International Journal of Maritime History

International Journal of Maritime History
Title	International Journal of Maritime History
Discipline	Maritime history
Abbreviation	Int. J. Marit. Hist.
Publisher	Society for Nautical Research
Country	United Kingdom
History	1989–present
Frequency	Triannual
Issn	0843-8714

International Journal of Maritime History is a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical covering the history of shipping, navigation, and naval affairs. The journal publishes research on ports, cartography, exploration, mercantile networks, and seafaring communities across periods from antiquity to the contemporary era. Contributors include historians associated with institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Exeter, National Maritime Museum, and Smithsonian Institution.

History

Founded in 1989 by scholars affiliated with institutions like University of Liverpool, University of Glasgow, and University of Southampton, the journal emerged alongside initiatives at Society for Nautical Research and the International Maritime Economic History Association. Early editors drew on networks connecting Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Maritime Museum, Rotterdam, Museo Naval (Madrid), and Maritieme Museum Rotterdam to establish an international editorial remit. The journal has published special issues linked to conferences at Cairo Conference on Maritime History, International Congress of Maritime History, and symposia held at Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University. Notable early contributors included scholars associated with Institute of Historical Research, British Academy, Academy of Athens, and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.

Scope and Content

The journal covers archaeological discoveries from sites such as Pharos of Alexandria, Portus, and Potsherd Bay, scholarship on voyages of explorers like Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and James Cook, and studies of trading systems involving East India Company, Dutch East India Company, Hudson's Bay Company, and Royal African Company. Articles address naval engagements from the Battle of Trafalgar, Spanish Armada, Battle of Lepanto, and Battle of Jutland to littoral actions in the Gulf War and Falklands War. Thematic essays examine shipbuilding at yards such as Chatham Dockyard, Plymouth Dockyard, and Arsenale di Venezia, and maritime law texts including Magna Carta-era statutes and the Treaty of Tordesillas. Coverage includes biographies of figures like Horatio Nelson, Admiral Zheng He, Francis Drake, and Matthew Flinders, alongside social histories of communities in Liverpool, Hamburg, Marseille, Alexandria, and Shanghai.

Editorial Board and Peer Review

The editorial board has historically included scholars from University of Cambridge, Trinity College Dublin, University of St Andrews, King's College London, University of Plymouth, University of New South Wales, Australian National University, and University of British Columbia. Guest editors have been drawn from research centers such as Centre for Maritime Historical Studies, International Maritime Museum Hamburg, and National Maritime Museum Cornwall. The journal employs double-blind peer review with referees from associations including World Maritime University, International Commission for Maritime History, Società Italiana di Storia Marittima, and the American Historical Association. Editorial policies reflect guidelines promulgated by bodies like Committee on Publication Ethics and institutional review boards at University of Oxford and Harvard University.

Publication and Access

Published triannually by a scholarly press associated with societies like Society for Nautical Research and commercial partners such as Routledge, Cambridge University Press, or Sage Publications, the journal issues themed special numbers tied to exhibitions at National Maritime Museum, Maritime Museum of San Diego, Museum of London Docklands, and Shanghai Maritime Museum. Back issues are held in archives at British Library, Library of Congress, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Contributors hail from universities including Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Toronto, University of Sydney, and University of Cape Town. The journal offers institutional subscriptions to university libraries at Oxford Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, and research libraries at Yale University.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major services such as Scopus, Web of Science, Historical Abstracts, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and databases maintained by British Humanities Index and America: History and Life. It is catalogued in bibliographies produced by International Maritime Organization research units, cited in bibliographies from UNESCO-sponsored projects on maritime heritage, and listed in union catalogues like OCLC WorldCat and COPAC.

Impact and Reception

Scholarly reception highlights the journal's role in shaping debates on topics featured at conferences like the International Congress on the Enlightenment, the World History Association meetings, and symposia organized by Royal Historical Society. Reviews in outlets such as The English Historical Review, Journal of Modern History, Mariner's Mirror, and Slavic Review note its contributions to scholarship on figures like Adam Smith and Alexandre Dumas when maritime contexts are involved. Citation analyses in Scopus and Web of Science indicate influence on research related to Atlantic history, Indian Ocean trade, Pacific exploration, and legal history surrounding instruments like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The journal has informed museum curation at National Maritime Museum, policy discussions at International Maritime Organization, and curriculum development at institutions including University of Southampton and Maritime College, SUNY.

Category:Academic journals Category:Maritime history