Style & Tone

The SHGAPE Blog seeks to advance excellent scholarship in the GAPE and be accessible to a general audience. This means that you should write your blog piece in a more conversational tone, not one you would employ in a traditional journal. An ideal essay submission has a clear and concise argument with a compelling narrative. We encourage pieces to make a connection to contemporary issues, although it is not a requirement.

We will consider any piece that contributes original research on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (GAPE), which we broadly define as 1865-1920s.

In addition to traditional essays, we also encourage the submission of graphic essays, videos, or other non-traditional forms. The blog is open to any researcher, regardless of affiliation. You do not need to be a member of SHGAPE to publish, although you’re welcome to join us!

Some useful examples:

Pitches

  • Send pitches to Co-Editor Chelsea Gibson at cgibson2 at binghamton dot edu
  • Pitches should include a short bio and a few sentences describing your topic, approach, and, if applicable, connection to contemporary issues

Submissions & Editing

  • If your pitch is approved and we request a full submission, finished pieces should be submitted as a word document (.docx or Google Doc) to Chelsea Gibson
    • At this stage, please include any potential images and a contributor bio (see contributor bio instructions below)
  • Within one to two weeks, our editors will return your essay with comments in a Google Doc, which you may answer in the Google Doc or download and edit in a .docx file
  • Editors will review your revisions and may ask for further changes
    • Please note: most submissions go through at least two rounds of editing before approval
  • The entire process typically takes anywhere from four to six weeks

Length

  • We typically publish pieces between 750-1500 words

Titles & Subtitles

  • Try to come up with a pithy and catchy title that avoids the ubiquitous “:”
  • When appropriate, we encourage you to break up your essay into subheadings

Images

  • Images are not required but are highly encouraged
  • It is the author’s responsibility to secure rights for publication or ensure your image is not copyrighted
  • Please include clear citations when submitting your image/s

Citations & References

  • We use footnotes and follow the Chicago Manual Style for formatting
  • Footnotes should be reserved for direct citations
  • When possible, you should use hyperlinks as a citation rather than a footnote — we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the digital forum and link out to relevant libraries, sources, news articles, or other scholarship
  • No bibliography is necessary, but you can include a “further reading” list if appropriate

Contributor Bio

  •  Please keep your biography to 50 words or less & use hyperlinks when appropriate
  • If applicable, include your Twitter handle