Published on the Concord Review: A Complete Guide to Elevate Your Historical Research—and Your Writing

To the uninitiated, The Concord Review can seem almost mythical: a high school journal that publishes deeply researched, original historical essays, sometimes rivaling academic writing. Yet each year, students worldwide manage to enter this exclusive realm. If your goal is to join their ranks, you must go beyond standard advice—“work hard,” “cite sources,” “polish prose”—and delve deeply into historical inquiry. Below is a concise guide to help you meet The Concord Review’s exacting standards and craft a piece that might even hold its own in the pages of The New Yorker.

Understand That Great Historical Research Is Hyper-Specific

The best historical papers don’t offer sweeping overviews; they zero in on very niche topics. Such focus not only reveals hidden nuances lost in broader narratives but also demonstrates your commitment to scholarly depth. By immersing yourself in specialized archives, foreign-language texts, or local records, you can glean details that shed new light on overlooked events. A razor-sharp scope will also make it easier to develop a unique argument, setting your work apart in any submission pile.

Choose an Intriguing, Underexplored Topic

It’s tempting to revisit famous wars or revolutions, but The Concord Review prizes originality. Rather than describing the fall of Rome for the umpteenth time, concentrate on an angle that has escaped mainstream attention. For example, a standout Concord Review  essay once explored the impact of marriage treaties in New France—a dimension often overshadowed by the broader American colonial story. This specificity opened the door to surprising archival discoveries and provided a novel look at power dynamics in early North America.

Primary sources are not always texts. Many artifacts are much more revealing. Just look behind the work.

Unearth Primary Sources and Handle Them with Care

While everyone knows to value primary documents, the magic is in finding the lesser-known materials. Diaries of minor officials, local pamphlets, or even ordinary shipping manifests can illuminate unknown facets of the past. One top-ranked essay on the Haitian Revolution traced contraband weapons through port ledgers, unveiling a secret undercurrent that fueled the insurrection. Engaging with neglected sources doesn’t just demonstrate dedication; it can also make your thesis more persuasive and your narrative more compelling.

Let the Argument Emerge Organically

Advanced scholarship isn’t about proving a tidy thesis laid out from the start. Instead, let your argument adapt to the evidence. If you uncover documents that challenge your initial assumptions, incorporate those revelations and show how they shaped your thinking. This intellectual honesty can elevate your work, proving you value truth over the temptation to bulldoze counterarguments.

Write with Lucidity, but Don’t Abandon Style

In an effort to appear scholarly, many students resort to dense academic prose. The Concord Review, however, appreciates clarity paired with a touch of literary flair. Think of how The New Yorker merges readability with sophistication. Use specific, vivid details to bring historical figures to life, but don’t bury readers in a sea of adjectives or jargon. A single well-chosen anecdote can do more to hold attention than pages of dry exposition.

Embrace Revision as a Habit, Not a Last Step

A great paper rarely emerges in its first draft. Revision is where passable work transforms into publication-ready writing. Be prepared to reorganize chapters, remove tangential sections, or refine paragraphs for greater precision. Consider showing early drafts to those outside your field; if they struggle to follow your argument, it’s a sign you need to sharpen your structure or language.

Keep the Reader Engaged with a Narrative Flow

Although The Concord Review demands rigorous scholarship, it also appreciates essays that read like stories, focusing on real people and pivotal events. Construct a clear progression—how an issue arose, who contested it, and what resulted. Adding a modern parallel or interpretive aside can deepen the reader’s understanding of the topic’s ongoing relevance, ensuring your piece resonates beyond a single historical moment.

What surprise most people about historical research is how every historian differs in style. Secondary texts could be the most boring piece of literature one could read, so treasure the ones with the style of a novelist.

Treat Guidelines as a Framework, Not a Straitjacket

Yes, mind the word limits, citation styles, and formatting rules, but use them as scaffolding rather than constraints. The Concord Review’s editors look for authors who respect these standards while still venturing outside conventional narratives. As long as your evidence is solidly documented, feel free to explore fresh or even contrarian points of view.

Ultimately, what distinguishes a Concord Review essay—perhaps even one that could grace The New Yorker—is the combination of rigorous research and eloquent storytelling. If you follow evidence wherever it leads, select a hyper-specific focus that reveals larger truths, and maintain clarity and style in your writing, you’ll stand a strong chance of capturing the journal’s attention. More importantly, you’ll have participated in the noble pursuit of understanding the human past as fully and insightfully as possible—a goal worthy of any truly curious scholar.