How to Publish in the Concord Review: 2026 Guide
Updated: Aug 28
Updated: 27th August, 2026
TL;DR
The Concord Review publishes around 5% of the essays it receives, which makes it one of the hardest history credentials for a high schooler to earn. Essays need to be 5,000-10,000 words or more, with Chicago-style (Turabian) endnotes and a bibliography, not footnotes. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis year-round, but there are four fixed deadlines tied to each quarterly issue: August 1, November 1, February 1, and May 1. It costs $70 to submit as an Author Member, which also gets you a year of digital access to the journal; print access costs more. Published authors have gone on to schools like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Princeton. If you’d like to work 1-1 with a mentor that can help you publish research, check out the Lumiere Research Scholar Program.
What is the Concord Review?
The Concord Review was founded in 1987 by Will Fitzhugh, a history teacher at Concord-Carlisle High School in Massachusetts, with one goal: get more high schoolers writing long-form history research instead of short five-paragraph essays. He started by reaching out to history departments across the country asking for submissions, and the journal grew from there.
Since 1987, the Review has published more than 1,500 student research papers from authors in 46 states and 46 other countries. It remains the only quarterly journal in the world dedicated to publishing academic history papers written by secondary school students.
Is the Concord Review prestigious?
Yes. The Concord Review is widely considered the most prestigious platform for pre-college history writing, largely because of how selective and consistent it's been for almost 40 years. Published authors have gone on to schools including Harvard (163), Stanford (115), Yale (137), Princeton (82), Penn (35), Columbia (33), Cornell (25), Dartmouth (28), Chicago (47), Brown (37), and Oxford (21), among many others.
That doesn't mean publication guarantees admission anywhere, but it does mean admissions readers who've been doing this a while generally recognize the name and understand what it takes to get published there.
What is the acceptance rate for the Concord Review?
The Concord Review publishes roughly 5% of the essays it receives, according to its own submission page. That number has stayed consistent for years and puts it in the same tier of selectivity as top national research and writing competitions, not a typical school literary magazine or regional contest.
Is the Concord Review legit?
Yes. It's a real, non-profit academic journal that's been continuously publishing since 1987, and it's the only quarterly publication in the world dedicated to secondary school history research. It's not a pay-to-publish vanity journal: the $70 fee covers your submission and a subscription, not a guaranteed spot in the issue, and roughly 95% of submissions are turned down.
How hard is it to get into the Concord Review?
It's genuinely hard. With a ~5% acceptance rate, most essays that come in, even well-written ones, don't get published. What separates the papers that make it isn't just clean prose. It's a specific, well-defined thesis, a real command of the existing historical literature on your topic, and enough original research depth to fill 5,000+ words without padding. If you’d like to work with an expert mentor on refining your research, consider programs like Lumiere!
What does the Concord Review look for in papers?
According to the Review's own submission requirements, a paper must meet all of the following:
You wrote the paper while still in secondary school.
You're the sole author.
The paper is in English and hasn't been previously published elsewhere (other than in your own school's publication).
The paper is 5,000-10,000 words or more, including endnotes and bibliography, using Turabian (Chicago) style. Footnotes are not accepted, only endnotes.
The topic can be any historical subject, ancient or modern, domestic or foreign.
The file is submitted electronically in MS Word or RTF format only. Google Docs, PDFs, and Apple Pages are not accepted.
Informally, but just as important in practice, winning essays also tend to be:
Backed by at least 10, and usually closer to 15, distinct historical sources.
Structured around a clear, specific thesis, usually stated at the end of the introduction.
The product of multiple drafts, not a first pass.
How to submit your paper
To submit, you'll create an author account on tcr.org/submit and pay the submission fee. There are three membership tiers:
Tier | Cost | What you get |
Author (eBook) | $70 | 1-year digital subscription to the journal |
Author (Print, US) | $110 | Print edition shipped within the US |
Author (Print, International) | $150 | Print edition shipped outside the US |
Your filename matters too: it should be your first and last name, an underscore, and the first three words of your essay title (for example, Marie Jones_The Founding Fathers.docx).
How long does it take to hear back from the Concord Review?
A few months, minimum. Submissions are accepted year-round on a rolling basis, and once you submit, your essay is considered for the next three quarterly issues. Authors whose papers are accepted are notified about a month before that issue is published, so depending on when you submit, you could wait anywhere from a few months to close to a year to hear back.
When are the Concord Review deadlines?
The Concord Review publishes four issues a year: September (Fall), December (Winter), March (Spring), and June (Summer). While submissions are rolling, there are four cutoff dates tied to specific issues:
Deadline | Issue |
August 1 | Winter |
November 1 | Spring |
February 1 | Summer |
May 1 | Fall |
If you're using the essay for college applications, submit earlier rather than later. The review and notification process can take months, so don't wait until the deadline that lines up with your application timeline; build in a buffer.
10 tips to write an essay that gets published
1. Pick a topic you can go deep on. You'll spend dozens of hours researching one event, person, or phenomenon, so choose something you're actually curious about, not just something that sounds impressive.
2. Make your topic specific and your thesis clear. Broad topics ("World War II") are too big. Narrow ones (a single economist's influence on 18th-century French monetary policy, or one monk's account of religious persecution in Tang China) let you go deep instead of skimming the surface. Check out these history research topic ideas if you're still narrowing yours down.
3. Write with real depth, not just length. The average published paper runs about 8,500 words, and some have run over 20,000. But length is a byproduct of depth, not a target to hit by padding.
4. Engage with other historians, not just primary sources. Show that you know what other historians have said about your topic, then explain how your paper adds to or challenges that existing work.
5. Have an actual thesis. Most winning papers follow an abstract or introduction, a main analytical section, and a conclusion, with the thesis stated clearly by the end of the introduction.
6. Read past winning essays. TCR's Sample Essays page and its newsletter give you a sense of tone, structure, and depth. An Author Membership also gets you access to the previous year's full issues.
7. Use a wide range of historical sources. Most winning essays cite around 15 distinct sources. Start with a book on your topic, then follow its citations to find your next round of sources.
8. Stick to the standard structure. Introduction with thesis, main analysis (usually broken into sub-sections), and a short conclusion. Innovate on your argument and writing, not on the format.
9. Write, then rewrite. Every published essay has gone through multiple drafts. Budget real time for revision and outside feedback, not just a single polish pass before submitting.
10. Have a backup plan. With a 95% rejection rate, plan for the possibility your paper doesn't get in. You can still mention the submission on your college applications, or adapt the piece for another essay contest or a different research journal (you can't submit the exact same paper to TCR and elsewhere simultaneously, but you can rework it).
Other TCR programs worth knowing about
Publication isn't the only credential The Concord Review offers. Two other programs are worth knowing about, whether you get published or not.
The Emerson Prize. Each year, TCR selects around five outstanding published essays for the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize, worth about $3,000 each. You can't apply for it separately. If your essay is published, it's automatically eligible.
The National Writing Board. This is TCR's independent evaluation service, and it's useful even if you never submit to the journal itself. Two senior secondary instructors review your paper and send you a three- to four-page report with scores and comments. You can then choose to forward that report to college admissions offices yourself. The fee is $350, and unlike the journal, evaluation isn't competitive. Every paper submitted gets a report back.
If you don't get published, here's where else to send your work
With a ~95% rejection rate, you should have a plan B before you submit, not after. A few solid options:
Other student research journals. The Journal of Student Research, International Journal of High School Research, and newer journals like the Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship (OJSS) publish work across a wider range of subjects than TCR's history-only focus.
A broader list of options. If you want to scan more than one alternative at once, this roundup of the best journals that publish high school research is a good starting point.
Essay contests instead of journals. If your paper works better as a shorter, argument-driven piece than a long-form research paper, these essay writing contests are worth a look.
National History Day. A different format entirely (categories include papers, but also documentaries, exhibits, and websites), but it's a well-established, respected alternative for history-focused students specifically. Check out our blog on the event here!
Your own school's publication. TCR's rules allow you to have previously published your paper in your own school's publication without disqualifying it from submission, so that's a low-risk way to get feedback and polish before you submit.
Find a mentor before you start writing
A project this long benefits from someone pushing your thinking along the way, not just proofreading the final draft. A history teacher can be a great mentor, or you can work with a researcher who's done this kind of long-form work before and can help you shape your thesis, tighten your argument, and stress-test your research before you submit.
If you want that kind of structured support, Lumiere's research program pairs you 1-1 with a PhD mentor to help you go from a rough topic idea to a finished, submission-ready paper.
FAQs
Have more questions about getting published? Apply to work with a Lumiere research mentor and get 1-1 help building a paper that's actually ready to submit.
Is the Concord Review prestigious? Yes. It's widely regarded as the top platform for pre-college history research, largely because of its ~5% acceptance rate and nearly 40-year track record of published authors going on to top universities.
Is the Concord Review legit? Yes. It's a real non-profit academic journal that's been continuously publishing since 1987 and remains the only quarterly journal in the world dedicated to secondary school history research.
How hard is it to get into the Concord Review? Very hard. Around 95% of submissions are rejected, and the ones that get published typically have a sharp, specific thesis, deep engagement with existing historical scholarship, and 5,000+ words of genuine research depth.
What is the acceptance rate for the Concord Review? Roughly 5%, according to the Review's own submission page. This has held steady for years.
How much does it cost to submit to the Concord Review? $70 for the base Author (eBook) tier, which includes a 1-year digital subscription. Print options cost $110 (US) or $150 (international).
How many words should a Concord Review essay be? 5,000-10,000 words or more, including endnotes and bibliography, in Turabian (Chicago) style. The average published paper is about 8,500 words.
How long does a Concord Review submission take to hear back on? Submissions are rolling and considered for the next three quarterly issues, so you could hear back anywhere from a few months to close to a year after submitting.
Can I submit more than one essay to the Concord Review? Yes. If you've submitted before and want to submit a new essay, you'll email TCR directly to have your account set up for a new submission rather than creating a second account.
Work with a mentor to publish your research
Want help turning a topic idea into a paper that's actually ready for the Concord Review? Lumiere pairs you 1-1 with a PhD research mentor to develop an original research paper from scratch. Apply here.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.