Since its launch in 2004, the UBC Journal of Historical Studies (JHS) has provided meaningful opportunities for undergraduate students and made a positive impact on their broader community of professors, family and friends. Formerly known as the Atlas Undergraduate Journal of World History, their mission is to contribute to a thriving academic community by engaging students with research. Each spring, the student editorial board produces an academic journal that showcases the academic excellence and exemplary historical research of undergraduate students from across campus. The journal is proudly supported by the UBC Department of History, the UBC History Students Association, and the Arts Undergraduate Society.
Scroll down to read through our recent interview with four student from the 2025/2026 editorial board and executive team: Gabe Bell, Erin Dawson, Lucas Dean, and Sophia Torrenueva. These students passionately volunteer their time, contributing to the operational and editorial success of the JHS.
Sophia Torrenueva
Senior Editor for the 2025/2026 UBC Journal of Historical Studies
Gabe Bell
Editor for the 2025/2026 UBC Journal of Historical Studies
Erin Dawson
Co-Editor-in-Chief for the 2025/2026 UBC Journal of Historical Studies
Lucas Dean
Co-Editor-in-Chief for the 2025/2026 UBC Journal of Historical Studies
Lucas Dean
Co-Editor-in-Chief for the 2025/2026 UBC Journal of Historical Studies
What inspired you to become a member of the editorial board or executive team for the UBC Journal of Historical Studies (JHS)?
- Erin Dawson, Co-Editor in Chief: I have always enjoyed reading my friend’s papers and offering advice! I have also been fortunate to have work experience through peer tutoring, and a year on the board for the HiPo Student Journal at Langara College (an undergraduate student journal of history and political science).
- Lucas Dean, Co-Editor-in-Chief: My interest in history and historical writing is what first drew me to the JHS, especially after spending so much time in large first- and second-year lectures, which I sometimes found a little alienating. Being surrounded by hundreds of students made it harder to find spaces for real discussion and collaboration. When I learned about the JHS, it felt like a place where people who genuinely cared about historical research and writing could come together and work on something meaningful. I wrote my name down, and the rest is history!
- Sophia Torrenueva, Senior Editor: In the beginning of my second year I wanted to be more involved at UBC, but I also wanted to contribute to something that would be relevant and beneficial for my degree. In early September I received an email from the Department of History promoting the JHS and encouraging people to apply to become editors. I thought that this was exactly what I was looking for and thought that this could be a great opportunity for me to learn and grow from.
- Gabe Bell, Editor: My three great hobbies are to read, write, and work with history in whatever way possible–the JHS offered me the unique opportunity of doing all three in tandem.
What is your favourite part of contributing to the JHS?
- Lucas Dean: My favourite part is honestly just reading the papers! Everyone who submitted a paper to the JHS did so because they genuinely care about history and historical writing, and seeing that commitment in their writing is always inspiring. Getting to read about so many diverse periods and topics is a privilege, especially as I tend find myself pigeonholed into my own topics of interest far too often. Our peers at UBC are all so unique and creative, and being able to engage with the work of so many of them is something I deeply value.
- Sophia Torrenueva: As an English major I don’t really get the opportunity to read many history papers, so I love being able to read such a diverse range of papers and getting to explore and hear from the many unique voices of the undergrad submissions.
- Gabe Bell: I love seeing the breadth of fields and topics that our contributors write on. This last batch of submissions saw papers spanning an unbelievable variety of places, topics, and time periods, and they were a pleasure to be able to read through!
- Erin Dawson: I enjoy helping to provide an opportunity for editors and authors to work through the process of academic publication. Submitting a paper for publication is something I’ve always personally been intimidated by, so I’m very happy to volunteer for a journal that gives undergraduates this experience.
What is the hardest thing about your role with the JHS?
- Sophia Torrenueva: I would say the hardest thing about my role at the JHS is rejecting papers and formulating constructive feedback. In my first year as an editor, I had to learn how to offer feedback on a paper that wasn’t at the standard we were looking for and I think what made that especially difficult was recognizing that behind every submission is a person who has invested time and effort into their work. I find that I sometimes still struggle with this because I don’t want my feedback to come across as dismissive or discouraging. There’s a fine line between being honest about a paper’s weaknesses and being overly critical. At the same time, I know that vague or overly softened comments aren’t actually helpful. It is an important skill that I had to develop because at the JHS we want to allow all the authors who submit the opportunity to improve and develop their writing, so it’s very important for me and the other editors to give as much constructive feedback as we can whether or not we choose to publish a paper. I think it can also be difficult to keep up with our deadlines as we do our work at the JHS along with school and it can be a bit hard to balance it all, but it’s always worth it in the end when the culmination of everyone’s hard work and dedication is published.
- Gabe Bell: Some papers take a little extra attention and background information to adequately judge, and getting that background can be time-consuming. Even when reading papers from a field I’m familiar with, it’s not uncommon for a paper to teach me something new.
- Erin Dawson: The hardest part is absolutely deciding which papers should be accepted for publication. It can sometimes be an incredibly hard call to make. Secondarily, it can be challenging to edit papers from the huge range of subject areas found in UBC History. But, having a board with breadth of subject interests is crucial to help with this.
- Lucas Dean: The hardest thing about my role as co-editor-in-chief is not being able to take part in the Editorial Board’s work! As a point of contact for the authors and the person responsible for anonymizing the papers, I wasn’t able to join in on some of the fascinating discussions and debates that our Editorial board had. I’ll admit I definitely felt some FOMO seeing the incredible work they all put in. As tempting as it was to join in, protecting the integrity of our blind review process had to come first—though who knows, maybe I’ll have to sign up as an editor next year!
Have any of your experiences working with the JHS informed or inspired the next steps in your career or educational path?
- Gabe Bell: The JHS has been a key step in reaffirming my love of working with history at the academic level, and has inspired me to seek out similar opportunities wherever
they present themselves. - Erin Dawson: My experience with the JHS has absolutely shown me that I would enjoy working as an editor or editor-in-chief once I’ve graduated. I find line editing, especially, very fun!
- Lucas Dean: Absolutely. I plan to become an educator after graduation, and working with the JHS has strengthened that goal by letting me see firsthand the creativity and care students bring to their writing.
- Sophia Torrenueva: Working with the JHS, I have had to read many papers and doing so has allowed me to learn and develop my editing skills, which has ultimately helped me with my own writing as well! I have found my role at the JHS to be an incredibly rewarding experience and has pushed me to consider a possible career path in editing.
What advice would you offer to students who are considering submitting to the UBC Journal of Historical Studies?
- Erin Dawson: I would recommend reviewing your paper before submitting it, and don’t be afraid to make changes, or submit entirely original research! While the board for the JHS changes every year, engagement with primary sources and pre-existing research are always important in historical work. You have nothing to lose by submitting, and it’s always worth a try!
- Lucas Dean: Submit a paper that you’re excited about over a paper that got a slightly better grade! I’ve noticed time and time again that passion shows up so clearly in writing, from the layout to the sources. The best papers all tend to be on topics that authors care about, rather than prescribed topic papers that got top marks.
- Sophia Torrenueva: Please make sure you’re submitting a history paper! Sometimes we get submissions
that are more IR papers, and I even recall reading an economics paper once. A strong paper will often have a variety of primary and secondary sources and we love
to read papers that are on unique topics that are not often explored or written about. So while we encourage all essay submissions, papers that are about a commonly explored topic or angle may be scrutinized more. Also, submissions to the JHS are open to undergrads of all year levels, everything is anonymized and judged without bias, so don’t think that you won’t be published simply because you’re a first-year. All of us at the JHS are open to reading any and all papers, so don’t hesitate to try and submit if you would like to see your paper published for next year! - Gabe Bell: The first and biggest piece of advice: reread your thesis! As you write, you’re likely to adjust your argument over time, and if you’re not careful your introduction and conclusion may read like two totally different papers. Otherwise, I’d recommend that anyone with a relevant paper in their portfolio to just send it in for review–it’s free, we provide feedback to all submissions, and you might be able to call yourself a published author by the end!
Faculty Advisor
Our team also had the pleasure of connecting with Dr. Kelly McCormick, the faculty advisor for the UBC Journal of Historical Studies. We asked her about her experiences working with the journal and here is what she had to say:
- Dr. Kelly McCormick, Faculty Advisor: The UBC Journal of Historical Studies offers students an outstanding opportunity to publish original research or gain hands-on experience editing and producing an academic journal from the ground up. Editors carefully review all submissions and, through a double-blind peer-review process, provide detailed feedback on accepted articles. Faculty then conduct a final round of review to further strengthen the work. As a result, student authors experience the full scholarly review process, while student editors develop valuable skills overseeing each stage of publication. The outcome is both a rich learning experience and the production of high-quality research!
Get Involved
The UBC Journal of Historical Studies undergoes a peer and faculty-review process. Submissions are accepted in the fall and publication occurs in the spring. If you are a UBC student interested in becoming involved with the UBC Journal of Historical Studies, you can connect with their executive time by emailing hist.jhs@ubc.ca. You can also follow the UBC History Students Association on Instagram for the latest updates including submission deadlines and editor applications.
Previous Volumes
