Archives:Proceedings of the IEEE “Scanning Our Past” call for authors

Historians and historical researchers are invited to propose papers for publication in Proceedings of the IEEE.. As the IEEE’s flagship technical journal, ProcIEEE is the most highly cited general-interest journal in electrical, electronic, and computer engineering. Every month it publishes peer-reviewed papers on technical topics of broad significance and long-term interest. Readers are also interested in papers that explore the history of technology and the people associated with it, which are featured in its “Scanning Our Past” section.

These articles should be between 4,000 and 8,000 words including references and acknowledgments, and include 3-6 illustrations. Since papers in Proceedings are read largely by engineers and technologists, historical papers should be accessible to technical professionals seeking social, political, economic, cultural, or technical contexts for the causes, processes, or consequences of technological change. Since readers are not academic historians, historiographical issues can be largely bypassed in order to focus on a specific question or tell a specific story.

“Scanning Our Past” articles are peer-reviewed and fulfill a number of purposes. They can help promote a recent book to a receptive audience; represent publication of new or additional research or a conference paper that does not fit the needs of scholarly historical journals; and fulfill an author's or institution's interest in disseminating high-quality public history.

Authors can submit a one-page proposal to the "Scanning Our Past" editor, including a description of the topic, its relevance to Proceedings readers, and a brief biography showing the author’s qualifications for writing the paper. To demonstrate the appeal of the topic beyond a narrow audience, proposals should also include citations that show its connections to broader subjects.

Proceedings is copyrighted to protect the interests of IEEE as well as those of its authors. Authors must provide a signed copyright release form before their papers can be published; the completed form should accompany the manuscript upon its approval and final submission. Authors can post pre-print copies of their articles on their websites. More information can be found at IEEE Intellectual Property Rights.

Click here to see information about becoming a book author for the IEEE History Center Press.