Strategic Studies

Biannual Journal
E-ISSN 1811-9557
P-ISSN 1029-0990
HEC Recognised (Y Category) 

Editorial Policy

• Strategic Studies publishes original work that is not submitted and published previously anywhere else and its publication in Strategic Studies is approved by author(s).
• Editorial office retains full rights to reject the article at any stage of publication.
• Editorial team of Strategic Studies strictly adhere to best practices of fair review, confidentiality and disclosure and conflicts of interest when it comes to evaluate the submission.
• Adequacy of methodology, analysis and interpretation, clear, concise and jargon-free writing style are the primary indicators to evaluate a submission.
• We only entertain those submissions which carry real, authentic research work and credible citations should be done through reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley etc.).
• Editorial Board Members (Editorial Advisory Board Members, Editorial Board Members and Editorial Team) cannot publish their research work in the journal.
• In case of co-authorship, both the authors have to certify the originality and ownership of the work.

Submission Policy

• Submissions must present a well-reasoned argument and/or research question and fall within the scope of the journal.
• The article should be a source of valuable addition to the existing literature.
• The appropriate research methodology should be employed by the author and credible references and citations with working hyperlinks are mandatory.
• All submissions must be between 4000 to 6000 words.
• The submitted manuscript should be formatted and cited according to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition (Full-Footnotes).
• Submissions should contain a cover page with the title of the article, author’s name, contact details, and institutional affiliation along with 150 to 200 words abstract and keywords (5-6).
• Articles for publication should be submitted on our website through registration on our OJS system.
• For general queries and information, editorial office could be contacted at editor@issi.org.pk

Timeline of Publication

Deadlines for Submission:    March 30th for Summer Issue 

                                                      August 30th for Winter Issue

Initial Evaluation:                    4 weeks from the time of submission

Review Process:                        6 to 8 weeks

Publishing and Printing:         4 to 6 weeks 

 

Publication Fee Policy

Strategic Studies does not charge any fee for publication from author at any stage (paper submission, review, and publication). Also, the journal does not pay any honorarium to the authors except those who are commissioned to contribute in writing by the authorised editors. 

Review Policy

• Strategic Studies’ in-house editors assess all submitted manuscripts for content analysis, language and plagiarism.
• Editorial decision-making is the discretion of Editor regarding publication of an article. The process involves initial evaluation by in-house editors, following the certification from the author(s), plagiarism check and approval, the article is put into double blind review process and subject to clearance from both the reviewers, author(s) is asked for amendments suggested by reviewers. Decisions and cross-check about corrections are made by the journal’s in-house editors. This process involves consultation with the authors of the paper, but the in-house editors make the final decision when it comes to approval of publishing, editing and formatting.
• Strategic Studies keeps all details about a submitted manuscript confidential and does not comment about manuscripts that are either under consideration or that have been rejected.
• After a manuscript is submitted, correspondence with Strategic Studies, referees’ reports, and other confidential material, regardless of whether or not the submission is eventually published, must not be posted on any website or otherwise publicized without prior permission. The Editorial Board Members of Strategic Studies themselves are not allowed to discuss manuscripts with third parties or to reveal information about correspondence and other interactions with authors and referees.

Plagiarism Policy

The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) strictly adheres to the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) plagiarism policy. Research articles submitted for publication in ISSI’s journal, Strategic Studies, go through a rigorous similarity/plagiarism check process. The ISSI editorial office authenticates the plagiarism/similarity check process by using Turnitin software. As per HEC policy the Similarity Score Index (SSI) must not exceed 19%. With reference to using the Turnitin to generate originality reports, highlighting Similarity Score Index (SSI), the Strategic Studies follows the following policies and procedures:

• The in-house editors will check a submission for three times only (explained in section 2, 3 and 4 of the HEC plagiarism policy available at their website). Once at the time of initial submission and two more chances ─ subject to approval for further processing by the Internal Evaluation Committee ─ provided to improve the quality of research article. A failure to improve the quality of the paper and to meet the HEC criteria, the internal evaluation committee/in-house editors may take necessary action including rejection, penalties and reporting of the matter to the HEC.
• After the submission of a research article by the researcher, at the internal evaluation stage, an initial comprehensive Similarity Score Index report would be generated. This initial report would help in-house editors/evaluator(s) to verify the overall Similarity Score Index (SSI). Once the committee approves the paper for further processing, the report will also help the researcher to reduce its overall SSI.
• A second SSI report would be generated when a researcher submits the revised research article. At that stage, in-house editors/evaluator(s) may generate a SSI report by excluding “Quotations, Bibliography and Matches.”
• A third SSI report would be prepared, if needed, before the paper is sent for peer review and publication process.
• In-house editors are responsible for performing all the relevant tasks related to plagiarism check.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content. All articles published by Strategic Studies have undergone peer review and upon acceptance are immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download.