History and Archives in Practice, 2: Online Panel

History and Archives in Practice 2: Online Panel

27 April 2023, in partnership with The National Archives and Institute of Historical Research

 

 

Panellists: 

  • Sarah Aitchison (UCL)
  • Holly Brewer (Maryland)
  • Alyson Brown (Edge Hill)
  • Michelle Crowther (Canterbury Christ Church)
  • Nick Evans (Hull)
  • Helen Newell (Edge Hill)
  • Andrew Smith (Queen Mary, London)
  • Claire Langhamer (Institute of Historical Research, University of London)

In this online panel, we continued the conversation begun at History and Archives in Practice (29 March 2023, #HAP23) — a one-day, in-person meeting of historians and archivists, jointly organised by the Royal Historical Society, Institute of Historical Research and The National Archives.

History and Archives in Practice is an opportunity for archivists and historians to discuss how they’re working collaboratively. On 29 March, we heard from 14 projects from across the UK, about which you can read more here. In preparing for #HAP23 we also invited 5 additional projects to create short video presentations about their work and experience of how historians and archivists work best together.

On Thursday 27 April, we continued the conversation with an extra session of #HAP23 featuring the presenters and projects described in these videos.

  • More about the event
  • Watch the panel

 

 

ECH Publishing: Other Formats

 

 

A very large majority of the work published by historians appears in one of these three formats – journal articles, chapters in books, books. These formats allow for the evidence intensive and subject-extensive treatment that history favours. But there are lots of other ways to publish, especially online, and these alternative formats tend to cater to other needs than the simple presentation of research. Some early-career scholars find that their first published words take the form of book reviews.

Journals receive lots of miscellaneous books for review and are often delighted to find someone – anyone – who knows enough about the subject to review them. There is a case to be made for only reviewing books after you’ve written one yourself – an experience that imposes a proper degree of modesty. (It also shows that, minimally, you know what you’re talking about.) If you don’t have a track record, be extra careful not to raise unrealistic expectations or to be too territorial.

Normally you should be given the chance to proofread the book review. And of course you get ‘payment’ in the form of the book. Forums and roundtables are increasingly popular formats in journals and on blogs. They are excellent formats for stimulating discussion (of controversial issues or influential books) and for broadening the range of voices. They’re normally by invitation only.

But you can be the host, if you can find a journal editor willing to entrust you with the task of putting together a forum. Often roundtables in print originate as live roundtables at conferences. They are chattier, usually shorter than full-size journal articles (say 3-4 contributions of 1-4,000 words each?), and don’t require the full scholarly apparatus, as they tend to be more argumentative and less loaded with evidence.

 

Online formats

Some traditional publications (like book reviews) now often appear in online-only formats. There is no reason why you cannot include them in your C.V., just as you might print book reviews. But be conservative. If there is really no difference between the online version and its print equivalent – if you were commissioned by a reputable book review site, and you submitted a full-length review with a stable URL – then surely it’s the functional equivalent of the print version.

But if it’s just a blog post, or some other more casual form of contribution, without apparatus, un-peer reviewed, it really has no place on your list of publications; it will just look like padding. Your CV is an accounting of your scholarly qualifications, not an advertisement.

 

 

Bibliography of British and Irish History

The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is the most comprehensive and accurate guide available to what’s been published in British and Irish history over the past 100 years.

The Bibliography is a joint research and publishing project of the Royal Historical Society, the Institute of Historical Research (IHR), University of London, and the Belgian publisher, Brepols. It is edited by staff at the Institute of Historical Research, with specialist academic advisers acting as section editors. 

 

 

What does BBIH offer historians of Britain and the British world?

  • contains 640,000+ records of books, edited collections, journal articles and book chapters;
  • includes details of history publications from the early 1900s to the current year;
  • adds regular online updates of c.10,000 new publications each year;
  • covers the history of the British Isles, the former empire and Commonwealth, the British world, and Britons’ activities on the global stage, from Roman Britain to the 21st century;
  • contains publications relating to British influence in Europe, the trans-Atlantic and informal empire;
  • searchable via a range of options. These include: by author, title of publication, subject area, period and places covered, publication type and date/s of publication;
  • offers cross-searchability with the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, The National Register of Archives and IHR digital resources including Reviews in History and British History Online;

 

What makes BBIH a key research tool?

  • BBIH has been created using systematic and extensive surveys of data on all relevant new publications, including weekly reviews of 800 academic journals and records of new acquisitions by the British Library;
  • Provides links to individual publications in your library or a union catalogue, along with links to Google Books, selected on-line book reviews, and full text versions of articles;
  • BBIH enables you to create your own comprehensive bibliography on any topic, using a range of a variety export formats (including Refworks and EndNote);
  • Generates email updates of new publications relevant to your research interests.

 

Access or subscribe to BBIH

The Bibliography of British and Irish History is an online subscription service that’s available via a very wide range of UK higher education institutions and research libraries, as well as universities and libraries worldwide.

  • For members of subscribing institutions, access is available either via your library’s website or via Brepols’ online portal website: www.brepolis.net;
  • Institutions wishing to subscribe to BBIH can obtain a 30-day free trial period, along with a price quotation and details on a licence agreement. One-year trials are now also available with 50% discount; UK institutions are priced according to JISC bandings. For further information, please email: brepolis@brepols.net;
  • Individual subscriptions to BBIH are also available, with significant discounts for fellows and members of the RHS. For further enquiries, please email: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

For further information about the Bibliography and its use in research and teaching, see the BBIH pages on the IHR website.

 

New benefits for members of the Society

From the end of August, we will be extending the range of benefits available to all Fellows and Members of the Royal Historical Society. These will be in addition to the current set of benefits available, by category, to Fellows, Associate Fellows, Members and Postgraduate Members.

The new benefits provide online access to the archives of RHS publications, and include:

  • Online access to the current issue and searchable archive of the Society’s journal Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. The archive, available via CUP’s Cambridge Core platform, includes 144 volumes and more than 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
  • Online access to all 325 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source materials, including the latest titles published in 2021 and 2022, again via CUP’s Core platform. Since 1838, the Camden Series has made primary records available in accessible scholarly editions, compiled and introduced by specialist historians. The Series is especially strong in material relating to British history, including the British Empire and Britons’ influence overseas.

Other benefits available from late August 2022:

Following requests from current Fellows, with the introduction of full online access we will also offer the option to ‘opt out’ of the annual print copy of Transactions, starting with the November 2022 volume.

Current Members of the Society will be notified in August when these benefits become available.


In the coming 12 months, the Society expects to offer further membership benefits, including:

  • Access to a new ‘Fellows’ area’ on the Society’s website, providing curated content, a self-service membership subscription portal, and directory of Fellows’ research interests to enable scholarly exchange.
  • Inclusion in and access to a directory of Fellows’ Research Interests.
  • Additional discounts to partner publications and products. 

Applications to join the Royal Historical Society are welcome at any time. The next deadline for applications is Monday 22 August 2022.

 

 

 

Royal Historical Society Programme 2020

Friday 7 February 2020 at 6.00 pm

Dr Andrew Arsan
‘Arab political thought and the problem of empire, c.1856-1919′
Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, UCL

 

Wednesday 11 March 2020, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm

The Gerald Aylmer Seminar: ‘Co-production and collaboration in the archive’
A one-day symposium in conjunction with the National Archives and Institute of Historical Research.
This event will be at the National Archives – register to attend.

 

Thursday 2 April 2020
RHS Visit: Edge Hill University

Postponed

 

Thursday 23 – Thursday 30 April 2020

Royal Historical Society Virtual Curriculum Conference
Online for registered participants

 

Monday 11 May 2020

Professor Sarah Hamilton
‘Responding to violence: Liturgy, authority and sacred places c. 900-c.1100’
Watch online on the RHS Historical Transactions blog

 

Wednesday 13 –  Friday 15 May 2020

RHS Symposium: University of Warwick
‘The Multicultural City in Historical Perspective’
Postponed

 

Monday 20 July – Wednesday 22 July

RHS Prize, Award and Fellowship Announcements 2020
Watch the full awards ceremony online.

 

Thursday 23 July at 17.30 BST

RHS Lecture – Professor Derek Peterson
“The Unseen Archive of Idi Amin: Making History in a Tight Corner”
Virtual Lecture : watch the lecture recording online.

 

Friday 18 September 2020 – time TBC

Professor Simon Ditchfield
“Baroque around the clock: Daniello Bartoli SJ (1608-1685) and the uses of global history”
Virtual Lecture: watch the lecture recording online.

 

2 November 2020

The Colin Matthew Memorial Lecture for the Public Understanding of History
Professor John Arnold
‘Believing in the Middle Ages’
Postponed

 

November 2020 – date TBC

The Prothero Lecture – Professor Linda Colley
‘Written Constitutions and Writing Modern World History’
Virtual Lecture

 

Friday 27 November 2020 at 6.00 pm
RHS Presidential Address

Professor Margot Finn
‘Material Turns in British History: Part IV’
Virtual Lecture

 

Apply for Associate Fellowship

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 25 March 2024

 

Associate Fellowship is a new membership category for the RHS, launched in November 2021. It recognises the contribution made by a wide range of historical researchers and advocates for History across many sectors. Some Associate Fellows are historians working in Higher Education who have not yet reached the extent of publications, or equivalent, required to join the full Fellowship. Others contribute to History through their work in sectors such as heritage and museums, libraries and archives, teaching, publishing and broadcasting, or through private research.

All Associate Fellows are welcome to apply for full Fellowship as their careers develop and contributions continue, and we warmly encourage this. 

November 2021 sees the introduction of two new membership categories: in addition to Associate Fellowship we now also offer Postgraduate Membership. These two options replace the previous category of Early Career Membership. Read more about these two new ways to belong to the Society. From August 2022 we are extending the benefits available to Associate Fellows of the Society.

To apply for the RHS Associate Fellowship please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Benefits of Associate Fellowship

  • Print and online copies of the RHS academic journal, Transactions.
  • Online access to the current issue and entire searchable back archive of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society: the collection comprises 144 volumes and more than 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
  • Online access to all 380 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source material, including the latest titles published in 2021 and 2022. Since 1838, the Camden Series has made primary records available in accessible scholarly editions, compiled and introduced by specialist historians. The Series is especially strong in material relating to British history, including the British Empire and Britons’ influence overseas.
  • All other RHS publications offered at a substantial discount: includes the Bibliography of British and Irish History and  Camden Series volumes.
  • 30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
  • 30% discount on purchases of print copies of the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series, offering monographs and essay collections, and produced in association with the Institute of Historical Research and University of London Press.
  • 30% discount on History titles published by Oxford University Press.
  • 20% discount on print subscription to History Today, Britain’s leading history magazine (£52 per annum, usually £65 full price). 20% discount on online subscription to the archive of History Today (£56 per annum, usually £70 full price).
  • Receipt of the weekly ‘RHS News Circular’ (this example, August 2023): regular update on RHS activities, plus listings of events / calls for papers from other UK historical societies and research networks.
  • Copies of RHS Newsletters and the Society’s annual reports.
  • Eligible for RHS training and career development events / workshops reserved for Fellows and members.
  • Eligible to apply for the Society’s Research Funding programmes available to historians at all career stages.
  • Access to RHS members’ events, including Early Career training​ programmes 
  • Access to the RHS Archive and Library collections, and  RHS Library rooms, at University College London (UCL).
  • Become part of a thriving international community of historians, of all kinds and from many backgrounds.
  • Help us support and advocate for the study and practice of history in its many forms. Society income also supports our grants programme for historians at the start of their careers.

 

 

Annual Subscription

From November 2021, annual subscription rates for Associate Fellows, payable on election, are: 

  • for Associate Fellows, UK-based: £45 pa
  • Associate Fellows, International: £55 pa
  • Associate Fellows, Hardship Rate: £10.00 pa (online access to Transactions only)

The RHS subscription year runs July to June with renewals due on 1 July of each year. 

The Associate Fellow Hardship Rate is available to unemployed and low income/wage members (self-defined) and includes unfunded/self-funded students.


How to Apply

Prior to making your application, please consult the FAQs relating to Associate Fellowship. 

To apply for the RHS Associate Fellowship please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Applications to join the RHS are welcome through the year. Dates for applications in 2024 are as follows: 25 March 2024, 27 May 2024, 12 August 2024 and 14 October 2024.

Rejoining the Society as an Associate Fellow

If your Associate Fellowship has lapsed / has been cancelled, and you would like to re-join the Society, please contact our Membership department at membership@royalhistsoc.org in the first instance. We will be glad to assist you.


All applications are considered by our Membership Committee which meets five times a year. You can expect to hear the outcome approximately six weeks after the closing date for your application. Incomplete applications will be held on file until we have received all the necessary information.

All enquiries about applying for election to the Fellowship should be addressed to the RHS office: membership@royalhistsoc.org.

 

Apply for Membership

Closing date for next application round:

Monday 25 March 2024

 

Membership of the RHS is open to all those who have an interest in the rich and varied world of the past. You may be involved in teaching, libraries, archives, museums, heritage, or the media in either a professional or volunteer capacity. You may be actively engaged in local or family history, or simply want to join our worldwide community of historians.

Membership is open to all applicants 18 years or older.

If you are a published or practising historian, our Fellowship or Associate Fellowship categories may be more appropriate for you. Please also consider these options before applying to join the Society. From August 2022 we are extending the benefits available to Members of the Society (please see below).

To apply for the RHS Membership please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.


Benefits of Membership

  • Print and online copies of the latest volume of the RHS academic journal, Transactions.
  • Online access to the current issue and entire searchable back archive of Transactions of the Royal Historical Society: the collection comprises 144 volumes and more that 2200 articles, published between the journal’s foundation in 1872 and the early 2020s.
  • Online access to all 380 volumes of the Society’s Camden Series of primary source material, including the latest titles published in 2021 and 2022. Since 1838, the Camden Series has made primary records available in accessible scholarly editions, compiled and introduced by specialist historians. The Series is especially strong in material relating to British history, including the British Empire and Britons’ influence overseas.
  • All other RHS publications offered at a substantial discount: includes the Bibliography of British and Irish History and Camden Series volumes.
  • 30% discount on all academic books (print only) published by Cambridge University Press.
  • 30% discount on purchases of print copies of the Society’s New Historical Perspectives book series, offering monographs and essay collections, and produced in association with the Institute of Historical Research and University of London Press.
  • 30% discount on History titles published by Oxford University Press.
  • 20% discount on print subscription to History Today, Britain’s leading history magazine (£52 per annum, usually £65 full price). 20% discount on online subscription to the archive of History Today (£56 per annum, usually £70 full price).
  • Receipt of the weekly ‘RHS News Circular’ (this example, August 2023): regular update on RHS activities, plus listings of events / calls for papers from other UK historical societies and research networks.
  • Copies of RHS newsletters and the Society’s annual reports.
  • Eligible for RHS training and career development events / workshops reserved for Fellows and members.
  • Eligible to apply for the Society’s Research Funding programmes available to historians at all career stages.
  • Access to the RHS Archive and Library collections, and  RHS Library rooms, at University College London (UCL).
  • Become part of a thriving international community of historians, of all kinds and from many backgrounds.
  • Help us support and advocate for the study and practice of history in its many forms. Society income also supports our grants programme for historians at the start of their careers
  • Read more on the Society’s 6 priority areas: Policy & Advocacy, Events & Training, Innovative Publishing, Grants & Support, Awards & Recognition, and Library & Archive.

 

 

Annual subscription

From November 2021, annual subscription rates for Membership, payable on election, are: 

  • for Members, UK-based: £40 pa
  • Members, International: £50 pa
  • Members, Hardship Rate: £10.00 pa (online access to Transactions only)

The RHS subscription year runs July to June with renewals due on 1 July of each year. 

The Associate Fellow Hardship Rate is available to unemployed and low income/wage members (self-defined) and includes unfunded/self-funded students.


How to Apply

Prior to making your application, please consult the FAQs relating to Membership. 

To apply for the RHS Membership please use the Society’s Applications Portal, and select your chosen membership category.

Applications to join the RHS are welcome through the year. Dates for applications in 2024 are as follows: 25 March 2024, 27 May 2024, 12 August 2024 and 14 October 2024.

Rejoining the Society as a Member

If your Membership has lapsed / has been cancelled, and you would like to re-join the Society, please contact our Membership department at membership@royalhistsoc.org in the first instance. We will be glad to assist you.


All applications are considered by our Membership Committee who meet five times a year. You can expect to hear the outcome approximately eight weeks after the closing date for your application. Incomplete applications will be held on file until we have received all the necessary information.

All enquiries about applying for election to the Membership should be addressed to the RHS office: membership@royalhistsoc.org

 

Data on the UK Historical Discipline and Profession

This page provides links to external, publicly accessible resources with information on the present state of the historical discipline and profession in UK higher education. The Society updates this page as new data are released. Many of the external providers also offer data for previous years, enabling the mapping of trends for at least the past decade.

In each case, the Society is not responsible for the quality or comprehensiveness of data provided by these external providers. In addition to the selected information below, we hope this page provides links and context for others to search these results for themselves. This page was last updated in February 2024.

For further resources and publications that may be of interest to historians in support of their discipline, at local and national level, please see also the Society’s Toolkit for Historians.

We welcome further suggestions for data sources relating to the discipline and profession. To let us know, please contact the Society’s Academic Director: philip.carter@royalhistsoc.org.


1. History Academic Staff in UK Higher Education

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects, assures and disseminates data about UK higher education in three main areas: staff, students and outcomes after graduation. HESA data on academic staff relate to a range of professional attributes, including: profile, nationality, gender, professional activity, contractual status, grade, allocation by HEI, and salary.

HESA Staff data for ‘History’ is available as by filtering by ‘Cost Centre’ (History is Cost Centre 139) which is part of the larger Cost Centre Group: ‘Humanities and Language-base studies and Archaeology’.

How many people are teaching History in UK Higher Education? HESA provides annual data on the number of History academic staff working in UK Higher Education, for which its latest release (covering 2022-23) was published in February 2024. This latest release records 3,700 History staff within ‘Humanities and language based studies’. Data from the AY 2014-15 also allows for mapping of trends in staff numbers.

HESA data for History staff also enables selection by specific criteria, including gender.

Who is teaching History in UK Higher Education? There is no current listing of ‘Teachers of History in UK Higher Education’ following the ending, in 2016, of an annual project to record this information by the Institute of Historical Research. Legacy data from this project are available in print though not online.

The Royal Historical Society offers a listing of its membership (currently to November 2024), which includes many academic historians, working at HEIs, in the UK (and overseas), as well as historians active in other sectors.


2. History Students Enrolled in UK Higher Education

HESA provides data on the number of History students currently enrolled at institutions in UK Higher Education, as well as degree completions. In both cases, data are available for Undergraduate degrees, and Postgraduate degrees (Taught) and (Research). HESA reporting currently provides public data for History enrolments and completions for the years 2019/20 to 2021/22, with the most recent release, covering 2021-22, published in January 2023. Historical data for student enrolments and completions is also available up to the AY 2015/16.

For Student data, ‘History’ is described in HESA’s terminology as a Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) ‘Level 3’ subject category and is coded 20-01-01. Not all Student attributes are accessible at this search level, with some (for example, subject studied and gender of students) available as part of a larger disciplinary category (CAH Level 1), ‘Humanities, Philosophical and Religious Studies’ (code: 20), which includes History.

The January 2023 release offers a ready comparison of student numbers, by degree type, from 2019-20. The next update of HESA student data, for the AY 2022/23, is expected in April 2024.

HESA data for History student numbers (2019/20 to 2021/22) may be further segmented by UK region, UK or non-UK fee paying, and by individual HEIs. Data relating to the gender of History students enrolled at UK universities is only available as part of the larger category of ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’. For listings, see here.

Previous HESA updates provide data charting student numbers for History between 2013/14 and 2021/22. The 2021/22 figure of 42,415 students at all degree levels is a 7.2% decline on that for 2013-14. This is compared with a 21% increase in student numbers (2013/14 to 2021/22) for all humanities subjects and a 24% increase in student numbers for all subjects, including STEM.


3. Graduate Qualifications in History

HESA provides data on annual numbers of degrees awarded in History by degree type. These include first degree, all undergraduate degrees, PGR taught and PGR research degrees. The latest release, covering 2021-22, was published in January 2023.

This records the award in ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’ (2021-22) of:

  • 13,910 all undergraduate degrees
  • 3,195 PGR taught degrees
  • 605 PGR research degrees

Data from 2019-20 are available for comparison.

Figures for 2021/22 (compared with those for 2029/20) show a 2.3% decline for undergraduate History degrees completed; a 7.3% increase for PGR taught; and a 6.2% decline for PGR research degrees. A dip of 10.8% for History PGR (Research degrees) completed between 2019/20 and 2020/21 against a 1.6% increase in History PGR (Research) enrolments for the same period indicates the effect of the pandemic on PhD completion rates.

PhDs awarded in History: the British Library’s EThOS (e-Theses Online Service) provides a rolling listing of recently completed PhD theses from UK universities, including those in historical studies. A useful starting search is by date of completion and ‘History’ as a keyword, but many other search categories are available. Listings provide thesis abstracts and links to institutional repositories and full texts, where made available. NB: this resource is currently unavailable (February 2024) following the cyber-attach on the British Library in October 2023.

Listings of History PhDs were previously gathered by the Institute of Historical Research up to 2014. This work is now available (for 1970-2014) on the IHR’s British History Online. Where a match is possible, BHO records link to EThOS pages for an individual thesis.


4. Outcomes for History Students on Graduation

HESA provides data on outcomes for students in UK HE, including those graduating from undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in ‘Historical, philosophical and religious studies’.

Data for those graduating in 2020-21 are the most recently available, published in May 2023, and based on those responding to the annual Graduate Outcomes Survey (c.55% of the total eligible). Figures for 2020-21 show for all History graduates:

  • 47% in full-time employment (compared to 43% in 2019-20)
  • 11% in part-time employment (against 12% in 2019-20)
  • 12% in employment and study (against 13% in 2019-20)
  • 13% in full-time study (against 17% in 2019-20)
  • 6% to be unemployed (against 8% in 2019-20)

The UK Government’s LEO (Longitudinal Educational Outcomes) data provides information on graduate outcomes in terms of those in paid employment and the level of salary for graduates 1, 3 and 5 years on from graduation. The LEO dataset measures graduate outcomes only in terms of whether graduates are in paid employment and, if so, how much they are earning in what industry, while the Graduate Outcomes survey (used by HESA, see above) collects a broader range of information about what graduates are doing and their personal experience of employment.

History is measured in the LEO data set as ‘History and Archaeology’, one of 34 subject areas for which graduate outcomes are measures. The latest release (July 2023) covers graduate outcomes for the tax year 2020-21. The LEO dataset measures a range of possible graduate outcomes, including (below) the percentage of History and Archaeology graduates who, in 2020-21, had achieved ‘sustained employment only’ having graduated five years earlier. History is marked in red; selected Arts, Humanities and Social Science (AHSS) subjects are highlighted in green; with the average of All Subjects in yellow

LEO data also measures the lower and upper rages of incomes of those in sustained employment, and the median income, by subject area. The following chart records median income, for 2020-21, for those graduating 5 years previously.

For the US, the American Historical Association provides a survey of professional outcomes for History PhD graduates. The latest release (October 2022) charts outcomes for History PhDs awarded up to 2017.


5. History Students at GSCE, A-Level and Scottish Highers

Introduced in January 2023, the British Academy’s SHAPE Indicators survey offers annual statistics on the number of students taking History at GCSE and A-Level (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and Level 5, Highers and Advanced Highers (Scotland). The latest update provides data between 2012 and 2023 for History. The BA’s Indicators survey is one representation of data published annually by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The JCQ provides separate listings for student numbers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

5.1. A-Levels

After a demographic dip between 2019 and 2020 for all subjects, the number of students taking History at A-Level has risen in 2023 to 48,378 (a 7.75% increase on 2020). This is against an increase (2020-23) of 11.5% for all A-Level subjects in the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS), and of 11.0% for all A-Level subjects.

The following chart plots History enrolments (red) against seven other arts, humanities and social science A-Levels with enrolments higher than 35,000 students in 2023. (Figures for English Literature begin in 2017 due to curriculum changes.)

For more on enrolments in History A-Level, following the 2023 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels and Scottish Highers, 2023 (August 2023).

5.2 Scottish Highers

In 2023, the number of students taking History Highers rose 2.53% on 2022 (compared with a 2.44% increase for Highers in all subjects in the AHSS, and a 1.91% increase for all Highers subjects). The number of students taking History Highers in 2023 is a 1.99% increase on 2020. In the same timeframe, Highers entries in all AHSS subjects rose by 2.9%. Highers entries for all subjects rose by 3.6% between 2020 and 2023.

For more on enrolments in History Highers, following the 2023 results, see the Society’s post: Student Numbers for History A-Levels and Scottish Highers, 2023 (August 2023).

5.3 GCSE

History entries at GCSE for 2023 rose by 6.5% against the 2022 figure. Uptake in 2023 showed continued significant growth over the past decade, at 311,146 students (contrast with 222,983 in 2016), an increase of 39.5%. This is compared, for the same timeframe, with a 20.6% increase in student numbers for arts, humanities and social science subjects, and a 12.6% increase for all subjects at GCSE.

The following chart plots History enrolments (red) against six other arts and humanities GCSEs with annual enrolments higher than 50,000 students since 2012, excluding English Language and Literature.


6. Resources and Funding Options for Historians

In 2020, the Royal Historical Society published the following listings for historians at all career stages:

Additional weekly listings of grants and funding opportunities in historical studies are available via ResearchProfessional (subscription needed), with selected opportunities also listed on jobs.ac.uk. An extensive listing of online and free access resources for historians is also available from the Institute of Historical Research (compiled 2020).

The American Historical Association provides an annual jobs report, reporting on annual trends in the profession for the US. The latest update is from September 2023.

 

 

Publishing your work

Written in 2014-15 by Professor Peter Mandler (RHS President, 2012-16)

Everyone wants to publish their work, and not only for ‘career progression’; what’s the point of doing your research if no-one reads it? By the same token, you want to publish your work in places and formats that will reach the widest audiences. But if this were all publishing was about, then you would just post your work online (on a site such as academia.edu or on your own webpage or site) and let people come to it.

In fact, publishing isn’t just about disseminating your work – it’s about improving it, and about ‘kitemarking’ it (getting marks of quality attached to it that will suggest to potential readers that it’s worth reading). It is these two additional criteria that cause many historians – especially those just starting out in their publishing career – to submit to journals. There are other ways of publishing article-length papers – notably as chapters in books.

Ultimately, most historians want to tackle a ‘long-form’ publication similar to their PhD thesis – that is, a book of one’s own. These are the main forms of publication, but they hardly exhaust the range of outlets – there are many other formats. If you’re a UK scholar, you’ll also be interested in thinking about how your publications are likely to be assessed for purposes of the REF.

 

1. Journals

Journals provide a miraculously free and civic-spirited service that aims to improve your work – peer review. When you submit a paper to a journal, the editors ought to send it out to at least two peer reviewers (sometimes several – practices differ). They ought to have some specialist knowledge of your subject. If your subject is controversial, one ought to be ‘on your side’, another perhaps hostile or at least neutral. Ideally, peer-review is ‘double-blind’ – the reviewer doesn’t know your identity, you don’t know theirs. READ MORE

Submitting to a journal

What makes a good journal article? First, it must stand on its own. It may be a version of a chapter of a PhD dissertation, but it has to be self-contained. Second, it ought to have a strong and distinctive argument. The standard way to demonstrate this is by reference to the historiography – but it’s not enough (or even, really, at all persuasive) to say that your subject has been ‘neglected’ by the historiography.  READ MORE

Publishing in a journal

Once a journal has accepted your work, you still have some time to polish it up (e.g. by adding references to the most recently published work, or by tinkering with your prose, or by addressing lesser criticisms in your readers’ reports). Most journals now process accepted manuscripts through a software system that will let you upload your final manuscript and will subsequently lead you through the publication process. READ MORE

After publication

Nothing at all may happen. If you’re lucky, a few readers may write to you – expressing interest, asking questions about your sources and methods, perhaps disagreeing with you. Mostly, though, readers read and digest on their own. READ MORE

 

2. Chapters in books

Unlike the practice of many other disciplines, historians publish a lot in collections of essays – normally not all their own essays, but collections ‘from divers hands’ edited by one or two colleagues. READ MORE

 

3. A book of one’s own

For good reasons, a book of your own – now sometimes called a ‘monograph’, although this really only means a specialist work by a single author (and so technically could apply to a journal article) – is widely seen as the gold standard of historiography.  READ MORE

Publishing a Book (I)

Book publishing remains fairly traditional, not as affected by the digital revolution as journal publishing. As with journals, however, there are a range of book publishers that you can probably array in a quality sequence depending on your own experience of your own field. Generally, though, they break down into three types: i) university presses; ii) big commercial presses; iii) boutique commercial presses. READ MORE

Publishing a book (II)

If an editor has agreed to review a proposal on its own, you may get a response in a month or so, as a short proposal does not receive a lot of scrutiny from reviewers. If you have submitted a complete manuscript, six months is not unusual. It takes a long time for a peer reviewer to find the space to give a full book manuscript the attention it deserves. READ MORE

After publication

Unlike with journal articles, you are almost guaranteed to get some feedback, at least within the first year, in the form of book reviews. Your publisher will ask you for a list of journals that are relevant to your book – you’re entitled to give them a reasonably long list, though make sure that they really are relevant and do publish book reviews. READ MORE

 

4. Other formats

A very large majority of the work published by historians appears in one of these three formats – journal articles, chapters in books, books. These formats allow for the evidence intensive and subject-extensive treatment that history favours. But there are lots of other ways to publish, especially online, and these alternative formats tend to cater to other needs than the simple presentation of research. READ MORE

 

5. REF

If you are a UK scholar, or seeking employment in the UK, you will need to pay some minimal attention to the REF (the Research Excellence Framework, the current name for the periodic assessment of academic research undertaken by the UK funding bodies). READ MORE

 

 

HEADER IMAGE: A printer’s workshop: on the left a printing press, on the right and centre workmen engaged in various tasks, the scene numbered for a key. Engraving after L.J. Goussier. Wellcome Trust, public domain

 

Camden Series volumes, 2022: new primary source collections for historians

Each year the Society publishes two volumes of primary source materials, edited by historians who’ve worked closely with these documents. The volumes appear in the Society’s Camden Series of scholarly editions and make new sets of primary sources available for research.

Each volume, compiled and edited by a specialist in the subject, includes an Introduction and full references and annotations. Camden Society volumes are published online and in print for the Society by Cambridge University Press.

The Camden Series volumes, 2022, provide primary sources on everyday life in Early modern England and high politics in Britain, Ireland and Germany in the interwar years.

 

Volume 64: The Diary of George Lloyd (1642-1718), edited by Daniel Patterson (November 2022)

Virtually unknown to scholarship, Lloyd’s diary is not a record of notable events. Rather, it is a uniquely quotidian text consisting of regular daily entries documenting the activities and experiences of an individual far removed from great events.

Lloyd’s diary will be an invaluable resource for scholars studying many aspects of early modern English social and cultural history, including sociality, fashion, religious observance, courtship, food and drink, and working life.

The Diary of George Lloyd, 1642-1718 is now available online and in print from Cambridge University Press. RHS Fellows and Members may purchase hardback print copies directly from the Society for £16 per volume or £25 for both 2022 Camden Series volumes. To do so please email: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

Read the Introduction to The Diary of George Lloyd, 1642-1718.

Here, the editor Dr Daniel Patterson introduces George Lloyd and his world, on the Society’s blog, ‘Historical Transactions’.

 

Volume 63: Aristocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorship. The Political Papers of the Seventh Marquess of Londonderry, edited by N. C. Fleming (September 2022).

The seventh Marquess of Londonderry (1878–1949) corresponded with the leading political figures of his day, including Winston Churchill (his second cousin), Neville Chamberlain, Stanley Baldwin and Ramsay MacDonald. Londonderry’s amateur diplomacy in the 1930s meant that his regular correspondents also included Hermann Göring, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Franz von Papen.

Aristocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorship is now available online and in print from Cambridge University Press. RHS Fellows and Members may purchase hardback print copies directly from the Society for £16 per volume or £25 for both 2022 Camden Series volumes. To do so please email: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

Read the Introduction to Aristocracy, Democracy, and Dictatorship. The Political Papers of the Seventh Marquess of Londonderry.

Here, on the Society’s blog, ‘Historical Transactions’, the volume’s editor Professor Neil Fleming introduces the interwar political networks of the Marquess of Londonderry.

 


About the RHS Camden Series

 

 

The Royal Historical Society’s Camden Series is one of the most prestigious and important collections of primary source material relating to British History, including the British empire and Britons’ influence overseas. The Society (and its predecessor, the Camden Society) has since 1838 published scholarly editions of sources—making important, previously unpublished, texts available to researchers. Each volume is edited by a specialist historian who provides an expert introduction and commentary.

Today the Society publishes two new Camden volumes each year in association with Cambridge University Press. The series is available via Cambridge Journals Online and full access is available to the Society’s Members and Fellows, as part of new member benefits from 2022. We welcome proposals for new Camden volumes: for more on how to submit an idea to the editors, please see the Camden Series page of the RHS website.