About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Drawing on scholarship in the fields of history, literary studies, media and communications, anthropology, folkloristics, sociology, and American studies, among others, SOAR: Society of Americanists Review's mission is to bring together an interdisciplinary and international conversation on the history, culture, and social life of the United States.

As the flagship journal of the Society of Americanists, SOAR seeks to publish scholarship of the highest caliber and broadest appeal. Individual article submissions undergo a rigorous multi-tiered peer review process which includes the journal's editorial staff, advisory board members, and external reviewers. In addition to individual submissions, special issue proposals are welcomed and will receive an expedited initial review.

The journal publishes work in a variety of formats, including research articles; forum, discussion, memorial, and state-of-the-field essays; dialogues and interviews; reports on programs, organizations, and pedagogy; as well as book, exhibit, and media reviews. Multimedia content is encouraged and can be accommodated at the discretion of the editors.

Peer Review Process

All submissions will undergo a rigorous multi-tiered review process that consists of the following steps:

  1. Editorial Staff Review: During the first step of the peer review process, each submission will undergo a blind review by the journal's editorial staff. The main purpose of this first step is to determine if the submission meets the criteria of SOAR. If the submission is approved, it moves on to external review.
  2. External Review: The second part of the peer review process consists of the external review. During this process, two external readers will evaluate the manuscript and provide a report with their suggestions to accept, reject, or ask for revision and resubmission. While conducting this evaluation, the external readers will provide feedback on how to improve the submission. This report is then passed on to the Editor, who will then decide to accept, reject, or ask for revision and resubmission.
  3. Advisory Board Review: Once an author makes the recommended changes to their submission, it will be sent to the Advisory Board for review. The Advisory Board will review all of the prior versions of the submission as well as the feedback provided at each stage. The Board will then decide to accept, reject, or ask for an additional revise and resubmit. Pieces that are accepted will move on to the production stage.

Publication Frequency

While it is initially planned to be published only once annually, the long-term goal of the editors is to build toward a quarterly publication schedule by 2020.

Open Access Policy

In its early stages, SOAR will be published once annually in an open-access online format using an OJS platform hosted by the Pennsylvania State University. All journal content will be made available online at no cost, but the journal will also be made available for purchase in an on-demand printed form as well.

How to Submit Your Work to SOAR

Interested in submitting to SOAR? We recommend that you review the About the Journal page for the Author Guidelines. Authors need to register prior to submitting or, if already registered, can simply log in and begin the five-step process.