SECURITY DIALOGUE: NOTES FOR AUTHORS

part 1: New submissions

part 2: revised submissions

part 3 online submission guidelines

PART 1: Submissions and Evaluation Policy 

When submitting a new article, the author need not be overly concerned with the guidelines in Part 2 below. It suffices to follow the following basic submission guidelines:

Manuscript submission

A submission should contain a minimum of two separate documents:

1, the actual manuscript with footnotes and a list of references, but without any details revealing the name(s) of the author(s)

2, a separate page containing the author biographical statement (see section 2a below) and acknowledgements (if any).

Please ensure that the information in your Sagetrack (see section 3 below) author / co-author account(s) is correct. Our publisher also requires authors to disclose information on any specific funding which supports the article, including name of funder and, where applicable, grant number. Please notify the managing editor at sd@prio.no if you experience any problems entering or updating your account details.

And, if applicable:

3, Tables and figures can be submitted in the actual manuscript or in separate computer files (see below).

We do not accept double submissions, and we assume all submissions to be original. We may occasionally accept articles that are extracts from or summaries of books published at about the same time, as well as articles that have appeared in other languages.

 The author’s name is not revealed to the referees. It is the author’s responsibility to remove first-person references and other clues elsewhere in the article that may reveal the author’s identity. The referees’ comments will be anonymous when sent to the author.

PART 2: Resubmissions and Accepted Articles

The following guidelines should be adhered to closely for revised manuscripts. Resubmissions that are likely to require undue editorial attention because of neglect of these instructions or poor presentation or language may be suspended from further consideration.

Revised Manuscript Submission

A revised submission should contain a minimum of three separate documents:

1, the actual manuscript with footnotes and a list of references, adhering to the specifications in sections a–j below, but without any details revealing the name(s) of the author(s)

2, a memo outlining the changes made and how the reviewers’ points have been met – or, if disregarded, why.

3, a Track Changes version of the manuscript clearly showing what changes have been made to the previous version, and where.

And, if applicable:

4, revised versions of: the author biographical statement; keywords; name(s) of the author(s) and affiliation(s); tables and figures.

a. Author biographical statement and acknowledgements

This brief biographical statement can be followed by a separate paragraph with any acknowledgements the author wishes to include. Authors are encouraged to add their e-mail address(es). Please try to keep this within 80 words. Acknowledgements and funding information (see above) will be added as separate paragraphs between the article’s notes (if any) and the bibliography. Bibliographical information will be inserted at the end of article, below the list of references.

b. Abstract

The abstract should be 150–200 words. For very short articles, a shorter abstract may suffice. The abstract should be prepared by the author and included in the appropriate space when prompted during the Sagetrack submission process.

The abstract is an important part of the article. It is intended for use as an instrument for selection, and upon publication attracts readers to the full text. It should summarize the actual content of the article, rather than merely relate the subject the article deals with. The abstract should be written in the present tense and in the third person or passive; use of the first person is discouraged.

The abstract is included in the word count (see above).

c. Keywords

All regular articles will have five keywords that adequately reflect their content. Keywords are meant for cataloguing, and to make the articles more easily searchable. The keywords should be prepared by the author and added to the appropriate space when prompted during the Sagetrack submission process. It is worth including at least one keyword or key phrase that describes the broad discipline within which the article sits, e.g. sociology

In addition

The vast majority of readers find articles online by searching rather than browsing. Most searching is done using clusters of keywords or key phrases (e.g. ‘youth justice’, rather than simply ‘youth’). Including key phrases that people searching are likely to use should make your article more discoverable. To ensure that your article comes up when search-engine users look for it, you should:

• try to make the title of the article as clear as possible in describing its content;
• ensure that the abstract spells out clearly what the article covers and mentions any terms that people searching for such an article might be likely to use;
• make sure that you include appropriate key phrases or keywords.

d. Language and Style

The main objective of an academic journal is to communicate clearly with an international audience. Elegance in style is a secondary aim. The basic criterion should be clarity of expression.

We allow both UK and US spelling, as long as there is consistency within the article. You are welcome to indicate on the front page whether you prefer UK or US spelling. For UK spelling, we use -ize (standardize, normalize) but -yse (analyse, paralyse). For US spelling, -ize/-yze are the standard (civilize/analyze). Note also that with the US standard, we use the serial comma (e.g. ‘red, white, and blue’).

Security Dialogue uses gender-neutral language wherever possible.

Authors in Security Dialogue can take the reader’s knowledge of English for granted, but not necessarily familiarity with institutions in English-speaking countries. They should therefore avoid colloquialisms, particularly if linked to a particular national culture. For the same reason, acronyms and abbreviations should be used sparingly. UN, USA and UK (no full stops) will be readily understood, as will ‘the ABM treaty’ (in an article on arms control). But, whenever there is reasonable doubt, an acronym or abbreviation should be spelled out the first time it occurs.

Italics for emphasis should be used sparingly.

We prefer ‘the USA’ or ‘the United States’ (not ‘America’) for the name of that country, and ‘US’ as an adjective.

All articles will be subject to editing by the editor and the language editor. Manuscripts that will require heavy editing may be returned to the author for correction, clarification of misunderstandings and possibly additional rounds of word processing prior to copy-editing. When corrections are made in the final version, there is usually no time for further consultation with the author, but the proofs (see below) afford the author an opportunity to correct any misunderstandings that may have slipped in.

e. Headings

All sections of the article (including the beginning) should have principal headings. Regular articles can include up to three levels of headings. The author should ensure that the heading hierarchy is clear, consistent and logical. If two or three levels are used, they must be typographically differentiated in a clear manner. For example:

Main Heading

Subheading

Sub-subheading

f. Notes

Notes should be used only where substantive information is conveyed to the reader. Mere literature references should normally not necessitate separate notes (see the section on References below). However, non-standard references, such as to press conferences, political statements, hearings, interviews etc., are best provided as notes. Notes will appear as endnotes in the journal.

g. Review Essays and Reference Reviews

Authors of Review Essays must include details of the books on which their piece is based: author, title, publisher, year, and ISBN number. A short title is required. Review Essays are peer-reviewed on the same basis as  regular articles and will therefore require a biographical statement.

h. References

References should be provided in a separate alphabetical list; they should not be incorporated in the notes. When citing books or articles in the text or in notes, use the following form:

See Smith (1997); Brem and Rutherford (2001); Taylor (1996, 1999)

or: See Smith (1997: 22)

or: (Smith, 1997: 22)

or: (Smith, 1997; Taylor, 1996)

or: (Smith, 1997: 22; Taylor, 1996: 6)

or: For further discussion, see Smith (1997).

Commas are used to separate the author from the year, colons to separate the year from the page number, and semicolons to separate two references. References to two publications by the same author are written as follows:

Wallensteen (1995, 1996)

or: Wallensteen (1995a,b)

All direct quotes must be accompanied by page numbers.

When there are three authors or more, ‘et al.’ is used in text references, but not in the reference list, where a full list of authors should be provided.

All references quoted in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa. This should be checked carefully. Please ensure also that spellings and dates match in all cases.

Although books, articles and other citations should be listed together in the references, they are treated in different ways. Here it will be useful to provide examples of the various formats:

Articles from periodicals:

Brem S and Rutherford K (2001) Walking together or divided agenda? Comparing landmines and small-arms campaigns. Security Dialogue 32(2): 169–186.

Books:

Ortakovski V (2000) Minorities in the Balkans. Ardsley, NY: Transnational.

Foreign-language works:

Greilsammer I (1998) La nouvelle histoire: Essai sur une nouvelle identité nationale [The New History: Reflections on a New National Identity]. Paris: Gallimard.

Chapters/articles from books:

Meek S (2000) Combating arms trafficking: progress and prospects. In Lumpe L (ed.) Running Guns: The Global Black Market in Small Arms. London: Zed, 183–206.

Reports:

Dunér B (1993) Human Rights Spearheads: NGOs in the UN. Research Report no. 18. Stockholm: Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

UN reports:

Include the authorizing body, year, topic or title of the paper, series and publication numbers, place of publication, and a page reference when applicable. For references in the text, use, for example: (United Nations, 2002)

United Nations (2002) On the situation in the Middle East. Security Council Resolution 1428, S/RES/1428 (2002), New York.

However, we accept alternative styles for UN documents, provided that they are complete and consistent.

Newpaper articles:

Articles with author byline:

Finnonian A (1990) The Iron Curtain rises. Wilberton Journal, 7 February.

Articles without author byline:

Guardian (London) (2002) Croatia sparks showdown with UN. The Guardian, 25 September.

Please note that the city of publication should be provided where this is not included in the title of the newspaper.

Internet references:

These should generally be regarded as supplementary. One study showed that the life expectancy of the average URL is 46 days! Therefore, unless the work cited exists only on the Internet, a URL alone does not suffice. The author must verify the accuracy of all URLs. The date on which the page was accessed should be provided.

Providing supplementary information on magazine, journal or newspaper article:

Tønnesson S (2002) A ‘global civil war’? Security Dialogue 33(3): 219–221; available at http://www.prio.no/page/sd/sd/9429/40475.html (accessed 18 September 2002).

Providing link to general web page:

Prime Minister’s Office, Israel (2002). Weekly Cabinet meeting Tuesday 10.9.2002. Press release. Available at: http://www.pmo.gov.il/english/ts.exe?tsurl=0.22.6593.0.0 (accessed 18 September 2002).

i. Tables

Tables should be self-explanatory as far as possible. The heading should be brief, but additional explanatory material may be added in notes, which will appear immediately below the table. Tables should also contain full references to the source(s) used, and these should appear right below the table, not in the general notes and reference section of the article.

j. Maps and Figures

Maps, graphs, etc. may accompany Security Dialogue articles, provided they can be supplied in a suitable format and resolution, and – if necessary – with permission to reprint.

k. Proofs and Offprints

Author’s proofs will be e-mailed as PDFs in two rounds, first by our language editor prior to production and then directly from SAGE in London after typesetting. If the article is co-authored, the proofs will normally be sent to the author who submitted the manuscript. Authors should ensure that we have their e-mail addresses so that they can be contacted at short notice if any urgent queries arise during copy-editing. A limited number of offprints will be made available to the author(s) electronically post publication.

l. Copyright

The responsibility for respecting copyright in the quotations of a published article rests with the author(s). It is not necessary to obtain permission for a brief quote from a work in the social sciences. However, with a long quote or a figure or a table, written permission must be obtained. The author must consult the original source to determine whether the copyright is held by the author, the journal or the publisher, and seek the permission of the appropriate person or institution. In the event that reprinting requires a fee, written confirmation that the author is prepared to cover those expenses must be furnished.

Regulations for quotation of literary material are much stricter. Even a single verse from a poem may require permission.

When publishing an article in Security Dialogue, authors retain copyright of their work, but agree to publish under an exclusive license with Security Dialogue and the publisher. Authors retain their right to reuse the material in other publications written or edited by themselves and due to be published at least one year after initial publication in Security Dialogue. After an article is accepted, the author will be required to fill out and return a publication agreement.

Part 3: Online submission instructions

All submissions should be made online at the Security Dialogue SAGETRACK website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/security-dialogue.

New users will first need to create an account by pressing the 'Create Account' button. If an error message appears stating that the e-mail address already exist in the system, it is because information from our old database has been transferred to Sagetrack. Enter the e-mail address as requested and use the ‘forgot your password?’ function.

The manuscript and biographical statement should be submitted in separate files in Microsoft Word format. The abstract should be uploaded when prompted by Sagetrack during the submission procedure (see section 2b above). Do not include titlepage or page numbers. The Sagetrack system will create them automatically. Full instructions for uploading the manuscript are provided on the Sagetrack website.

We acknowledge receipt of all submissions. Regular articles, Review Essays and Rejoinders are subject to external, double-blind peer review. Normally, editorial evaluation will be completed within two to three months.

The author can follow the status of the submission through the author centre in Sagetrack:

• Awaiting initial decision, the article has not gone out for external review, but may have gone out for internal review.
• Out for review, the article has been sent out for external review.

Authors retain copyright of their work, but agree to publish under an exclusive licence with Security Dialogue and the publisher (see also section 2 i–j & l above).

A regular article should be approximately 8,500–9,500 words, including abstract, notes and references. A review essay will normally be 4,000 words. A rejoinder (to another article) should normally not exceed 2,500 words.