Your commitment can range from leading a multiyear research and writing project as the principal investigator to providing a peer review of a study in progress or participating in a scholars round table at an NPS site.
Please direct any general inquiries about active projects to the OAH Public History Department at NPS@oah.org.
FAQs
Getting Involved with a Project
The OAH develops and manages these projects in collaboration with our NPS colleagues, and the selection of principal investigators (“PIs”) is part of that collaboration. For open projects in need of a PI, the OAH will announce the availability of the project and publicize a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI). These opportunities are sent out via email to OAH members and posted here on the OAH website. The OAH and NPS collectively select the PI based on the strength of the proposal.
The Process
This depends on the type of project, and a preliminary schedule will be included in the information about every open call for a PI. When the OAH executes a task agreement with the NPS, the project has a defined “lifespan” called a period of performance that represents the amount of time funding is available. All work on the project must be conducted within that period of performance.
The OAH works with selected PIs and the NPS to develop a schedule of deliverables to complete the project in several stages.
Yes. All reports go through a double-blind peer-review process coordinated by the OAH. We solicit reviews from subject matter experts with terminal degrees in the field.
After the Project is Complete
Absolutely. The finished report becomes property of the National Park Service and is thus in the public domain. However, the OAH and NPS encourage all researchers who are interested to pursue further publication with an academic or popular press. Written permission from the National Park Service may be required, and the NPS and OAH request that their respective roles in the original project are acknowledged in print.