Regardless of whether your future plans include graduate studies, teaching, public and applied history positions, or a job in the public or private sector, your training at App State includes the skills of a historian. However, did your studies also include the code of ethics and professionalism in the field of history?
The American Historical Association lists its Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct on its website. Included in this statement is a brief overview of the profession of history, shared values among historians, what constitutes historical scholarship, plagiarism, the teaching of history, and other topics. Please take time to review this statement, especially those sections related to the Shared Values of Historians, Scholarship, and Plagiarism. You can also read the Organization of American Historians page on professional integrity.
Why join a professional association? Historians benefit from networking with peers. Historical associations exist at almost every level—from state, regional, and national associations, and often focused on areas of study (i.e. sport history, U.S. South, digital history, women’s history, and so on). These associations can provide information about job availability and reports on the most recent developments in the profession. They also publish newsletters and journals with articles featuring the most recent scholarship. Annual conference meetings are a great place to meet others working in the same or related fields, hear presentations on new scholarly work, engage in discussions about the work of others, and simply network with other historians.
Keep up to date with the latest professional news and updates via the Perspectives on History page on professional life.
For more on career tracks in history, see the Careers for Students of History page on the AHA website.
