Would you like to join the editorial board of The Historian? We are looking to recruit two new volunteers to the editorial board to help take the lead in implementing our strategy over the coming years.

The Historian is the general members’ magazine of the Historical Association. Four editions are published each year, loosely themed around an area of historical interest.

The Historian’s editorial board members meet roughly once every two months to set the editorial direction of the magazine. This includes reviewing submissions and pitches, catching up on progress with forthcoming issues, and discussing points of interest. Most editorial meetings take place on Zoom, but one a year is expected to take place in person at the Historical Association’s office in Kennington, London, in order to liaise with head office to set the direction of the magazine.

Unless they have been appointed to take responsibility for a specific aspect of the magazine, board members take it in turns to take overall/lead editorial responsibility for an issue of the magazine, and to be assistant editor for another issue.

The overarching responsibilities of editorial board members are to:

• Attend and proactively contribute to virtual and face-to-face board meetings
• Review, in conjunction with other board members, submissions and pitches for potential inclusion in the magazine
• Ensure that content supports the aims and ideals of the HA and its work
• Contribute ideas for the editorial direction of the magazine as well as its improvement
• Contribute to the editorial direction of the magazine
• Support the overall editorial process as required
• Perform ad-hoc duties as required

When editing an issue, their duties are to:

• Take the lead and overall editorial responsibility for the issue
• Gather and commission content
• Liaise with authors to edit and improve articles
• Liaise with Historical Association colleagues to support the magazine’s visual design and lay-out

Generally, the board looks for the following knowledge, experience, skills and behaviours in its members:

Knowledge and experience

• Full membership of the Historical Association
• Demonstrable interest in history and commitment to the values of the Historical Association and the wider profession
• Good overarching historical knowledge and awareness
• Previous editorial and/or writing experience
• Commitment to producing the highest quality magazine possible
• An appreciation of The Historian’s audience
• An eye for good content
• Some contacts amongst the profession would be desirable

Skills and behaviours

• Editorial ability
• Excellent written communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Self-starter with the ability to work autonomously
• Collegiality and teamwork
• Enthusiasm

However, if you do not feel that you meet the above criteria, but are still interested in applying, please do not hesitate to get in touch as we would be keen to have an open conversation about your interest, motivation, and suitability for the role. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. We are particularly keen to see applications from candidates from backgrounds in the global majority.

If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers, please send a CV and supporting statement to the chair of the editorial board, Jenni Hyde (thehistorian@history.org.uk), by 27 September 2024. You will then be sent a dummy article to edit which should be completed by 25 October 2024. We hope to have the new volunteer in post by the end of November.