The Bibliography of British and Irish History seeks to appoint 2 new Section Editors with research and/or teaching expertise in the following areas:

  • Imperial, Colonial, Commonwealth, and Indigenous histories since 1783
  • Britain since 1960

Section Editors play a vital role in the Bibliography’s editorial process. They provide specialist advice on new content that has been prepared by the BBIH Editor (based at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR)), by chronology, region, and subject.

We anticipate that these roles might be of interest to PhD students, early and mid-career academics and independent researchers. We particularly welcome applications from individuals at different career stages – working in any sector or context – and/or from individuals from under-represented groups, including those from minoritized ethnic groups, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and those who are ‘first generation’ in Higher Education.

The closing date for applications is 11.59PM (GMT) on Friday 31 May 2024.

Ideally, the successful candidates will be able to take up the position before 1 September 2024.

About the Bibliography of British and Irish History

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved with an internationally recognised resource for historical scholarship, learn new editorial skills, as well as stay informed of the latest academic developments in your research and/or teaching field.

BBIH is an essential tool for the study, research, and teaching of British and Irish history. It is the largest and most comprehensive guide available to what has been written about British and Irish history, from the early 1900s to the present. The Bibliography covers the history of the British Isles, the former empire and Commonwealth, the British world, and Britons’ activities on the global stage.

It is an essential resource for study, research and teaching, providing up-to-date information (and links) on over 650,000 history books, articles, chapters, edited collections and theses. New records are added in three annual updates, with c.10,000 new publications added each year. These records are searchable by a wide range of facets including: title, author, chronology, date and form of publication, historical topic and geographical region.

The Bibliography is a research project of the UK’s Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and the Royal Historical Society (RHS), and is published by Brepols.

About the Section Editor roles

Responsibilities of the Section Editors include:

  • Assessing, correcting and/or amending records for new books, articles, chapters, edited collections and theses relevant to your section (4 per year)
  • Recommending new books, articles, chapters, edited collections and theses relevant to your section
  • Collaborating with the BBIH editor to help promote the Bibliography on social media (e.g. guest posts for the IHR’s digital magazine On History) and through your wider academic networks.

The positions attract an annual honorarium.

Successful candidates will be fully supported by the outgoing Section Editor, the Academic Director and BBIH Editor. The successful candidate will have a six-month trial period before committing to take on their positions.

How to apply

Please apply via the Royal Historical Society’s applications platform (You will be asked to create an account or to login as an applicant if you already have an account).

Those interested in making an application for the Section Editor posts should send:

  • a CV (no more than 3 pages)
  • a summary of 200-250 words outlining their interest in the Bibliography
  • Please make clear in your application which Section Editor position you are interested in.

Enquiries

Informal enquiries about the roles, including honorarium payments, can be made to: Professor Roey Sweet, Academic Director (BBIH@sas.ac.uk)

Questions about the application process may be sent to: administration@royalhistsoc.org.

Deadline

Deadline for applications: 11.59PM (GMT) on Friday 31 May 2024.