Submit Your Work
Please read all guidelines and then submit your work to the address below with the subject line “PRISM Journal Title of Article,” “PRISM Insights Title of Article,” or “PRISM Perspectives Title of Article.”
Submitting Your Work.
Guidelines for Authors
The Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) seeks a variety of long- and short-form scholarly articles, opinion essays, and research studies that explore the character and direction of irregular warfare within the context of great and emerging power competition. The IWC publishes original and thoroughly researched commentary and analyses that span the range of security topics associated with irregular warfare: military, diplomatic, economic, social, cultural, and more.
Types of submissions
All manuscripts submitted to the IWC must be unclassified and releasable to the public. They must not be under consideration for publication by any other organization.
PRISM: The Journal of Emerging Threats | Complex Statecraft
Research articles should be 5,000–7,000 words in length, including footnotes, endnotes, and tables and/or figures. (Note: Longer submissions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.) Standard book reviews should be 700–900 words in length. Extended book reviews should be 2,000–4,000 words in length, including footnotes, endnotes, and tables and/or figures. Authors should review the full submission and formatting guidelines in our Call for Manuscripts.
PRISM Perspectives
Provide a reasoned examination of an issue, situation, or problem in 1,000–2,000 words. These articles are published on the IWC website and use hyperlinks instead of endnotes.
PRISM Insights
These manuscripts should be approximately 2,500 words and written by IWC personnel on topics of IW interest, concern, or controversy. They are published online and in PDF format. Format references as hyperlinks.
Research Studies
These are longer, sponsored research efforts. Research studies are published primarily online, but with hard copies available. Format references as endnotes.
Who may contribute
Scholars, practitioners, and other specialists from within or associated with international security as it relates to irregular warfare are welcome to submit work. Submissions from non-U.S. contributors are encouraged. Authors are asked to include a 2–3 sentence biography with their submissions.
All submissions are reviewed by the IWC publication team for style, content, and appropriateness to the IWC mission. Editors work with authors to create high-quality submissions that reflect positively on both the authors, the IWC, and the irregular warfare community of practice and interest.
Active-duty military, U.S. government civilians, and contractors working on a U.S. government contract must clear their papers through their local security and policy review process prior to submitting to the IWC.
Style
IWC uses the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), 17th edition, as its style guide. Contributors should avoid the use of jargon and acronyms to ensure the publications are easily accessible and understood by the broad, international audience the IWC wants to reach.
All graphics, tables, and figures must be provided separately as high-resolution (300 DPI or greater), accompanied by a short caption, and submitted with permission from the copyright holder unless they are in the public domain (e.g., U.S. Air Force photo) or are original creations by the author.
All submissions must be in U.S. English. Editors work with international authors who write in British English to help them convert their papers. The exception is for quotations and proper nouns; the original British English version will not be altered.
Submissions should be provided as a Microsoft Word document, in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and 1.5 line spacing.
Legal
All articles and other essays appearing on the IWC website will include the following disclaimer:
“The views expressed in these articles are those solely of the authors and do not reflect the policy or views of the Irregular Warfare Center, Department of War, or the U.S. Government.”
The disclaimer may be modified to reflect an author’s professional affiliation.
AI Policy
The Irregular Warfare Center’s AI policy establishes clear expectations for authors, editors, and peer reviewers on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in PRISM publications. As AI tools become increasingly common in research and publishing, these guidelines distinguish acceptable assistance from substantive work that requires human analysis and judgment. The policy addresses permitted uses, disclosure requirements, and the protection of confidential materials to safeguard the originality, accuracy, and scholarly integrity of published work while ensuring that responsibility remains with its human contributors.
Please review the IWC Publication AI Policy before submitting.
AI Policy
The Irregular Warfare Center’s AI policy establishes clear expectations for authors, editors, and peer reviewers on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in PRISM publications.
Please review the IWC Publication AI Policy before submitting.