Terms of Publication

Publication Criteria / Author Guidelines

Diplomacy & Intelligence publishes original work with academic and/or applied relevance in fields such as security studies, intelligence studies, international relations, diplomacy, strategic communication, risk analysis, policy studies, law and institutional ethics, diplomatic and security history, as well as communication sciences, anthropology, cultural studies, information science, linguistics, language & linguistics, sociology, and related interdisciplinary themes.

Eligibility and General Requirements

A manuscript will be considered only if it meets all of the following criteria:

  • Originality: an original work that has not been previously published and is not under review by another journal.
  • Relevance: a clearly articulated contribution to the scholarly literature and/or institutional practice, supported by sound argumentation.
  • Scholarly quality: an explicit research question, appropriate methodology (where applicable), and coherent results/argumentation.
  • Rigor and transparency: complete and accurate references; the data/analysis are described in sufficient detail to allow critical assessment.
  • Ethical compliance: adherence to research ethics standards (including participant protection, confidentiality, and, where applicable, avoiding classified or sensitive information).
  • Academic integrity: zero tolerance for plagiarism, unjustified self-plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, or citation manipulation.

Editorial and Technical Requirements

  • The manuscript must comply with the journal’s guidelines (formatting, structure, references, abstract, keywords, etc.).
  • The text must be clear, coherent, and well written (language revisions may be requested).
  • The journal accepts the following contribution types: research articles, public policy analyses, case studies, reviews, interviews/roundtables.

Guidelines

  • Page layout: A4 format, 1.5 line spacing, equal 20 mm margins, text aligned Justified.
  • Title of the paper: written in ALL CAPS, Times New Roman 14, Bold, centered, placed 50 mm above the main text.
  • Author information: full name and institutional affiliation, Times New Roman 12, Bold, positioned two lines below the title.
  • Abstract: written in English, Times New Roman 11, Italic, positioned two lines below the author line.
  • Keywords: in English, 5 terms, Times New Roman 11, placed immediately below the abstract.
  • Main text: begins one line below the keywords, Times New Roman 12, Justified alignment.
  • References: must be included at the end of the article.
  • Explanatory notes: endnotes only (footnotes are not permitted).
  • Article length: minimum 6 pages, maximum 11 pages.
  • No page breaks (do not insert manual page breaks).
  • Figures and tables: must be embedded inline within the text.
  • File format: Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) — PDFs are not accepted.
  • Copyright: Copyright remains with the authors. The journal assumes no responsibility for the content, conclusions, or opinions expressed in the published articles; these belong exclusively to the authors.

Common Grounds for Desk Rejection

Editors may reject a manuscript prior to peer review if it:

  • falls outside the journal’s scope;
  • lacks a clear contribution / is purely descriptive without analysis;
  • shows major methodological or argumentative flaws;
  • fails to meet minimum formatting requirements;
  • raises ethical or integrity concerns (including excessive similarity).

Open Access Statement

Diplomacy & Intelligence is an Open Access journal, providing free and immediate access to published content in order to support the circulation of knowledge and its use in academic and institutional settings.

Access Policy

  • All published articles are available online without access barriers (no subscription, no authentication).
  • Readers may read, download, distribute, and cite the content, in accordance with the licensing terms and good attribution practices.

Copyright and Licensing

  • Authors retain their copyright.
  • Articles are published under a Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0, which permits reuse provided that the author and source are properly credited.

Fees

We support early-career researchers: no publication fees. We believe science should circulate freely. Therefore, Diplomacy & Intelligence is an Open Access journal. Readers enjoy free and immediate access, and authors retain their rights under the license CC BY 4.0 . At present, we do not charge article processing fees (APCs), in order to support master’s students and doctoral candidates at the beginning of their academic careers.

Peer Review Process

To ensure scholarly quality and academic integrity, Diplomacy & Intelligence applies a peer-review process conducted by specialists in the relevant field.

Type of Review

  • Double-blind peer review: the identities of both authors and reviewers are anonymized throughout the process.

Process Stages

  1. Initial editorial screening (desk review)
    The editor assesses thematic fit, compliance with author guidelines, minimum quality standards, and adherence to ethics and integrity requirements.
  2. Integrity screening
    The manuscript may be checked for similarity and assessed for plagiarism/self-plagiarism risk.
  3. External review
    The article is sent to two independent reviewers (or more, if necessary), selected based on expertise.
  4. Editorial decision
    Based on the reviewers’ reports, the editor communicates one of the following decisions:
    • Accept
    • Minor revision
    • Major revision
    • Reject
  5. Revision and re-evaluation (if applicable)
    Authors submit a revised version accompanied by a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments. For major revisions, the manuscript may be re-sent to reviewers.
  6. Final editing and publication
    After acceptance: final checks, copyediting/typesetting, proofreading, and online publication.

Principles and Standards

  • Review focuses on: originality, relevance, methodological rigor, quality of argumentation, currency of references, and clarity of expression.
  • The journal manages conflicts of interest: reviewers must declare any conflict; where this occurs, alternative reviewers are appointed.
  • Confidentiality: manuscripts and reports remain confidential.
  • Ethics and integrity: if concerns arise (plagiarism, fabricated data, ethical breaches), the process may be suspended until clarification.