TL;DR

• The Concord Review publishes high school history essays of 8,000 words or more.

• Acceptance rate is highly selective, estimated below 5% of submissions.

• Submission requires a fee; essays must be original and unpublished.

• Strong thesis, primary sources, and Chicago citation style improve your chances.

• Rejected essays can be revised and resubmitted in a later cycle.

You have spent months on a history essay. It is detailed, well-sourced, and longer than anything your class required. Now you want to know whether The Concord Review is the right place to send it, and whether you have a realistic chance of getting published.

That is a fair question, and it deserves a direct answer. The Concord Review is one of the most respected academic journals in the world that publishes work exclusively by high school students. It has been doing so since 1987. Getting in is genuinely difficult. Understanding the process clearly is the first step toward giving yourself the best possible chance.

This guide covers everything you need to know about The Concord Review: acceptance rate, fees, and how to submit, so you can decide whether to apply and how to prepare.

What Is The Concord Review?

The Concord Review is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal that publishes history research papers written by high school students from around the world. Founded in 1987 by Will Fitzhugh, it is widely regarded as the most rigorous academic publication available to secondary school researchers in the humanities. Essays appear in print and are read by university admissions officers, educators, and historians.

The journal does not publish short essays or opinion pieces. It publishes substantial, fully cited history research papers. According to The Concord Review's own submission guidelines, essays must be a minimum of 8,000 words, not including footnotes and bibliography. That length requirement alone signals what kind of work the editors are looking for. This is original scholarship, not a school assignment formatted for an outside audience.

The Concord Review accepts submissions from high school students globally. It publishes four issues per year. Each issue typically features between four and eight essays selected from a large international pool.

What Is the Acceptance Rate for The Concord Review?

The Concord Review does not publish an official acceptance rate, but based on the number of essays it publishes annually and the volume of submissions it receives from students worldwide, the effective acceptance rate is estimated to be below 5%. This makes it one of the most selective student publications in existence. Submitting a strong, well-researched paper does not guarantee acceptance, but understanding what reviewers look for significantly improves your odds.

The journal publishes roughly 20 to 30 essays per year across four issues. Given that it draws submissions from students across dozens of countries, competition is intense. Editors are looking for original argumentation, use of primary sources, and writing that meets a genuine academic standard. Essays that read like extended school reports, even very good ones, are unlikely to succeed.

The most common reason strong essays are rejected is not length or formatting. It is the absence of a clear, contestable thesis. Reviewers want to see that you are making an argument, not just summarising events. If your essay could be read as a detailed Wikipedia article, it needs revision before submission.

If you are preparing a paper for submission and want structured feedback before you send it, joining the Publication Compass waitlist gives you early access to an AI platform built to help student researchers refine their work before it reaches an editor's desk.

How Much Does It Cost to Submit to The Concord Review?

The Concord Review charges a submission fee. According to the journal's official website, the fee is $40 USD per submission for students submitting from the United States, and $60 USD for international submissions. These fees are non-refundable regardless of the outcome. The fee structure exists to support the journal's editorial operations, as The Concord Review is an independent publication and does not receive institutional funding.

There is no fee waiver programme listed on the journal's public submission page. If cost is a barrier, it is worth contacting the editorial office directly to ask whether any accommodation is available. The journal has operated for decades as a mission-driven publication, and direct communication is always appropriate when you have a genuine question.

Paying the fee does not increase your chances of acceptance. Every submission is evaluated on its academic merit. The fee is simply the cost of having your work considered.

Before paying any submission fee to any journal, it is worth confirming the publication is legitimate. The Concord Review is listed in recognised educational resources and has a verifiable publication history dating to 1987. It is not a predatory journal. For context on how to evaluate journals before submitting, the guide on Journal of Student Research scope, requirements, and submission walks through what to look for when assessing a student publication.

How to Submit to The Concord Review: A Step-by-Step Guide

Submitting to The Concord Review requires careful preparation. The following steps reflect the journal's published submission requirements.

1. Write an essay of at least 8,000 words. This is a firm minimum, not a guideline. The word count applies to the body of the essay, not footnotes or bibliography. Most published essays run between 8,000 and 12,000 words.

2. Focus on a single historical topic with a clear thesis. The essay must make an argument. It should not be a general overview of a period or event. Choose a specific question and answer it with evidence.

3. Use primary sources. Editors expect you to engage with original documents, letters, records, or other primary materials, not just secondary literature. This is what separates a research paper from a book report.

4. Format citations in Chicago style. The Concord Review requires Chicago-style footnotes and a full bibliography. Every factual claim must be cited. Inconsistent or missing citations are grounds for rejection.

5. Confirm you are currently enrolled in high school. Submissions are accepted only from students who are in secondary school at the time of submission. Gap year students or those who have already graduated are not eligible.

6. Submit through the journal's official website. The submission portal is at concordreview.com. You will upload your essay as a Word document and pay the submission fee during the process.

7. Wait for a decision. Review timelines are not publicly specified, but decisions typically come within one to three months of submission. The journal does not provide detailed feedback on rejected essays.

One practical note: if your essay is rejected, you are permitted to revise and resubmit in a subsequent cycle. Many published authors submitted more than once before being accepted.

What Makes an Essay Strong Enough to Publish?

A publishable Concord Review essay does three things consistently: it argues, it evidences, and it writes clearly. Reviewers are experienced historians and educators. They can tell within the first page whether a paper is making a real argument or describing events in sequence. The argument has to come first, and every section of the essay has to serve it.

Primary source use is not optional. Published essays in The Concord Review routinely cite archival documents, government records, contemporary newspaper accounts, and firsthand testimonies. If your essay relies entirely on secondary sources, it will not meet the editorial standard. University libraries, digital archives like the Library of Congress, and national archives in many countries provide free access to primary materials. Use them.

Writing clarity matters as much as research depth. Long essays that are difficult to follow do not get published, regardless of the quality of the underlying research. Each paragraph should have a clear purpose. Each sentence should move the argument forward. If a sentence is there only to fill space, cut it.

For a broader understanding of how the peer review and submission process works before you commit to a specific journal, the post on how to submit a research paper to a peer-reviewed journal covers the full process from manuscript preparation to decision.

Should You Consider a Preprint Before Submitting?

Posting a preprint before submitting to The Concord Review is generally not recommended. The journal requires that submitted essays are original and unpublished. While preprint norms vary by field and are more common in sciences than humanities, uploading your essay to a public server before submission could raise questions about prior publication status. If you are unsure, contact the editorial office before uploading anywhere. The post on what a preprint is and whether you should upload before submitting explains the tradeoffs in more detail.

The same logic applies to simultaneous submission. The Concord Review expects exclusive consideration. You should not submit the same essay to another journal at the same time. If you want to understand the rules around this, the guide on whether you can submit the same paper to two journals explains the standard academic policy and when exceptions apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate for The Concord Review?

The Concord Review does not publish an official acceptance rate. Based on the number of essays published annually, roughly 20 to 30 across four issues, and the volume of international submissions it receives, the effective acceptance rate is estimated to be below 5%. Competition is global and the editorial standard is high.

How long does an essay need to be to submit to The Concord Review?

According to The Concord Review's published submission requirements, essays must be a minimum of 8,000 words, not counting footnotes or bibliography. Most published essays are between 8,000 and 12,000 words. Essays shorter than 8,000 words will not be considered.

Can international students submit to The Concord Review?

Yes. The Concord Review accepts submissions from high school students worldwide. International students pay a submission fee of $60 USD, compared to $40 USD for US-based students. The journal has published students from dozens of countries since its founding in 1987.

What citation style does The Concord Review require?

The Concord Review requires Chicago-style citations, specifically footnotes rather than in-text parenthetical references, along with a full bibliography. Every factual claim must be cited. Inconsistent or incomplete citations are a common reason for rejection, even in otherwise strong essays.

Can I resubmit to The Concord Review after a rejection?

Yes. Students who receive a rejection are permitted to revise their essay and resubmit in a future submission cycle. A new submission fee applies. Many authors whose work was eventually published submitted more than once. Revision based on the essay's weaknesses, not just surface editing, is what makes the difference.

What to Do Next

The Concord Review is a genuine achievement. Getting published there requires a long essay, a real argument, strong primary source research, and clean academic writing. None of that is impossible for a motivated high school student. It does require time, revision, and honest self-assessment of whether your essay is ready.

Start with your thesis. If you cannot state your argument in two sentences, the essay is not ready to submit. Then check your sources. Then read your draft aloud and cut every sentence that does not earn its place. If you want support preparing your research for publication, Publication Compass is a platform built to help student researchers move from draft to submission with structured AI feedback. Explore more guides on the academic publishing process at the Publication Compass blog.