History 690/890
Managing Co-Editors: Kelly Boylan, Jesse Poe, and Sheri Kennedy
Faculty Advisor: Professor Eva Sheppard Wolf
Email: epf@sfsu.edu
Web: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~epf/
Fall 2014
Ex Post Facto: Editing and Publishing a History Journal
Purpose:
Ex Post Facto is a professional-quality peer-reviewed academic journal, publishing SFSU
student research in history. The process of creating Ex Post Facto provides students with the
skills needed to evaluate and select submissions, edit for style and content, and line edit papers
for publication. This class provides real world experience in the peer review process that is
fundamental to academic scholarship.
Students may take Ex Post Facto for one, two, or three units of either undergraduate or
graduate credit (690/890), or they may participate without being formally enrolled in the class.
The class is available as Credit/No Credit only.
Successful completion of History 300, or the consent of the managing editors, is required
for enrollment.
Responsibilities:
Students who take EPF during the fall semester are responsible for reviewing student
submissions and making a recommendation as to whether or not they should be published.
Students will likely review one or two papers (depending on the number of submissions and the
number of editors). This review consists of three parts:
1) An evaluation form rating the various aspects of the submission.
2) A typed, 2-3 page (1000 word max) prose critique of the submission. A good critique
will evaluate the paper based on its purpose, thesis, organization, methodology,
evidence, and overall style and effectiveness.
3) The original student submission, marked with edits, comments, and constructive
criticism, will be returned to the original author.
Editor workload is directly proportionate to the amount of units chosen and each editor’s
capabilities. Ultimately, it is our intention to assign a manageable amount of work to each editor,
while ensuring that we remain on schedule for publication.
Students taking EPF for credit must complete and turn in all of the materials in order to
receive credit for the course.
It is highly recommended that students read past issues of Ex Post Facto in order to
get an idea of the quality of a publishable submission. Past volumes are available in the
History Lounge (SCI 270) and on the EPF website.
Standards of Conduct:
In an ideal world, there would be no overlap between students submitting to EPF and
those on its Editorial Board. However, due to the close-knit community of scholars at SFSU,
such autonomy is not feasible, and we encourage all students to submit papers to EPF. Despite
this, EPF endeavors to perform to the highest academic standards of professionalism, taking as
models such publications as the American Historical Review and the Journal of American
History. The key to such standards lies in offering constructive and thoughtful critiques of
student work, being aware that the author may be present during the editorial meetings. These
critiques should be able to help all authors improve their work through the invaluable process of
peer review.
Email:
Email is vital to our communication as a board in completing the journal. As such, after
our first meeting please send an email to epf@sfsu.edu from your preferred contact email
address. Give the email the subject heading “Editorial Board,” and in the body, write your name
as you would wish it to appear in the journal, and whether you are a graduate or undergraduate
student.
Schedule
N.B. All dates are subject to possible revision. If you cannot make any of the meetings,
be sure to contact the editors at epf@sfsu.edu to make other arrangements.
It is your responsibility to make and follow through on any alternative arrangements.
Tuesday 9/2/2014, 2:30pm: Introductory meeting. Add codes will be distributed and orientation
materials will be provided.
(Wednesday 9/3/2014, 2:30: Repeat of above for those with scheduling conflicts)
Monday 9/8/2014: Last day to add classes. Make sure you have enrolled by this time.
Monday 10/6/2014: EPF fall Submissions deadline in the History Department office (SCI 276)
by 3:00pm. See EPF submission form for details.
Monday 10/13/2014, 2:15pm: Paper Distribution Meeting and line editing tutorial with Professor
Wolf in SCI 270. Student papers will be given out to critique. Submission evaluation forms and
critique guidelines will also be distributed.
(Tuesday 10/14/2014, 2:30: Repeat of above for those with scheduling conflicts)
Monday 11/17/2014, 2:15pm: Editorial Workshop in SCI 270. This is an optional meeting. Bring
any questions or problems with your paper critiques for open discussion.
(Tuesday 11/18/2014, 2:30: Repeat of above for those with scheduling conflicts)
11/24-11/30/2014 – Fall Recess.
Monday 12/1/2014, 3:00pm: ALL Paper Critiques Due. Evaluation form, two copies of the
critique, and the original edited submission should be delivered to the History Department Office
(SCI 276).
Suggested Reading / Resources :
(You do not have to buy these books, but you may wish to consult them at a library. They will be
especially useful during the line editing process.)
Jacques Barzun, Simple & Direct: A Rhetoric for Writers, rev. ed., (Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1994).
Richard A. Lanham, Revising Prose, 2d ed., (New York: Macmillan Publishers,
1987).
William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 4d ed., (New York,
Longman, 2000).
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6d
ed., (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2013). Library Call # LB2369 .T8 2013 on
the fourth floor.
The wonderful people at Purdue host a website that can answer all of your Chicago Style Guide
questions: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/