Welcome to History's Best

At the heart of all historical writing is research. Historians attempt to understand and reconstruct the past by pouring over and analyzing ancient manuscripts, old books, newspaper articles, artworks, even movies and songs. Although much of a history major’s time at Ohio State, as elsewhere, is devoted to studying methodologies and building a basis of historical knowledge by reading secondary sources, many undergraduates also choose to engage in research using primary materials. The result has often been original work of exceptional quality, in the form of honors theses or Senior Seminar papers.

To extend its recognition of what has often been excellent research work, the Department of History now offers prizes for the top undergraduate papers based on primary sources. After a peer review, cash awards for first, second, third place, and honorable mention will be given annually. The winning papers will then be published in History’s Best, an e-journal set up specifically to showcase this work. These prizes give the Department a chance to show its appreciation for exceptional effort, while publication in History’s Best, which is linked to major internet search engines, will allow undergraduates and graduating seniors to further their scholarly careers by getting their writing out into the public domain.

Submissions to History's Best

History’s Best accepts essays based primarily on documentary sources for consideration throughout the calendar year. Prizes will be announced at the end of each year. OSU undergraduate history majors interested in competing for History’s Best prizes and publication in the e-journal may either discuss the possibility with their instructors or submit their works directly to Professor Robert Davis, at davis.711@osu.edu, subject line History’s Best. Research papers written independently, not for any particular course, are also encouraged. Winning students will have a chance to edit and correct their papers before final publication.

History's Best 2010

History and Hollywood: Gone with the Wind and A League of Their Own (Andrea Barnes)

Early America's Diplomatic Response to the Barbary Corsair Problem (Tracee Huffman)