Submitting a Publication Proposal to the Scottish History Society
1. We publish previously unpublished manuscript material illustrative of the history of Scotland and the Scots. If you would like to discuss whether or not your proposed publication falls into this category please contact the Society’s Publication Secretary (see the ‘Contact Us’ section on this site). We publish a nominal one volume per calendar year.
2. Our volumes are scholarly editions, annotated with an introduction. A full length volume is around 100,000 words, approximately 10,000 words of which is introduction. Shorter submissions can be accommodated in one of our occasional Miscellany volumes. If you are considering a submission which is in excess of this length, please contact the Publication Secretary.
3. If you are considering submitting a proposal to the Society we invite you to contact the Publication Secretary at the earliest opportunity. Normally we would then ask you to send us a formal publication proposal. This should be in the format of a report and, while the precise details will vary from proposal to proposal, should address the following issues:
i. Identification of MSS to be edited, including location. Rough approximation of length of volume.
ii. Brief summary of nature and contents of MSS.
iii. Brief comment on their historical significance and why they would make a useful edition. You might wish to refer here to any similar or relevant works in print.
iv. Comments on the method of editing.
It might also be helpful to give some brief information about yourself and your interest in these manuscripts.
We would also like to see a short sample of the material. While this does not have to be edited and annotated as in the final volume, it should be representative of your transcription and presentation of the material.
We prefer to receive proposals as an electronic version, an email attachment is ideal.
4. After clarification of any issues arising from the Publication Proposal, we will then obtain an external Referee’s Report on your proposal.
5. Your Publication Proposal and the Referee’s Report will then be presented to the Council of the Society who will make the decision on whether or not to accept it for publication. Council meets bi-annually, usually in October and May. The time required to discuss a proposal and obtain a referee’s report varies. As a general rule, it is likely that a Publication Proposal in the hands of the Publication Secretary three months before the date of the next meeting will be able to be considered at that meeting. You will be kept informed of the progress of your proposal throughout this process. The Society’s decision will be communicated to you by the Publication Secretary after the meeting of Council at which it has been considered.
6. Final publication of the volume is dependent on you obtaining the requisite permissions to publish any of the materials contained in your proposal and on the submission of a text acceptable to the Society.