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Types of Articles

• Feature Articles: Scholarly analyses of a current topic or country /region in the news. These should be 1,500-6,000 words in length, including footnotes. (Please note that articles of more than 6,000 words will not be reviewed.) These articles are expected to draw heavily from academic and policy journals, summarizing or evaluating major issues of interest to our readers. They should be written for the non-specialist, avoiding unnecessary jargon. While these pieces will offer policy-relevant conclusions, they should focus more on the substance of the issues at hand than infighting among decision-makers or scholars.
• Document Analyses: Analyses of declassified documents or translations of contemporary pieces of import with accompanying analysis. These should also be 1,500-6,000 words in length, including footnotes. Declassified document analyses should shed historical light on a contemporary issue or be timed to coincide with an event's anniversary. When feasible, translation analysis should be interspersed throughout the translation as commentary. These analyses should highlight the significance of primary-source documents for contemporary policymakers, military professionals, and scholars.
• Viewpoints: Occasional, shorter pieces (750-1,500 words) from noted scholars and policy-makers that are more informal than the feature articles but nonetheless provide insights into a subject that would be valuable to our readers. While these likely will not contain heavy, if any, footnoting, they still must be substantive policy articles, not simply opinion pieces. 'Viewpoints' should maintain standards of presentation suitable for a scholarly journal, avoiding idle speculation, unsubstantiated assertions, and inflammatory language.
• Book Reviews: Analytical reviews (750-3,000 words) of new books that fit the scope of the journal. If you plan to write a book review, please contact us and we will let you know if we are interested, and if a review of that book is already under way.

General Submission Rules

Unsolicited articles and document analyses are welcome. Please submit manuscripts by e-mail to ccc@nps.edu. 

By submitting material to Strategic Insights, the author(s) stipulates that the article is not under review with another journal and that the author(s) will not submit the article to another journal until the completion of the editorial decision process at Strategic Insights. Articles that contain excerpts or summaries from a larger paper will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Authors must indicate which part(s) of the article have been published previously and obtain the necessary permissions from the original publisher. If you have concerns about the submission terms for Strategic Insights, please contact the editors.

While accepted articles typically appear in the journal within three months of submission, we will consider expedited publication for especially time-sensitive articles on a case-by-case basis. If planning such a piece, please email an abstract as soon as possible in advance of the full article and have the article in no later than the 15th of the month prior to the desired publication date.

Proposals for articles intended to coincide with an event or anniversary, or otherwise appropriate for publication in a specific editiion of the journal, should indicate this at the time of submission.

Submissions should be accompanied by:

• A brief biography of the author or authors, including relevant positions, education and publications to establish your knowledge and credibility as a subject-matter expert. This will accompany your article if we publish it.
• Complete contact information including name, address, and email address.

Style

Articles for Strategic Insights should be concise and use clear language. The first paragraph of an article should capture the reader's attention and clearly delineate the argument that the article will develop. The body should build the argument using reputable sources and clear analysis. The conclusion should both sum up and present the implications of the analysis.

The editor reserves the right to edit all manuscripts for length, clarity, and conformity with our stylistic standards. Substantive changes will be provided to the author for approval.

Authors are responsible for their manuscript's accuracy and source documentation. Place all citations in endnotes — no bibliography is necessary. Strategic Insights uses the conventions prescribed in The Chicago Manual of Style.

Strategic Insights uses the standards set forth by The New York Times for non-english words and names. Alternative spellings will be changed to conform with this standard. Words or phrases included for specific reasons, such as noting the difference between meanings of similar phrases, will be left as is. Publication of non-Roman characters may be limited by existing HTML.

All submissions should also follow these guidelines:

• Always spell out first references and acronyms and use full names and titles.
• Follow the Chicago Manual of Style for formatting of endnotes and for general style guidance. If articles that you reference in your notes are available online, include the URL at the end of the citation, followed by the most recent date referenced in parentheses.
• If you wish us to link text within the body of your article to a web site, underline the text that you wish to hyperlink, followed by the target web site address in brackets, as follows:
  "...link text <link target URL>..."
• Avoid bureaucratic and military jargon, as you may understand these terms far better than your readers.
• When convenient, use sub-headings to break the article into smaller sub-sections, to ease on-screen reading.
• If you wish to include images, tables or figures in your article, please include source information so each may be properly attributed.

 Formatting Requirements

Strategic Insights follows the The Chicago Manual of Style.

• Use end-note citations. Please be sure these are complete.
• Do not include headers, or footers. (We will add the appropriate header with page numbers.)
• Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single Word compatible file.
• Page size should be 8.5 x 11-inches.
• All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1 inch.
• Single space your text.
• Do not use special formatting or spacing between paragraphs.
• Use only one space at the end of each sentence.

Main Body — 12 pt Times New Roman, or the closest comparable font available

Endnotes — 10 pt Times New Roman, or the closest comparable font available

If figures are included, use high-resolution figures.

Review Process

All research articles submitted to Strategic Insights undergo an in-house review by our editorial team. We send an acknowledgment to the author when the manuscript is received. The author(s) will be notified of publication status within 90 days. If you have not heard from us shortly after submission, please feel free to e-mail the editors at ccc@nps.edu. 

Copyright

Authors retain copyright of accepted articles, but grant the Center for Contemporary Conflict the right to publish submitted articles on this web site and to archive articles in perpetuity.

Honoraria

We do not pay authors for articles.

Clearance

Manuscripts by U.S. military personnel and other government employees may require official clearance. Check with your supervisor for guidance.

(Updated January 15, 2009)