Research Grants for Authors

The State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) announces a grant program for the 2010/2011 academic year. SHSI will award up to eight research stipends of $1,000 each to support original research and interpretive writing related to the history of Iowa or Iowa and the Midwest. Preference will be given to applicants proposing to pursue previously neglected topics or new approaches to or interpretations of previously treated topics. SHSI invites applicants from a variety of backgrounds, including academic and public historians, graduate students, and independent researchers and writers. Applications will be judged on the basis of their potential for producing publishable work. Grant recipients will be expected to produce an annotated manuscript targeted for The Annals of Iowa, SHSI’s scholarly journal.

Proposals for the 2010/2011 awards must be postmarked by April 15, 2010.

Application Guidelines

1. Please type a title page containing the following information:

• Your first name, middle initial (if used), and last name
• Address where you wish to receive mail (please inform us of any anticipated address changes)
• Phone number and e-mail address
• Brief descriptive title of project

2. Attach a narrative description of the project. This proposal of 1,000 to 1,500 words (3 to 5 pages) should address these points:

• The subject to be investigated
• Aspects of the subject that will be most closely examined, and questions you are especially interested in exploring
• The thesis or argument you expect to propose
• The sources you plan to examine, and their availability and applicability to questions you are exploring
• What contribution this project will make to the existing historical literature

3. On a separate page, address the following issues:

• How well will the result of your project be suited for publication in The Annals of Iowa? [Caution: Do not underestimate the importance of this part of the application. Too often otherwise good proposals have failed because they described dissertation or book-length projects without clarifying how they would be adapted for publication in the Annals of Iowa.]
• If this is part of a larger project, how much work have you completed up to this point? What additional research will the stipend support?

4. Include a resumé or vita.

Proposals must be postmarked by April 15, 2010. Notification of awards will be made by June 1, 2010.

Send 5 copies of the application and supplementary materials to:
Research Grants
State Historical Society of Iowa
402 Iowa Avenue
Iowa City, IA 52240-1806

For further information, call (319) 335-3931 or send e-mail to marvin-bergman@uiowa.edu. Please do not send applications via e-mail.

Evaluation of Proposals

• Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
• Significance and originality (or fresh treatment) of the topic and argument
• Awareness of appropriate range of primary and secondary sources and their applicability to the proposed argument
• Quality of writing and organization
• Applicant’s potential for producing work appropriate for publication in the Annals of Iowa

Payment

In July 2010, each awardee will receive an initial payment of $500. A second payment of $200 will be made upon receipt of an interim progress report in April 2011. The final payment of $300 will be made upon receipt of a manuscript submission in September 2011.

Submission of Final Manuscript

The editor of the Annals of Iowa will evaluate the final manuscript for publication in the same manner as any other submission, which includes double blind external reviews. The Annals of Iowa retains the first option to publish but does not guarantee publication. Copyright of published manuscripts will belong to SHSI.

Acknowledgement

The awardee will acknowledge the State Historical Society of Iowa in any publication resulting in whole or in part from the supported research.