Reviewer Guidelines
The Western Historical Quarterly relies upon the community of scholars willing to peer review manuscripts for publication and published books and other scholarly products. These reviews are what build the field’s community. The WHQ carefully selects reviewers whose expertise lends itself to evaluating the scholarship under review. The journal recognizes that expertise comes in many forms and encourages reviewer participation. Reviewers do not have to be members of the Western History Association to review for the journal. Reviewers do need to have a demonstrated record of publication and/or significant scholarly activity in the subject under review to be eligible to serve as a reviewer. Reviewers should approach their review of the scholarship with an objective and impartial mindset and fairly offer both criticism and compliments.
Individuals interested in serving as reviewers should email the editor or email the associate editor of the journal, articulate their scholarly expertise, and include a CV for consideration.
Peer Reviews
The Western Historical Quarterly offers a high quality and rigorous double anonymized peer review process across all manuscripts published in the journal. The peer-review process for manuscripts ensures the WHQ publishes high-quality scholarship that has been vetted by experts in the field. It also enables authors to refine their manuscripts to the best of their ability.
The reviewer’s most important job is to help the author write a better article. Reviewers are encouraged to write narrative comments for the author. The best reviews offer tough, honest, and kind responses to the manuscript. They offer specific suggestions about how to improve the manuscript.
Reviewers are able to differentiate between comments to the author and comments to the editor.
The WHQ typically requests that reviews be returned within 6 to 8 weeks.
Reviewers are asked to fill out a brief questionnaire about the manuscript, including a recommendation for
- publishing the manuscript,
- requiring further revision,
- or not publishing the manuscript.
Contact the Editor
Questions about peer reviews can be sent to the WHQ Editor, Jared Orsi, at [email protected]
Book Reviews
Book reviews are critically important to propagating the current scholarship in the field.
The WHQ has a 450-800 word limit for book reviews, except under special circumstances. Reviews that substantially exceed that limit will be returned to reviewers for revision.
Book reviews begin with a headnote at the top of the review with the following bibliographical information:
Empires, Nations, and Families: A History of the North American West, 1800–1860. By Anne F. Hyde. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2011. xv + 628 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. Hardback.)
For the readership of the journal, it is crucial that book reviews address the contribution of the author(s) to the field of Western History.
Manuscripts should be double-spaced. Material quoted from the book under review used in the text should include page numbers for each reference used. Page numbers should be placed within parentheses, such as: (p. 12).
Reviewers should place their name and their institution at the end of the review.
Other Reviews
The WHQ is open to reviewing scholarship in the field produced in genres that include digital projects, works of public history, exhibitions, documentaries and films, graphic histories, podcasts, and other products. Reviews of these works should follow the general guidelines for book reviews and take into consideration the specific genre and medium of the product’s publication.
Contact the Associate Editor
Questions about book reviews and reviews of other scholarly products can be sent to the WHQ Associate Editor, Michael Childers, at [email protected].