Transactions is the flagship academic journal of the Royal Historical Society. First published in 1872, Transactions has been publishing the highest quality scholarship in History for more than 150 years.
January 2025: Paul Readman, Professor of Modern British History at King’s College London, appointed co-editor of Transactions.
December 2024: this year’s volume of Transactions (Seventh Series, Volume 2) is now available online from Cambridge University Press. Full details of the 2024 volume.
From August 2024: all articles accepted for publication in Transactions will automatically appear Open Access, with no charge to the author, ensuring the widest possible circulation and readership for new work.
What we publish in Transactions
Today’s journal publishes a wide range of research articles and commentaries on historical approaches, practice and debate. In addition to traditional 10-12,000 word research articles, Transactions also welcomes shorter, innovative commentary articles.
In 2023, we introduced the ‘Common Room’ — a section of the journal dedicated to commentaries and think pieces by academic historians and historical practitioners.
The journal welcomes submissions dealing with any geographical area from the early middle ages to the very recent past. The journal’s editor and editorial boards are interested in articles that cover entirely new ground, thematically or methodologically, as well as those engaging critically on established themes in existing literatures.
Who publishes in Transactions
The journal invites articles from authors at every career stage. In line with the Society’s commitment to supporting postgraduate and early career historians, the journal seeks to engage constructively and positively with first-time authors. We also publish, and invite, articles and commentaries from historians working outside Higher Education in related sectors such as heritage.
The journal’s editorial team provides prompt responses and peer review. Articles are published with Cambridge University Press, online via CUP’s FirstView, and in an annual volume.
If you’re currently researching an article or a think piece, please consider Transactions as the journal in which to publish your work.
Submitting your article to Transactions
We warmly welcome submissions of research articles and Common Room commentaries for editorial review. In advance, please consult our guide to Preparing your Article, which provides information on presenting and formatting your article.
In addition, we have a guide to Submitting your Article which explains how to use the journal’s online submission system.
When ready, please submit your completed article for review here >
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society: latest volume
Transactions articles are published first online and then as an annual print volume. The latest volume of Transactions (Seventh Series, Volume 2) was published in December 2024.
TRHS includes research articles, covering a wide range of chronologies and geographies, alongside ‘Common Room’ articles offering commentaries and debates on historical methodologies, pedagogies, policy debates and roundtable discussions.
Recently published Transactions articles are available on Cambridge First View. New print volumes of the journal are published annually, with a listing of all previous volumes available from the CUP website.
What authors say about publishing with Transactions
Now published by Cambridge University Press, the collection of Transactions from 1872 is available on Cambridge Journals Online and JSTOR (with a five year moving wall).
More on accessing Transactions content, 1872-2023.