Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

These guidelines support consistent preparation of manuscripts submitted to the International Journal of Contemporary Security Studies (IJCSS). Authors must also complete the online submission checklist and use the current journal template where required.

Language and file preparation

Manuscripts must be written in clear academic English and submitted in an editable word-processing format. Remove author names, affiliations and identifying acknowledgements from the anonymised review file. Provide author information separately in the OJS metadata and designated title-page file.

Front matter

Provide a concise title, an accurate abstract of no more than 200 words and 3–10 specific keywords. The abstract should state the context, purpose, methods, principal findings and conclusion without unsupported claims.

Recommended structure

Original research normally includes Introduction, Methods, Results or Findings, Discussion, Limitations and Conclusion. Review and conceptual articles may use a structure appropriate to their method, but must clearly explain selection, analysis and limitations.

Tables, figures and supplementary material

Number tables and figures consecutively and cite each in the text. Table titles appear above tables; figure captions appear below figures. Authors must obtain permission for third-party material and provide meaningful captions and accessible labelling.

Citations and references

IJCSS uses APA 6th edition unless the journal formally announces a change. In-text citations use the author–date system, and the reference list is alphabetical. References are not numbered. Authors must verify every author name, title, year, URL and DOI.

Required declarations

Where applicable, include Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Funding, Institutional Review Board or ethics approval, Informed Consent, Data Availability, Acknowledgements, Conflicts of Interest and Generative AI disclosure statements. AI tools cannot be authors.

Ethics and submission

Submissions must be original, within scope and not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere. The corresponding author must ensure that all authors approve the submission and that affiliations and disclosures are accurate.

Questions

Technical and preparation questions should be submitted through the journal’s Contact page.

Effective date: 22 July 2026
Last updated: 22 July 2026