under review elsewhere (except for material in the public domain or used with permission of its owner). Authors represent and warrant that the submission is the work of the authors stated, and that all authors have agreed to its truthfulness and have given permission to publish the article with ETHOS.

Authors grant to ETHOS an exclusive right to first publication for a period of one year after an article’s acceptance. Authors also shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the General Editor, commissioning editors, members of the Advisory and Editorial Boards, Carnegie Mellon University and its officers, trustees, agents, and employees from all liability arising from their work. In particular, authors warrant that submitted articles do not infringe upon any copyright, and do not constitute defamation or invasion of the right of privacy or publicity or any other rights of third parties.

Authors shall notify editors of any factual errors that they discover in submitted articles and to make any necessary changes the Editorial Collective may require to rectify the errors. Authors shall review articles and make any necessary substantive updates to the bibliography and text in a timely manner; this includes revisions based on valid criticism as well as based upon the appearance of new research. ETHOS reserves the right to correct or see to correction of articles in the case that authors fail to make necessary revisions in a timely manner. What constitutes a “timely manner” is negotiable, and will respect both the author’s current commitments and the need for revision as determined by the relevant members of the Editorial Collective. Should authors choose not to undertake such revisions (or fail to complete them as requested in a timely manner) authors shall allow another author or editor to amend the article and be given appropriate credit for this work, or shall allow the article to be moved from the active portion of ETHOS to the archived portion and another entry on the topic to be commissioned. ETHOS reserves the right to remove an article at any time for any or no reason.

Ethical Standards and Misconduct

The Encyclopedia of the History of Science expects editors, reviewers, and authors to respect the integrity of the research process and conform to rigorous standards in the citation and acknowledgement of the work of other scholars. Editors, reviewers, and authors must act in a professional and fair way when completing their expected duties. Editors shall not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, or geographical origin of the authors. ETHOS will not tolerate misconduct by its editors, reviewers, or authors, including that of (but not limited to) plagiarism, harassment, and failing to uphold the standards of professional conduct. The American Historical Association’s Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct provides relevant guidelines for professional conduct.