Manuscript preparation
General Guidelines for Articles
Papers are accepted only in English. A typical article will be 6,000-8,000 words in length. Papers that greatly exceed this will be critically reviewed with respect to length. Authors should include a word count with their manuscript.
Manuscripts should be compiled in the following order: title page; abstract; keywords; main text; acknowledgments; appendixes (as appropriate); notes; table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figure caption(s) (as a list); references.
An abstract of approximately 250 words is required for all papers submitted. Where structured abstracts are required they should be submitted as detailed below, following the title and author's name and address, preceding the main text. For papers reporting original research, state the primary objective and any hypothesis tested; describe the research design and your reasons for adopting that methodology; state the methods and procedures employed, state the main outcomes and results, and state the conclusions that might be drawn from these data and results, including their implications for further research or application/practice. For review papers, state the primary objective of the review; the reasoning behind your literature selection; and the way you critically analyze the literature; state the main outcomes and results of your review; and state the conclusions that might be drawn, including their implications for further research or application/practice.
Each paper should have 4-6 keywords.
Section headings should be concise and indicated in bold font. Sub-headings should be indicated in italic font.
All the authors of a paper should include their full names, affiliations, postal addresses, telephone and fax numbers and email addresses on the cover page of the manuscript. One author should be identified as the Corresponding Author.
Biographical notes on contributors are required for this journal (max. 120 words, and as per model used in previous issues of IRFA).
Style guidelines
Preparation of drafts in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style, and typed single space, font 11, Garamond, MS Word format.
Titles and section headings should be brief and clear.
Lengthy quotations (exceeding 40 words) should be displayed in the text in indented form, while shorter ones should be retained - using single quotation marks - within the body of the text.
Tables and figures should have short, descriptive titles, and their position in the text be clearly indicated. All footnotes to tables and their source(s) should be placed under the tables. Column headings should clearly define the data presented.
Essential notes should be indicated by superscript numbers in the text and presented at the end of the text but before the references.
References (Bibliography) and Citations:
In this section, the proper method of preparing bibliography and in-text citations are specified. All references cited in the text should be listed alphabetically and presented in full after the notes.
Bibliography
Books
One Author: Waltz, Kenneth. 1979. Theory of International Politics, New York: Random House.
Two to Three Authors: Adams, Don, and Arlene Goldbard. 2001. Creative Community: the Art of Cultural Development, New York: NY: Rockefeller Foundation, Creativity & Culture Division.
More than three authors: Gelman, Andrew and others. 2008. Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Chapter/work in an anthology: De Vinne, Christine. 2009. "Religion under Revolution in Ourika." In Approaches to Teaching Duras's Ourika, edited by Mary Ellen Birkett and Christopher Rivers, 37-44. New York, NY: Modern Language Association of America.
Articles
Article from a journal: published by professionals and academics, for a professional audience: Buchanan, Tom. 2009. “Between Marx and Coca-Cola: Youth Cultures in Changing European Societies, 1960-1980.” Journal of Contemporary History ,Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 371-383.
Article from a magazine: published by author(s): Meacham, Jon. 2009. "The Stakes? Well, Armageddon, For One." Newsweek, (October 12).In case of lacking author(s): Newsweek. 2011. “Weak Tea Party Connection to Wake County, N.C., School Board”,12 January.
Article from a newspaper: published by author(s): Kepner, Tyler. 2009. “A Battering of Santana Saves the Yankees' Weekend.” New York Times, (June 15). In case of lacking author(s): In case of lacking author(s): New York Times. 2011. “A Newly Cooperative China”, 21 January.
Special publications and materials:
Electronic Book: Ponton, G. and Gill, P. 1993. Introduction to Politics. [online] 3rd. ed. London: Blackwell. Available from: www.netLibrary.com [Accessed 10 April, 2009].
Electronic Journal: Carbado, Devon W. 1998. “Black Male Racial Victimhood.”, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 337-361. http://www.jstor.org/ (accessed July 8, 2005).
Websites (not online journals): University of Georgia. 2007. “Points of Pride” University of Georgia, (available at : http://www.uga.edu/profile/pride.html).
News Press: published by author(s): Keyes, charley. 2001. “WikiLeaks suspect files complaint over detention conditions ",CNN ,(22 January). In case of lacking author(s): Reuters. 2007. “France' Sarkozy raises prospect of Iran airstrikes.” 27 August.
Thesis: Hull, A.P. 1988. Changing Patterns of Accessibility and Mobility in Sixteen Parishes in East Kent, 1973-1982. Ph.D. thesis, Liverpool Polytechnic.
In-text Citations
Books
One Author: (Waltz, 1979:78)
Two to Three Authors: (Adams and Goldbard, 2001:125)
More than three authors: (Gelman, et al , 2008: 253)
Chapter/work in an anthology: . (De Vinne, 2009: 123)
Articles
Article from a journal: (Buchanan, 2009: 375)
Article from a magazine: (Meacham, 2009:17), (Newsweek, 2011:7)
Article from a newspaper: (Kepner,2009:7), (New York times, 2011:1)
Special publications and materials
Electronic Book: (Ponton and Gill, 1993: 347)
Electronic Journal: (Carbado, 1998: 339)
Websites (not online journals): (University of Georgia,2007)
News Press: (Keyes,2011),(Reuters,2007)
Thesis: (Hull, 1988:321)
2. General guidelines for Book Reviews and Short Analytical Notes
Book reviews and analytical notes should not exceed 1500 words, and authors of book reviews and notes should include their full names, affiliations, postal addresses, telephone and fax numbers and email addresses on the cover page of the manuscript. Biographical notes on contributors are required for this journal (max. 120 words, and as per model used in previous issues of IRFA). All book reviews should be compiled in the following order:
Introduction: In this paragraph you should briefly introduce the work under discussion and state your thesis.
Summary: Following your introduction, you should concisely restate the central claims of the author. In this section, be particularly sure to remain faithful to the ideas of the author as he or she states them. At the same time, aim for the essence of the book: What is the author's main point? What are the significant sub-points? Make sure that your summary is short and to the point.
Body of the paper: The largest portion of your review should be devoted to elaborating and expanding on your thesis. In this section, you will move step-by-step through the criteria you have selected to assess the book; for each criterion, you will show how the author's effort holds up.
Conclusion: Wrap up your paper with a statement about the significance of the book. This statement may concern the extent of its contribution to the discipline of International Relations or explain how it changed your understanding of a certain subject/phenomenon.
For IRFA, a short analytical note (max. 1500 words) is a piece of writing that represents the author’s reflections on, analysis of, or articulation of an issue, subject or situation that is deemed important enough to be highlighted but which may not merit a full-length article.
The submitted drafts will be peer reviewed before being accepted for publication, subject to editing by the journal and final consent of the author(s).
