The INSS journal Strategic Assessment: A Multidisciplinary Journal on National Security will soon assume a different shape and form, and the new editorial board invites authors to submit articles for issues to be published in the updated format, which will be launched in January 2020. Proposals for special themed issues are also welcome.
Strategic Assessment, a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary journal on topics related to Israel’s national security and Middle East strategic issues, was launched in 1998 and is published quarterly in Hebrew and English by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University. Strategic Assessment serves as a platform for original research on a spectrum of issues relating to the discipline of national security. The purpose of the journal is to spark and enhance an informed, constructive debate of fundamental questions in national security studies, using an approach that integrates a theoretical dimension with policy-oriented research. Articles on topics relating to Israel, the Middle East, the international arena, and global trends are published with the goal of enriching and challenging the national security knowledge base.
The current era has seen many changes in fundamental conventions relating to national security and how it is perceived at various levels. As national security research evolves, it seeks to adjust to new paradigms and to innovations in the facets involved, be they technological, political, cultural, military, or socio-economic. Moreover, the challenge of fully grasping reality has become even more acute with the regular emergence of competing narratives, and this is precisely why factual and data-based research studies are essential to revised and relevant assessments.
The editorial board encourages researchers to submit articles that have not been previously published that propose an original and innovative thesis on national security with a broad disciplinary approach rooted in international relations, political science, history, economics, law, communications, geography and environmental studies, Israeli studies, Middle East and Islamic studies, sociology and anthropology, conflict resolution, or additional disciplines.
In the spirit of the times, Strategic Assessment is shifting its center of gravity to an online presence and availability. While INSS will continue to print issues on a quarterly basis, articles approved for publication, following the review and editing process, will be published in an online version on the journal’s website in the format of “initially published online,” and subsequently included in the particular quarterly issues.
As part of the revamping of the journal’s content and format, Strategic Assessment will now publish articles in five categories:
Research Forum – academic articles of a theoretical and research nature on a wide range of topics related to national security, of up to 7,000 words in Hebrew or 10,000 words in English (including APA-style footnotes). All articles are submitted for double blind peer review.
Policy Analysis – articles of 2,000-2,500 words in English that mainly analyze policies in national security contexts. These articles will be without footnotes and use hyperlinks to refer to sources, as necessary.
Book Reviews – book reviews of 1,000-1,500 words in English on a wide range of books relating to national security.
Professional Forum – panel discussions on a particular topic, or in-depth interviews, of 3,000 words in English.
Academic Survey – a survey of 1,500-2,500 words in English of the latest professional literature on a specific topic relating to national security.
Writing Guidelines
Articles intended for the Research Forum, Book Reviews, and Academic Survey should follow APA (6th edition) guidelines. Footnotes should be kept to a minimum, and included only if the material is necessary for an understanding of the text. Articles intended for the Policy Analysis and the Professional Forum should not include footnotes or endnotes. To refer to sources, a list of relevant literature can appear at the end of the article, or links that refer to sources can be incorporated within the text.
Submitted material should be edited and proofread carefully and meet the requested length requirements.
Articles should be submitted electronically to editors-sa@inss.org.il while indicating the category of the attached article. The submission should include three separate documents: the article with no personal details or indications about the author in the article itself, an abstract of 150-200 words, personal details including a short bio, current affiliation, and contact details. You may also use this e-mail address for questions or additional information about the journal.
Dr. Kobi Michael and Dr. Carmit Valensi
Editors, Strategic Assessment