MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

NCIS membership benefits include travel and research grants, member discounts and academic support. 

NCIS offers several membership levels, so compare various benefits here.

• MEMBER PROFILE PAGE Receive a free, easily updated personal webpage on the NCIS website where you may display a profile, resume, and photos.

• NCIS.org email address: Apply for an @ncis.org email address to use for your academic contacts through membership@ncis.org

• NCIS Member Logo: Proudly display your NCIS affiliation and use it in your correspondence, display it on your emails, website, blog, and social media accounts.

• NCIS letters of introduction to access collections or other resources. Simply place a request to info@ncis.org at least three weeks in advance.

• Helpsheets and Advice: In the Members Only area of the website you will find resources on essential academic skills such as turning your written research into an oral presentation (and vice versa); translating your work; getting your book published; and chairing a conference session.

MEMBER DISCOUNTS

• JSTOR Journal Access discounted JPASS journal access through JSTOR. Go here to register. (Member login required.)  

• Nota Bene software for academic writing and research. Excellent (30%) discount across all products are available for NCIS members. Go to Notabene and enter the group code here.

• Professional Writing and Translation Services Discounts on professional services from NCIS members. Editors offer general manuscript critique, proofreading, and in-depth content editing, while featured translators specialize in academic texts.

• NCIS events: Reduced registration rate for for NCIS conferences and accommodation

ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• Peer Reviewed Journal: The Independent Scholar (TIS) is the peer-reviewed, open access online journal of NCIS. All NCIS members and members of NCIS-affiliated groups are eligible to submit manuscripts for review. A CFP is also issued at various points during the year, but submissions can be sent to tis@ncis.org at any time. See submission and review guidelines. 

• Book Reviewing: We welcome members' academic books for review, and also encourage you to offer your services as a book reviewer. Contact reviews@ncis.org

• How-to resources: Presenting conference papers, chairing conference sessions, and publishing your work are all available to members. Log in to the Members Only area of the website.

ACADEMIC FUNDING

Grant awards offered by NCIS (only members may apply)  

• NCIS Research Grants (USD 600)
• NCIS Conference Support Grants (USD 600)
• David Sonenschein Award (USD 600)
• Amanda Haste Award(USD 600)

• Special Research Support Grants (USD 150)

• Elizabeth Eisenstein Essay Prize (USD 350) jointly funded by NCIS and the family of Professor Eisenstein.

• Grant Opportunities News about grants open to independent scholars is posted regularly on NCIS Facebook and Twitter. See Grants page, or contact grants@ncis.org

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

• H-Scholar is a public forum administered by NCIS, part of the H-Net Commons, where you can exchange and locate information relevant to  independent scholars and their scholarship.
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•  Interactive discussions on Facebook and Twitter. Our Facebook page is an active, moderated public discussion space with short scholarly articles, the newest book reviews, and scholarly posts submitted by members.
• Collegial Support Services Need a critique of your article, book chapter, or grant proposal before submitting it to a publisher or grant agency? Swap your paper with an NCIS member and receive a peer review of your work. Collegial support is offered by one NCIS member to another without charge.

• Regional Member Gatherings In addition to NCIS national conferences, we encourage members to meet for informal local events. Such gatherings facilitate member networking, introduce new people to NCIS, and can form the basis for creating regional affiliated societies. Should you wish to host or help organize a local meeting in your area please contact affiliates@ncis.org.

• NCIS Conferences at major academic institutions. The last conference was in June 2019 at the University of Massachusetts, and the next is slated for 2021 at a major British university.
   
• And don't forget  Academia.edu and choose NCIS as your affiliation.

To learn more about these benefits, to make a suggestion, or to volunteer a few hours of your time to ensure we can continue to offer these benefits, please contact info@ncis.org.