Online Submission

Authors should submit manuscripts online via the Journal of Strategic Security (JSS) manuscript submission and review system. Here are instructions for creating a user account and using the electronic system: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/submit.cgi?context=jss

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts conform to the JSS style. The Journal of Strategic Security will not publish manuscripts that do not conform to JSS standards–especially endnote citations. Authors will be required to re-submit if manuscripts do not conform to the proper JSS format.

Contents

• Manuscript Style
• Formatting Requirements
• Writing Standards Required
• Images, Tables, and Figures
• Substantive and Structural Guidelines
• Book Review Guidelines

Manuscript Style

• Abstract. Manuscripts should include an abstract of no more than 200 words. There is a text area for you to directly type or copy-and-paste your abstract directly through the online submission process.
• Author Biography. Manuscripts should include a brief, one-paragraph author biography (150 words max). See past articles on the JSS website for reference.
• Keywords. Manuscripts should include three to six keywords that characterize the topic. Select keywords where indicated during the online submission process.
• Citations. The JSS uses endnotes. Authors should consult The Chicago Manual Style online. Common formats are available here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html. Proper endnote formatting is imperative.
• Length. Articles published by the JSS are typically about 3,000 to 5,000 words in length. Occasionally, the JSS will consider publication of shorter or longer articles on a case-by-case basis. Authors should note the reason for substantially longer or shorter articles at the time of submission and may do so by contacting the editors.
• Original Work. All submissions must be original and not draw substantially from previously published work.

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Formatting Requirements

• Microsoft Word. Authors must prepare and submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word format. Do not submit manuscripts in PDF format.
• References. Insert endnotes using the Microsoft Word function from the References tab. Authors should locate endnotes at the end of the document, using Microsoft Word’s endnote function, Hindu-Arabic numbers such as 1, 2, 3 in a superscript position at the end of sentence punctuation, like this.¹
  • Endnotes must be in 10 pt. Times New Roman font and single-spaced.
  • Insert endnotes at the end of the sentence (not in the middle) and follow the punctuation. Use one endnote number and create a super endnote containing multiple sources separated by a semicolon if there are multiple sources in a sentence
  • Endnotes must include, the DOI or URL (for example, web address) of sources, even if authors did not originally access the source online.
  • JSS does not use parenthetical citations or bibliographies.
• Justification. Manuscripts should be left justified, with a ragged right margin.
• Line spacing. Manuscripts must be single-spaced. Please do not double-space.
• Sentence spacing. There must only be one space between sentences, not two.
• Paragraphs. Insert a single line space between each new paragraph. Left justify all paragraphs. Do not use indents or tabs. A paragraph is at least three (3) sentences (beginning, middle, and end).
• Font:
  • Title-14 pt. Times New Roman font, regular font-face (not bold)
  • Main Body—12 pt. Times New Roman font
  • Main Headers—14 pt. Times New Roman font, regular font-face (not bold)
  • Sub-Headers—12 pt. Times New Roman font, italicized
  • Images/Figures/Table Headers—12 pt. Times New Roman font, bold font
  • Endnotes—10 pt. Times New Roman font, single line spacing (not multiple)
• Margins. Manuscripts should have 1” inch margins on the Left and Right, and 1” margins on the top and bottom of the page.
• Punctuation. Use the Oxford serialized comma (for example he likes art, science, and literature). Periods and other punctuation must appear inside of quotations (in other words “at the end of a sentence like this.”). Endnotes must always appear at the end of the sentence following all punctuation and quotes (for example “endnotes go at the end of a sentence following punctuation and quotation marks like this.”1 Start the next sentence after one space.

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Writing Standards Required

• Please submit academic articles using 3rd person voice.
• Please ensure all paragraphs contain at least 3 sentences: a beginning, middle, and end.
• Include page numbers at the bottom right of each page in Times New Roman 12pt. font.
• When referring to your manuscript, use the word article, not paper.
• Please follow American style punctuation in all CMOS citation patterns.
• Punctuation and quotation marks: Please follow American style (or North American Style) punctuation whereby double quotation marks begin and end direct quotes in the manuscript, use single quotation marks within a quotation, and commas, and sentence-ending punctuation such as periods and question marks are inside quotation marks.
• Please refrain from using long sentences. Break up sentences greater than 40 words.
• Long quotations (more than three lines) should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below; use quotation marks and endnote the reference with a full citation. Eliminate as much passive voice as possible. Writing in active voice results in a livelier manuscript.
• Define all abbreviations and acronyms on first use and use the acronym thereafter unless it starts a sentence. Then spell it out again.
• Italicize foreign words and phrases in each instance.
• Please refrain from using Latin abbreviations i.e., e.g., and, etc. Use “in other words” for i.e., use “for example” for e.g., and for etc., either list the items or end the list.
• Refrain from using quotation marks or italics to emphasize common words. For example, market economy, Russian threat, terrorism, on track, hard power, soft power, grey zone, cold war, new war, true, and surge.
• Avoid superfluous adjectives such as really and very.
• Please spell as one word: counterterrorism (no hyphen)
• Unless it is a mathematical equation, always spell out math signs (plus, minus, percentage, etc.) when part of a sentence.
• Capitalize the word after a colon, like this: You see
• When mentioning the United States as a noun, please spell it out in each instance. When using the United States as an adjective, please use the acronym, U.S.

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Images, Figures, and Tables:

• To the extent possible, images and figures should appear in the document where referenced in the text.
• All images must be included with your submission and saved as high-resolution .jpg or .gif files. High resolution means at least 300 dots per inch (DPI) and at least 800x800 pixels in size. The JSS will not generally accept images created in Microsoft Word due to insufficient quality.
• Tables should appear in the document where referenced in the text.
• Use formal titles for images, figures, and tables using the styleTable/Figure/Image 1: With a Descriptive Short Title (at top of image, figure, table, in 12 point Times New Roman, not bold, no space below; Place notes, legend and other table-clarifying explanations, and source of table below the image, figure, or table, in 10 point Times New Roman, not bold, no space above, single space below. Text within table is 10 point Times New Roman. Rule lines: Thicker lines surrounding column names and totals is 1 ½ point and lines within table are ¼ point. See the example below:

  Table 1. Literature Review Categories

  	Seminal (prior to 2000)	Older (2000-2014)	Current (2015 to present)	No Date	Total
  Peer Reviewed Journals	5	25	35	0	65
  Non-Peer Reviewed Journals	2	2	4	0	8
  Dissertations and Theses	0	2	5	0	7
  Books – peer/non-peer reviewed	5	45	30	0	80
  Other (corporate and government research reports, internet sites, laws, court decisions, general references, and miscellaneous)	8	20	45	10	83
  Total	20	94	119	10	243

  Notes. The researcher reviewed all literature in this table. The endnotes contain only sources cited in the text. Source: Author.

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Substantive and Structural Guidelines

The JSS looks for analytical, well-reasoned, and carefully researched arguments that expand and improve discourse on important strategic security issues. Arguments should be clearly constructed and well documented. The JSS does not accept undocumented opinion pieces or descriptive papers that fail to provide new insights on an issue. Articles should encourage readers to think about a subject in a new light, provide an assessment of new developments, or add substantive knowledge to the existing literature.

The JSS expects all authors to submit well-documented manuscripts with the supporting references appropriately cited using endnotes per The Chicago Manual of Style. Common formats are available here: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html

Readers of the JSS include researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers in the field of strategic security studies, and authors should be mindful of this diverse audience.

The Journal of Strategic Security looks for articles that include the following elements:

• Introduction—should state the author’s purpose and present a clearly defined thesis statement. The author should present a concise “roadmap” that helps the reader anticipate the structure of the paper.
• Body—each section of the paper should be relevant to the author’s thesis. Every word should count. Every paragraph should begin with a central idea followed by properly cited supporting evidence. Authors should also remember to include and address counterarguments. Use headers and sub-headers to denote new topics and break up the text to improve organization and readability.
• Conclusion—the conclusion should summarize the main points of the argument as it relates to the central thesis. Please do not introduce new ideas in the conclusion. The author should suggest courses of action or policy recommendations. The Journal of Strategic Security looks for papers that are not only descriptive, but also analytic and/or prescriptive—revealing important insights and developing creative strategies for the future.

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Book Review Guidelines

The Journal of Strategic Security publishes book reviews to inform readers of the publication of a book of professional interest and to provide a concise evaluation of the book by a qualified observer. Book reviews are guideposts for our readers to navigate the strategic security sector.

Reviews should address the following areas:

• Type of book (biography, anthology, history, monograph, etc.)
• Place the book in the context of existing literature in the field – how does the book contribute or add to the field?
• Briefly describe the book’s main argument – is it clear?
• What are the book’s special attractions, deficits, or other features? If it has flaws, point them out candidly but courteously and professionally
• Evaluate the book’s usefulness for those interested in intelligence, counterterrorism, and protection
• Finally, is the book worth buying? Reading? By whom?

Guidelines:
Reviews should be complete and preferably electronically submitted. Limit your text to approximately 1000 words (1,200 words maximum and 750 words minimum) typed, double-spaced, and carefully edited. Reviews may be edited for space and style if selected for publication. Include your name and institutional or agency affiliation as you would like it to appear, e.g., John Smith PhD, University of South Florida, or John Smith, Department of Homeland Security. Reviewers should also include their highest level of education with an abbreviation, e.g. PhD, in addition to a 150-word biography at the end of the review.

Review Essays of longer length will be accepted, but authors must first contact the Book Review Editor. Review Essays should cover multiple books or edited volumes with numerous chapters by different authors and may be longer.

Include the following in the review heading: title, author, publisher, number of pages, ISBN, and price of the book, as well as appropriate info from the sample below.

Sample Book Review Heading:
Hezbollah: A Short History. By Augustus Richard Norton. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-691-13124-5. Maps. Photographs. Glossary. Notes. Sources cited. Index. Pp. vi, 187. $16.95.

Follow the template above exactly.

Additional Style Notes:

• Do not use footnotes or endnotes – indicate exact pagination for direct quotes such as "Henley-Putnam is a leader in the strategic security sector," (p. 321).
• Provide the full names of anyone mentioned in your review

Current as of November 2024

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