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Welcome The Journal of Historical Biography is an
international, peer-reviewed, open access periodical that published two volumes
each year from 2007 to 2014. Content includes biographical portraits of
prominent individuals; reviews of biographical works and of works related to
historical biography; and theoretical, methodological, and philosophical pieces
reflecting on the larger issues associated with writing biography or
autobiography. Its 16th and final volume was published in the autumn of 2014.
All content will remain accessible. It has been a great
pleasure to work to produce sixteen volumes of the Journal of Historical Biography. Since the JHB’s inception in the spring of 2007, we have had the privilege of
publishing a wide range of articles on historical biography by scholars all
over the world. We thank these submitters for entrusting their work to us. Thanks are also due to
the myriad anonymous peer reviewers whom we have called upon over the years. I
have been consistently impressed by how readily busy academics in prestigious
universities have agreed to peer review the submissions of anonymous others and
to share their insights, insights that have inevitably helped to enrich the
work. Since peer review is by necessity “double blind,” this is a thankless and
unheralded task, but one that we greatly appreciate. We are also grateful
to our many book reviewers, and to the publishers who have provided review
copies, all of whom have done this without compensation. We owe a debt to our
Editorial Board, many of whom have been active champions of the journal, and
who, in their own work, have done much to raise the profile of the genre of
historical biography. The JHB has remained committed to open
access, with the journal available freely without subscription. Scholars are
increasingly opting for open access journals as venues for their work, as this
allows the widest possible dissemination, and many long-established journals
have shifted to embrace this model. We are pleased that the articles we have
published over the years remain permanently available,[1]
and indeed that a number have found their way onto course syllabi at
post-secondary institutions around the world. In addition, we have heard from
many readers outside of academia who appreciate rigorous and accessible
historical biography. While committed to
open access, we reject the user-pay model, in which authors must underwrite the
cost of their own publication, for a number of reasons. The growing gulf
between those academics with secure tenure and the vast army of
undercompensated limited-term and part-time faculty means that those scholars
who most need to establish a publication record are often those who do not have
access to institutional resources to support publication. Then, too, the shift
of some legitimate journals to a user-pay system has encouraged the
proliferation of dubious “predatory” journals that exist only to generate
revenue, and which do not conduct valid peer reviews or provide proper
editorial support.[2] No content, however,
is truly “free,” and we have been fortunate to receive funding from the
University of the Fraser Valley and from Canada’s Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). This funding has enabled us to employ the
editorial assistants, most of them UFV undergraduates, who have been essential
to the success of the journal. We salute their hard work and dedication and
take this opportunity to express deep appreciation for all they have done. In addition, the journal would not have been
possible without the tireless work, organizing genius, and keen understanding
of Jo-Ann Sleiman, MLIS, who served as managing editor. Her insight into the
workings of open access and her ahead-of-the-curve grasp of the possibilities
it afforded have done much to ensure the journal’s success. Several historians have contributed to the JHB in other important ways. My UFV colleague Dr. Molly Ungar partnered with me to launch the journal in 2007. The journal has published two guest-edited special issues, one by Dr. Alison M. Parker, College of Brockport, SUNY; and another by Professor Geoffrey Gray (Queensland), Dr. Doug Munro (Queensland), and Dr. Christine Winter (Sydney). I am indebted to these historians who have undertaken the considerable work of bringing these special issues to fruition. After sixteen volumes,
we have reached the reluctant decision to suspend publication of the journal.
The need for considerable permanent funding in order to continue to produce
“free” content is a factor in this decision, as is my own wish to devote more
time to ongoing research and publication projects. This decision, while
difficult, is lightened by the knowledge that the fine scholarly work that the JHB has published remains permanently
available, and that this body of work has helped to raise the profile of the
genre. As “human-sized” history, historical biography has always provided an
entry point into larger questions. It offers an accessible approach to history,
and in so doing exemplifies the discipline at its best. University of the
Fraser Valley [1] In addition to
remaining on the University of the Fraser Valley website at http://www.ufv.ca/jhb/ the journal is
archived by Stanford University’s LOCKSS system: http://www.lockss.org/ Follow the links above to view full text of all issues. The Journal of Historical Biography is also indexed by: Historical Abstracts - EBSCO full text
Financial assistance from the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) is
gratefully acknowledged. |
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Copyright © University of the Fraser Valley |
Journal
of Historical Biography ISSN: 1911-8538
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The
Journal of Historical Biography is produced by the History Department
at University of the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada.
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