The Concord Review
The National Writing Board

1. Who may submit papers to The Concord Review?

You may submit a history research paper to The Concord Review if you completed the paper before finishing secondary school and you have not yet enrolled in a college or university. You must be the sole author. The paper must be in English and may not have been previously published except in a publication of a secondary school that you attended.

2. Must papers submitted to The Concord Review be about United States History?

We accept papers on any historical subject (ancient or modern, domestic or foreign. See our issues index or our online sample essays for examples of the types of essays that have been written in the past.

3. May I use MLA style endnotes for my paper?

Papers submitted to The Concord Review should use Turabian (University of Chicago) style endnotes, NOT MLA style. Information about Turabian endnotes can be found in A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian, or at this page on the website of the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

4. May I submit my paper by email?

No, we accept papers only by mail. Please print your paper on 8½ x 11 paper, or on A4 size paper if mailing from overseas. Our address is 730 Boston Post Road, Suite 24, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.

5. May I submit more than one paper?

Absolutely! Our mission here at The Concord Review is to encourage secondary students to push themselves academically. We love to hear about students who write more papers than expected. On several occassions we have published more than one paper by an author.

6. May I submit a paper that is less than 4,000 words?

You are certainly welcome to submit a paper that is less than 4,000 words in length. However, we would like to caution you that your paper will be competing with longer papers submitted.

7. May I submit a paper on a topic that The Review has already published?

We welcome papers on topics that we've already published. Every historian can add more insight to what has been published before.

8. May I submit papers completed during an independent study?

Of course you may! We have published a number of great papers from students pursuing the study of history on their own, with guidance from someone else.

9. May I submit the same paper to The Concord Review and the National Writing Board?

Yes. We would like you to note that the submission and evaluation processes for The Concord Review and for the National Writing Board are completely separate. It is necessary to complete the submissions process for each separately. Please see the submissions guidelines for The Concord Review and the submissions guidelines for the National Writing Board.

10. Will I hear if my paper is not used in the next issue?

We publish about 8% of the essays we receive. If the your paper will not be in the next issue, you will not hear anything, but your paper is still eligible for future issues. If your paper is to be published, you will receive a letter the month before the issue comes out.

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1. Who may submit papers for review by the National Writing Board?

You may submit a paper to the National Writing Board if you completed the paper before finishing secondary school and you have not yet enrolled in a college or university. You must be the sole author. The paper must be in English.

2. Who reads and rates my paper when I send it to the National Writing Board?

Each paper submitted to the National Writing Board is sent to two senior secondary instructors [Readers] who have been trained to evaluate the papers against an independent academic expository writing standard developed by The Concord Review.

3. How long does it take for me to receive my report?

It takes approximately six weeks. This ensures that there is enough time for the paper to be received, read, and rated, and for the three-page report to be written.

4. How does my report reach the colleges I am applying to?

The National Writing Board only sends its reports to colleges at the student's request. Each student must contact us with a list of colleges that he or she is applying to. The first four are free, and each one after that costs $5...We then send the three-page report with a cover letter to the admissions office of each college on the list.

5. May I submit the same paper to the National Writing Board and The Concord Review?

Yes. We would like you to note that the submission and evaluation processes for The Concord Review and for the National Writing Board are completely separate. It is necessary to complete the submissions process for each separately. Please see the submissions guidelines for The Concord Review and the submissions guidelines for the National Writing Board.

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