The publication program of the VfZ extends across the entire field of German and international contemporary history from the First World War to the present.

The VfZ only publishes original contributions that have not yet appeared in German or English. Authors are thus obligated to refrain from publishing their texts or parts thereof in any other publications (print or digital) prior to the contribution appearing in the VfZ. This applies to scholarly publications as well as publications that are not scholarly in nature, such as daily or weekly newspapers, magazines, etc.

The VfZ primarily publishes articles, source commentaries in which a source is the main focus, shorter miscellaneous pieces on specific topics and individual questions, and discussion pieces. In addition, there is the Podium Zeitgeschichte organized by the VfZ editorial team. Authors should have completed their university studies, but they do not need to have obtained their doctorate yet.

The length of articles should be no more than 80,000 characters (including spaces and footnotes). Authors are required to adhere to these guidelines. Please consult with the editorial team before submitting the manuscript, if an article manuscript exceeds the character limit by more than ten percent. Miscellaneous pieces can be shorter (approximately 30,000–45,000 characters), and source commentaries can be longer, depending on the sources presented. 

Manuscripts can be submitted in German or English to the e-mail address vfz[at]ifz-muenchen.de. For other languages, please first contact the editorial team at the same address. The VfZ publish all contributions in German; the editorial team will organize the necessary translations and also bears the costs.

The VfZ editorial team pays attention to gender-sensitive communication and follows the equal opportunities plan of the Leibniz-Institute for Contemporary History (available on the homepage). Where possible, gender-neutral terms and double designations should be used. Attention should be paid to the use of uniform, logical language, i.e. the contributions are to adjusted in accordance with the historical facts and sources. In German, no asterisk, inner capital I, underscore or colon is used in the VfZ. The editorial team requests wording which is inclusive of all genders and they can gladly assist the authors with this.

The VfZ is a peer-reviewed journal. As a rule, contributions go through a three-step evaluation process for quality assurance. After the editorial team has reviewed and evaluated anonymized contributions, external reviews are obtained from Germany and abroad. After discussion amongst the editorial board and editorial team, they then decide on whether to proceed with publication.   

The author’s anonymity is preserved until the final decision as the evaluation process consistently follows the principle of double-blind peer review. No one who is involved in the decision-making process knows the author’s name.

The editorial team and editorial board meet three times a year: usually in February/March, June/July, and November/December. Decisions regarding manuscripts submitted to the editorial team by mid-January, May, or October will be made promptly by the editorial team and editorial board. For further information please contact vfz[at]ifz-muenchen.de.

Yes, details can be found in our style guide.

After the manuscript appears in the VfZ, republication is generally only possible after one year has passed and with reference to the original place of publication. Republication of a contribution to the VfZ before one year has passed requires approval from the editorial team.

The best way to contact the editorial team is by email. You can reach the editorial office at vfz [at] ifz-muenchen.de. For questions to the Editor-in-chief, please send them directly to: schlemmer [at] ifz-muenchen.de