History Compass


History Compass is a peer-reviewed online-only academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. Originally launched in association with the Institute of Historical Research, it is unique in its purpose and structure, aiming to "solve the problem of keeping up with new developments in history by providing historians with regularly updated overviews of the important trends, debates, resources and publications in the field...combining a current awareness service with a survey journal for lecturers, researchers, and advanced students of history."
The journal commissions leading academics to write survey articles on "the most important research and thinking across the entire discipline, with no restrictions in terms of geography, time period or historical methodology." While authoritative, articles are also written in an engaging and lively style, as the journal's intended audience includes not just professional historians but also non-specialists and advanced undergraduate students.
Launched in 2003, within three years it had become a leading high-profile peer reviewed electronic journal for history, featuring more than 100 new articles per year and its site routinely receiving 300,000 hits a month.
The journal is divided into ten geographical subsections, each of which has its own editor:
Africa
Ancient World
Asia
Australasia & Pacific
Britain & Ireland
Caribbean & Latin America
Europe
Middle & Near East
North America
World
The current editor-in-chief is historian Laura Smoller, of the University of Rochester.
The founding editor-in-chief was the late Mark Kishlansky, of Harvard University, followed by Felice Lifshitz, of the University of Alberta. The journal has benefited from a close association with the American Historical Association, which for a time offered its members a free six-month trial. The journal also offered a now-defunct graduate essay prize, the results of which were to be announced at the AHA's annual meeting.