Journal of Human Security Author Guidelines

Please email your submission to Journal of Human Security editor, Dr Sabina W. Lautensach at salaut@gmail.com

Publication Ethics

RMIT Publishing adheres to a strong ethical code in regard to the publishing process. In particular, submission of articles to RMIT journals assumes the author’s agreement to the following:

  • The article being submitted has not been previously published unless an accompanying explanation is provided.
  • The article being submitted is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  • The article being submitted is entirely the work of the submitting author(s). Articles which are discovered to contain plagiarised content (including self-plagiarised) will be rejected. This means any content derived from another source (including the author’s own previously published work) must be fully referenced.

Checklist for Presentation of Articles

All articles should include the following elements:

  • article title
  • article subtitle (if appropriate)
  • abstract (max. 120 words)
  • keywords (approx. 5)
  • word count, generally between 4,000 and 8,000 words
  • subheadings as required
  • any quotes of more than 40 words should be set as a block quote, introduced by a colon and separated from body text by a blank line above and below
  • images should be supplied separately as JPGs or other agreed format, not embedded in the text or Word document (see section on images, below)
  • tables created in Word can be included as part of the text file; tables created in Excel need to be treated as images
  • all captions, table headings and other non-text elements as required
  • any notes to be set as endnotes under a heading ‘Endnotes’
  • all in-text references must be included in the bibliography or reference list (and vice versa)
  • bibliography or reference list, following the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th edn style
  • all hyperlinks and URLs are correct and active before submission of the final article
  • articles should be supplied as MS Word documents with .doc extension (this excludes MS Word 2007 .docx)
  • please supply author name, affiliation and biography, including contact details (max. 100 words) as a separate supplementary file so the main article file can be used for double-blind peer-review process.

Formatting

Please keep formatting to a minimum. Basic styles include:

  • heading 1 (article title)
  • heading 2 (article subtitle and other subheadings throughout text)
  • heading 3 (sub-subheadings)
  • heading 4 (sub-sub-subheadings)
  • normal text (use full-out paragraphs after headings, line spaces and or a block quotes; use indented paragraphs for all other body text)
  • epigraphs
  • block quotes (to be introduced by a colon and separated by a line space before and after)
  • numbered lists
  • bullet lists
  • figure/table headings
  • captions

Please note that our preferred style is to use title case in headings and article, book and journal titles.

Images and Other Non-text Elements

Images should be supplied as separate files and not embedded in the text of a Word document. The preferred formats for images are JPG, TIF and EPS. Images must have a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) when sized at 100% (i.e.: the size they’ll appear in the layout; max. width 125 mm).

Image files should be labeled sensibly (e.g.: Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3; Table 1, Table 2, Table 3). In the body of your article type ‘[Insert Figure 1 here]’, and include any captions, source information or acknowledgement as text underneath the insertion instruction. (We will try to place the images as close as possible to their nominated insertion points, depending on the space available on the page.)

Audio and Multimedia Material

Please consult the Editor regarding specifications for any audio or multimedia files to be submitted.

Copyright, Permissions and Usage Fees

It is the responsibility of individual authors to obtain permission and pay any required usage fees for any copyright material used (including text and images on the Internet). This should be completed before submission of the final article.

Ethics Clearance

Where applicable, it is the responsibility of individual authors to obtain appropriate ethics clearance for research activities. For guidelines, please refer to your university ethics committee.

Style and Usage References

RMIT Publishing recommends using the conventions outlined in the following guides:

  • For Australian spellings, refer to the Macquarie Dictionary
  • For US spellings, refer to Webster Dictionary
  • For UK spellings, refer to Oxford Dictionary
  • For general usage and style conventions refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th edn (American Psychological Association 2001).

References and Citations

  • All RMIT Publishing journal references are styled according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th edn (American Psychological Association 2001). Use author-date in-text references, not foot/end notes
  • Please make sure that all hyperlinks and URLs are correct and active before submission of the final article
  • ensure all in-text references are included in the bibliography or reference list (and vice versa)
  • ensure all bibliography/reference entries for book chapters include the full page range (i.e. pp. 112–133)
  • When choosing between citing a hard copy edition or an online version (e.g. for a newspaper or journal article), the details of the hard copy edition is preferred as a reference to the permanent record of research.

If Your Paper is Accepted

If your paper is accepted you will be required to complete and sign a License to Publish before publication of your article. Before publication you will be sent a proof of your article which you will be asked to check for typographical errors (significant changes to the text are not to be made at this point). Any errors must be reported by the deadline given by the editor, after which errors cannot be rectified.