TITLE: Editor or Co-Editors, American Historical Review

REPORTS TO: AHA Council through the Council’s Research Division, which exercises oversight over AHA research publications

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY: As the intellectual leader(s) of the AHR, the co-editors or editor shape the content of the most widely read and cited professional historical journal in the world. Working with three full-time staff members (Reviews Editor, Senior Managing Editor, Managing Editor) of the AHA and with Oxford University Press (our publishing partner), the editor envisions and shapes the journal’s contents and is responsible for creating visibility for the AHR within the public sphere. The editor or co-editors also oversees the peer review process to ensure that the journal continues to be the leading general scholarly publication in the discipline and to showcase top historical scholarship and commentary.

The AHA is open to applications from either a single editor or from teams of two co-editors for this position. Co-editor applicants will be asked to provide an explanation of how they will equally divide the labor and responsibilities between the two parties. Applicants from a range of contexts and institutions are encouraged to apply.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE C0-EDITORS OR EDITOR:

• Review all original submissions and determine their appropriateness for the journal, referring any that have potential to the appropriate members of the Board of Editors.
• Oversee the timely peer review of such original submissions, including composing letters to authors in a prompt and courteous manner indicating acceptance, rejection, feedback from reviewers, and/or requests for revisions.
• Facilitate and encourage submissions of articles and other historical scholarship across all geographical, temporal, and thematic fields, as well as exploration of new methodological approaches where appropriate.
• Commission roundtables, forums, conversations, feature reviews and other types of content for the AHR History Lab to highlight trends in the discipline and to foster conversations among historians around issues of research and pedagogy.
• In consultation with the Board of Editors, commission special issues of the journal that address major issues and concerns in the discipline in innovative ways.
• Encourage publicity, as indicated by high citations, expanded readership, and the stimulation of new debates, in part by flagging high-profile forthcoming pieces to AHA and OUP marketing staff, coordinating possible online articles with AHA staff, promoting the journal at conferences, and/or suggesting media coverage outlets and stakeholder organizations that may be interested in content.
• Conceive of innovative modes of web-based communication for the journal’s content, in conjunction and consultation with the AHA’s web and social media staff.
• Work with the AHA Research Division and Council to determine AHR publication and editorial policies and recommend practices to implement those policies.
• Work to diversify readership, content, and participation in the work of the AHR as reviewers and board members.
• Manage the Board of Editors through meetings and regular individual communication during the year.
• Nominate candidates for the AHR Board of Editors in consultation with the Research Division. Council approves the nominations.
• In consultation with the Reviews Editor, nominate candidates for the AHR Associate Review Editors. Council approves the nominations.
• Nominate candidates for consulting editors as needed in consultation with the Research Division. Council approves the nominations.
• Represent the AHR at the AHA annual meeting.
• Work with the Reviews Editor to resolve occasional issues in the journal’s reviewing process.
• Report annually on prior year’s performance and future plans to the AHA Council.

The editor is an appointed officer of the AHA. As an appointed officer, the editor is a nonvoting member of the Association’s Council and Research Division and is expected to attend biannual in-person meetings of Council on the first weekend in January at the AHA annual meeting, and the first weekend in June in Washington, DC. The editor is also expected to participate in three Research Division meetings annually, two held by teleconference and one held in-person in conjunction with Council meetings in Washington. The editor may be requested to attend additional Council teleconferences as needed.

COMPENSATION:  Resources and arrangements of FTE are negotiable and vary based on institutional context and commitment.

TIMELINE: Deadline for receiving applications is October 1, 2026. 

TO APPLY: Log into your MY AHA account at historians.org/myaha; click “Available Application Forms” in the AHA Awards, Grants, and Jobs section; and select the "Editor or Co-Editors, American Historical Review" link. If you don't have an account, create one for free at historians.org/createaccount.

Upload an Application Packet as a single PDF. Include:

• CV
• Letter that addresses interest, vision for the journal, and a plan for institutional/time commitment and support (no more than 2500 words)
• List of up to 5 scholarly references (references will not be contacted before notifying the applicant)

For more information about the AHA, visit historians.org. Questions regarding the AHA or the search should be sent to Sarah Muncy, managing editor, at smuncy@historians.org. 

The AHA is an equal opportunity employer.