A history journal "[dedicated] to... critical thinking and articulate writing."

For over 50 years, The Thetean has been the published home of the finest historical research produced by undergraduates at BYU. We welcome originality, intellectual rigor, and exceptional writing on any historical topic to the pages of our journal, which is the oldest student-run publication on campus. An archive of previous issues can be found here.

Submit Original Research

The Thetean offers undergraduates an excellent opportunity to publish their original historical research. Submissions, which are anonymized, are read, deliberated over, and selected by the staff of The Thetean. Papers chosen for inclusion in the annual issue are faculty- and peer-reviewed and undergo a revision process before publication.

We strongly invite the submission of HIST 490 Capstone papers and long-form research essays (4,000+ words) from other high-level history classes. If you are enrolled in the Capstone course during the Winter semester but wish for your in-progress Capstone paper to be considered, please reach out to Editor-in-Chief Tanner Stott (thetean@byu.edu).

Become an Editor

BYU students of all majors are encouraged to apply; preference is given to those majoring or minoring in History, Family History, American Studies, Editing & Publishing, English, and other related programs. We value experience in historical research, writing, editing, or publishing. Each year, we assemble a Board with diverse historical interests, strong editorial skills, and a good sense for excellent scholarship. We also strive to cultivate these qualities in our Editors. As such, all interested students are strongly invited to apply for this competitive opportunity!

Candidates for Editor must submit a history writing sample, a resume, a short editorial revision of a provided text sample, and contact information for a recommending professor. Candidates may also be invited to interview.

Editors must commit to class attendance from 4-5:50pm on Mondays during the Winter semester. They will receive two credit hours toward the history elective requirement. The Board of Editors works with the faculty advisor (Dr. David-James Gonzales) to prepare the annual issue. They review and assess submissions, deliberate, choose articles for inclusion, and work with authors to refine prose, research, and content. Editors may anonymously submit their own historical research for consideration.

How is "Thetean" Pronounced?

We know the origin of the Journal's peculiar name thanks to excellent archival research by former Editor-in-Chief Gabe Smock: "The word 'Thetean' is a simple play on the fact that the original editors were all members of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. Given its derivation from the Greek letter theta (Θ), the name is properly pronounced 'thay′-tee-uhn.'"