Submissions

SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES

The Harvard National Security Journal (NSJ) publishes original scholarly and practical works on contemporary national security.  Our publishing covers a wide spectrum of national security issues, and we welcome works that link these topics with salient other fields.  We accept well-written submissions from both scholars and practitioners.  We also support the work of junior scholars.

The NSJ publishes three types of works: Articles, Essays, and Book Reviews.  Articles are longer pieces designed to advance national security scholarship.  Essays are shorter pieces in which the author explores and critiques an aspect of national security policy.  Book Reviews evaluate a current, published work in the national security field.

When submitting any type of work, we request that contributors comply with the following standards:

Electronic Submissions: We strongly encourage authors to submit their manuscripts electronically in Microsoft Word format.  Submissions should be emailed as an attachment to nsj@law.harvard.edu with the word “Submissions” and the author’s last name in the subject line.

Hard Copy Submissions: Submissions by mail should be typed, double-spaced, and accompanied by a CD or other electronic medium containing the submission in Microsoft Word format.  Such submissions should be mailed to the following address:

Harvard National Security Journal
C/O Journals Office
Harvard Law School
1541 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA  02138

Submissions Deadlines:

• Articles: Articles under consideration for Volume 2, Issue 1 (published in December 2010) must be submitted between May 15, 2010 and August 15, 2010.  Articles under consideration for Volume 2, Issue 2 (published in May 2011) must be submitted between September 15, 2010 and December 15, 2010.
• Essays: Essays may be submitted at any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis.  Whether an essay is published in Issue 1 or Issue 2 will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Book Reviews: Book Reviews may be submitted at any time and are reviewed on a rolling basis.  Whether a book review is published in Issue 1 or Issue 2 will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Length Guidelines:

• Articles: Articles are generally between 25,000 and 40,000 words.  Shorter or longer works are considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Essays: Essays are between 5,000 and 10,000 words.  Works outside this range may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
• Book Reviews: Book Reviews are up to 10,000 words.  Works above this limit may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Citation Format: Please use footnotes rather than endnotes.  Our preferred footnote style conforms to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (19th ed. 2010).

Review Process: The NSJ reads all pieces that meet our guidelines.  Each work receives a thorough review before a Submissions Editor responds with a decision.  Decisions on articles will not be released until after the close of the relevant submissions period.  Decisions on essays and book reviews should be received within six weeks of submission, but please allow for greater time during the summer months.

Editing Process: Each accepted work will be assigned to a team of NSJ Senior Editors and Staff Editors.  This team will work with the author to edit and prepare the work for publication.

Please contact us if you have any questions about these policies.  Thank you for your interest in the Harvard National Security Journal.

Student Submissions:

The NSJ encourages student writing and provides an excellent opportunity for student publications. Students are encouraged to submit written pieces in the form of a student note, news digest, current event, case review, article summary, legislation review, or book review.  Pieces may be submitted electronically to nsj@law.harvard.edu with the words “Student Submission” in the subject line.

Unfortunately, at this time, the NSJ does not accept submissions from student authors outside Harvard Law School and the other graduate schools affiliated with Harvard University.  Please contact us if you have any questions about this policy.