Strategic Studies Institute

Introduction

This online guide will take you through the publishing, editing, and promotion process with the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the U.S. Army War College (USAWC). SSI has a small, but highly effective publishing team; consequently, it is very important that you follow the steps outlined in this guide to expedite the publishing of your manuscript. The following lists identify the publication process, the items that you must provide to initiate the publication process, and what you can expect from SSI’s publication team to ensure a timely, accurate, and well-promoted finished product.

Letter from the Director

      Each year the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) publishes a large number of studies, conference reports, and book-length volumes on a spectrum of issues central to U.S. national security. While SSI analysts write the majority of these publications, many external authors contribute to our study program as well.

      Publication by SSI assures authors that their analyses will reach key Army and Department of Defense (DoD) leaders and the global defense intellectual and strategy community. On many occasions, SSI publications have directly affected U.S. policy, military strategy, or military doctrine, and often are quoted in major publications like the New York Times or The Washington Post. They have led to invitations to brief senior leaders and testify in Congress. In addition to the hardcopy publications that are distributed to military leaders, defense policymakers, universities, journalists, and analysts around the world, the full text of SSI studies is available on our website, which attracts thousands of hits per month. SSI publications often are used as required reading in the military educational system and in civilian colleges and universities.

      Generally, SSI studies are longer and more comprehensive than a journal article. While there is no set length, the average SSI study is 40­60 double-spaced typewritten pages, with substantial documentation. The most important criteria are quality of analysis, clarity of expression, and relevance to Army and DoD leaders. Manuscripts that are purely theoretical, political, or historical, or which do not link the author’s analysis to current issues and decisions facing Army and DoD leaders, are not appropriate for SSI. Not all SSI studies end with policy or program recommendations for Army and DoD leaders, but many do.

      Manuscripts submitted to SSI should be in clear, direct, jargon-free prose. Authors should keep the use of acronyms, passive voice, and other distractors to a minimum. SSI will not publish manuscripts written in a style that is not appropriate for the busy policymakers and leaders who form the core of the Institute’s audience.

      Manuscripts which the author would like SSI to publish without remuneration should be directed to SSI’s Director of Research, Dr. Antulio Echevarria. Authors who seek remuneration must work within SSI’s External Research Associates Program (ERAP). This entails submission of a proposal to the Carlisle Barracks Contracting Officer. Information on the ERAP can be found on SSI’s website. ERAP proposals are considered by a Review Board. Special consideration is given to those which focus on key Army issues and which supplement SSI’s expertise. If the Board elects to support a proposal, the Carlisle Barracks Contracting Officer develops a contract with the author.

      Once a manuscript is submitted, the Director of Research, in conjunction with the experts in SSI, will assess it and provide a recommendation to me as to whether it should be published as is, published after revision, or not published. While every effort is made to do this as quickly as possible, the process may take as long as 8 weeks. This applies to both manuscripts prepared under an ERAP contract and those which are not.

      Once a manuscript is accepted, our small but highly effective Publications Office will edit the work and prepare it for printing and electronic publishing. SSI seeks to provide all our contributors with the most efficient editing and publication process possible, even as our output grows.

      This process moves much more quickly if manuscripts are formatted and submitted according to this Guide. It provides authors the publication requirements and standard “rules” we use in editing, in order to answer your questions in advance and to speed the time from final draft to publication.

Table of Contents

1. Path to publishing your manuscript
2. Services SSI provides to you
3. Checklist items SSI needs from you
4. Submitting your manuscript

Path to publishing your manuscript

If you are an External Research Associate Program (ERAP) Author, see item P.

1. You submit a correctly formatted, peer reviewed, and fully documented final version of your manuscript
2. SSI submits to two or more USAWC faculty for content review (3-4 weeks)
   1. They will recommend or reject manuscript publication
   2. They will identify the type of publication (SSI Monograph, Letort Paper, Website only)
3. SSI sends suggested corrections and comments from the content review to you
4. You correct and resubmit manuscript
   (1-2 weeks)
5. Steps B-D might repeat
6. SSI Management approves document for publishing
   (14 days)
7. You provide all required supplemental material to your SSI point of contact.
8. SSI Publications Department is given all supplemental material and your correctly formatted and fully documented final version of the manuscript from your SSI point of contact.
9. SSI Publications Department edits and coordinates required changes with you
   (60-90 days – depending on the length and priority of the manuscript)
10. Graphics formats document into galley proof for publishing
    (14 days)
11. After SSI Publications reviews the galley proof, they will forward the galley to you for your final review and minor corrections as required
    (2 weeks)
12. Promotion activities begin
    (varies)
13. SSI Director, USAWC Public Affairs Officer, and USAWC Chief of Staff approve for publishing.
    (14-21 days)
14. Released to external printer for hardcopy print and mailing
    (14 days)
15. Published to website (7 days prior to receipt of hardcopies)
16. ERAP Participants Only
    1. You submit your topic proposal to SSI
    2. Publishing board accepts topic proposal
       (60-120 days)
    3. You have up to one year to submit a correctly formatted and fully documented final version of the manuscript
    4. Continue with normal path to publishing, item A. above.

SSI Publications provides the following services

An estimated timeline for publication

SSI will provide you with an estimate of publication date based on normal circumstances. There are several causes for this estimate to change. The leading causes are unresolved content issues found during the editing process that require author feedback, poor formatting, and missing appropriate citations and corresponding endnotes.

Editing and limited graphic support

At least two people will review and edit your manuscript. Graphics will layout your document in desktop publishing software for hardcopy and PDF distribution. If you submit small or low quality figures and images, this will delay the publishing process as the figures will have to be manually recreated as high resolution files.

Content review by subject matter expert

A relevant subject matter expert will review your document for accuracy related to content.

Hardcopy distribution to subscribers and website customers

Once the printer produces all hardcopies, it will distribute to an SSI custom tailored distribution list of several thousand subscribers. We also print two hundred copies available for free website orders. If you provide us with your mailing address, we will send you five hardcopies. You may also direct us in advance to send a special batch of hardcopies i.e. to a specific organization.

Featured on USAWC and SSI homepages

Your manuscript will be available on the SSI and USAWC websites which are accessed by internet users several hundred thousand times annually.

Unlimited free PDF downloads to the world

All materials on the SSI website are free. Your manuscript will be available to a worldwide audience for free download. While we cannot track how our documents are used, we occasionally get feedback or requests for reprint.

Announcement in monthly SSI newsletter

SSI has a growing newsletter list that is approaching 15,000 subscribers. Your manuscript will be announced in the monthly newsletters leading up to and during the month of publication.

Email announcement to subscribers

In addition to a hardcopy distribution network, we have an email notification system. SSI website users that elect to receive notification of publication will receive an email announcement regarding the release of your manuscript.

Archived in SSI website

SSI maintains a nearly two decade old archive of studies. We have no plans to ever remove documents from our archive. The Army also maintains an archive of all Army documents at http://www.dtic.mil. Your manuscript will be available in both locations.

Subject matter expert notification

SSI has a small database of subject matter experts and key policymakers for select areas of research. You can help us build this list by providing a list of subject matter experts or key personnel that you would like to receive notice of your publication.  We will add them to our database, and with their permission, we will email a notice of publication for your manuscript.

Announced on USAWC and SSI social media sites (Facebook, etc.) and other websites and newsletters as appropriate.

In addition to new social media outlets, SSI has relationships with Army newsletters and blogs and other outlets for alternative online promotion.

Occasionally we provide other support depending on the nature of the manuscript. Activities might include:

Book launch;

Media press release;

Recorded interviews;

and, Multimedia advertisements.

SSI needs the following checklist items

You must submit via email the following items to ensure timely and accurate publication of your manuscript

Correctly formatted and fully documented final version of the manuscript in accordance with the SSI style and editing tab submitted via Email.

You must prepare your manuscript in accordance with the SSI style and editing guide. Any further questions regarding style can be found in the official U.S Government Style Manual.

Author’s Peer Review Verification

To verify that you have submitted your manuscript through the peer review process, we require the name, title, and email address of your peer reviewer(s).

A foreword

You must provide a 125 to 175 word foreword for the Director of SSI to use and sign.

Author biographical sketch

Submit a half-page biosketch in an academic format (avoid using bullets and acronyms). This will be displayed on our website and included in any press releases. SSI readers frequently read biosketches after downloading the manuscript.

Full (Executive) Summary

Submit a two to five page summary (relative to monograph length of 20-50+ pages) consisting of an introduction, a conclusion, and a summary of policy recommendations.  The summary will be published after the foreword and the about the authors section in the printed monograph and as a webpage on the SSI website.

Synopsis

Submit a half-page attention grabbing synopsis. This will be the primary text displayed on the website representing the publication. It will also be included on nearly all optional marketing initiatives. This can be a condensed version of the full (executive) summary. It should be readable by a wide range of audiences. Avoid using technical terms, acronyms, and jargon.

Author contact information

SSI needs your email address to contact you during the publishing process. If you opt to allow media interviews, we will pass your email address onto the interested party. We also need your mailing address so we can mail you your author hardcopies.

Optionally

Author photograph

If you opt, we will include your photo with your bio.

Author email address for website contact

We need permission to include your email address in our author database. Email is sent through a blind contact form. Nobody will learn of your address unless you reply.

Preface/Acknowledgements/Notes

You may opt to include a preface if you would like to explain how the manuscript came into being. Or, instead of a preface, you may make brief acknowledgements or provide comments relating to the development of the manuscript. These will be included in the notes section of the front pages of the manuscript.

Peer Review Endorsements (Books Only)

Provide any endorsements you would like to appear on the jacket.

Requests for additional promotion

You may request additional promotional support from SSI. Ideas and suggestions are always welcome

Submitting your manuscript

First, seek approval to submit your manuscript by sending a CV and abstract of your manuscrupt to Dr. Antulio Echevarria, the SSI acting Director of Publications. If your abstract is selected for publishing, you will then submit your correctly formatted and fully documented final version of the manuscript in accordance with the SSI style and editing tab in this online guide to him.

General Text Format

Double-space the manuscript text; use left margin justified only (right margin will be ragged). Use standard top and bottom, right and left margins of 1 inch.

All manuscripts should be in standard text, 12 point, Microsoft Word (no Macintosh), with endnotes rather than footnotes. Endnotes should be produced using the software function, not typed in using superscript reference numbers.   

Rules for Figures, Tables, and Images

1. Do not use copyrighted images.
2. Color photography is ok for images only, but we will convert to grayscale. Do not use color for graphs and charts.
3. Do not import, insert, or “copy and paste” images into your manuscript; instead include the original image as a separate file.  File types which meet this criteria are .jpg, .gif, .tif, or .png.
   • Indicate in the text where we should place the image. See example below:
     prime-minister1.jpg (name of file)
     Caption: Gordon Brown in Iraq in 2010
   • Ensure that the file name of the image matches the name in the text. We suggest you create a separate folder on your computer to store all the images for your manuscript.
4. Drawing Tables and Graphs
• You must used grayscale. If you were to submit colors, we convert to grayscale and the chart/graph will be unusable.
• If possible, do not use PowerPoint or a similar presentation program to draw your images. Instead, use a spreadsheet program (MS Excel) or your word processor.
• A spreadsheet program works best for creating tables and graphs. You can copy and paste data into your word processor.
• A word processor includes drawing tools so that you can create a variety of figures. See your product documentation for “Drawing Tools.”

Style Rules Within the Text

• Do not use the underline attribute at all; use the bold attribute to emphasize words and the italics attribute to indicate book and magazine titles, and foreign words.
• The hard return should be inserted after the last typed character in the paragraph.
• In quotations, the period or comma always go inside the quotation marks.
• Quotations are indented once they exceed four lines of regular text. Do not use quotation marks to start or end these long quotations. Single-space typed material and double-indent margins in long quotations.
• All quoted material must have a citation.
• Common examples of correct SSI style:
  • U.S. (adjective); United States (noun)
  • the President stated; it is presidential policy
  • Congress; congressional delegation.
  • decisionmaker(ing) and policymaker(ing).
  • commander in chief
  • words denoting more than nine are in numbers: 10, 22- 21st century
  • words denoting time are always in numbers
• All acronyms must be spelled out during their first usage, no matter how “common” the author perceives them to be, including United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, etc. Periods are used with the acronym “U.S.” Other acronyms normally do not have periods: UN, NATO. First-use acronyms within a quotation are spelled out with brackets.
• Do not use the letter “l” for the number “1” or the letter “O” for the number “0.”
• Do not use commas between month and year (April 1994) or season and year (Winter 1994). When referring to a complete date with the year, a comma should follow the year (April 21, 2008,).
• All dates should be civilian style, not military: November 17, 2008.
• Names of military operations are in all-caps (Operation DESERT STORM).
• NATO code words should be included with military equipment numerical designations (MIG-29, Su-27, etc.). Non-NATO code names in foreign languages should be italicized: SSM Prithvi-150, IRBM Agni.
• During the first mention of an individual within the text, the full name should be included plus any titles, e.g., U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Russian President Vladamir Putin; thereafter, Secretary Rumsfeld, President Putin.
• Common English place names should be substituted for native language variations. Moscow for Moskva, Vienna for Wien, etc. If the location of a town is not readily known, the state or country should be included in the text or endnote unless clarified by additional information: e.g., “Bloomington, Indiana” in text, but “Bloomington: University of Indiana Press, 2008” in endnote.
• Numbers, except those indicating a unit of time (years, months, weeks, days, hours), are spelled out when they are less than 10; 10 and over use number, e.g., nine soldiers, 40 soldiers.
• If the numbers refer to units of time, always use the numbers: 2­-week campaign, 2 months later, 5 years from now. Decades are noted without apostrophe: 1990s, not 1990’s.
• If a foreign language source is quoted verbatim in that language, a translation must be provided immediately following it in parentheses.
• Do not insert a space between the period ending a sentence and the endnote number.

Style Rules within Endnotes

• Single page - p. 132.
• Multiple pages - pp. 132-145, 230.
• If a journal or magazine has a volume or number citation, it MUST be referenced, even if a date is included (Vol. 6, No. 12, May 2, 2008).
• If the periodical uses Roman numerals for the volume number, do not transfer the number to an Arabic number (Vol. II, not Vol. 2).
• Idem in endnote indicates two works in succession by the same author; the second cites “idem” in place of the author’s name.
• Ibid is used only if the lone source cited in the previous footnote is used again. If more than one source is listed above, include the author’s name and the title of the work.
• Use postal code abbreviations for states: e.g., Lincoln, NE: Bison Press, 2007; Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008.
• If a foreign language article or book title is cited in an endnote, a translation should immediately follow:
  • Article: “title” (translation), journal name . . .
  • Book: Title (translation), . . .
  • Titles of foreign language journals need not be translated.
• Italicize website citations: See Johnson, www.carlisle.army.mil, for details.
• Do not use a comma after ? or ! if they are part of the title.

Sample Endnotes

Articles:        

Colin Gray: “Out of the Wilderness: Prime-time for Strategic Culture,” Comparative Strategy, Vol. 26, No. 1, January-February 2007, pp. 1-20.

Subsequent references should read: Gray, p. 389.

If more than one article by an author is cited, subsequent references include the article’s title: Gray, “Out of the Wilderness,” p. 393.

Same source as previous endnote but different page: Ibid., p. 133.

Same source, same page: Ibid.

Articles within edited book:        

Mary Kaldor, “Elaborating the ‘New War’ Thesis,” in Isabelle Duyvesteyn and Jan Angstrom, eds., Rethinking the Nature of War, London: Frank Cass, 2005, pp. 210-224.

Books:           

Ross Laidlaw, Attila: The Scourge of God, Edinburgh: Polygon, 2007.

Conference Papers:

Caryn Hollis, “Partnering for Hemispheric Security,” paper presented at the Queen’s University-U.S. Army War College conference, “Wars Without Borders,” Kingston, Ontario, Canada, June 17-19, 2008.

Congressional Reports:     

U.S. Congress, “Is There a Human Rights Double Standard? U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Uzbekistan,” Hearing before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, 110th Cong., 1st sess., June 14, 2007, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007, pp. 17-31.

Nina M. Serafino, “The Global Peace Operations Initiative: Background and Issues for Congress,” CRS Report for Congress, February 8, 2006.

Jim Nichol, Central Asia’s Security: Issues and Implications for U.S. Interests, RL–30294, Washington, DC: CongressionalResearch Service, January 29, 2008.

Department of Defense:    

Department of Defense, Quadrennial Defense Review, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, February 6, 2006, p. 28.

Headquarters, Department of the Army, Field Manual3-24, Counterinsurgency, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office,December 2006.

Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense, “Association of the United States Army Speech,” Washington, DC, October 10, 2007.

Interview:     

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Interview with Sergei Buntman, Ekho Moskvy, May 15, 2007.

Interview conducted by the author with a British officer at Upavon, Director General of Doctrine and Development, June 2003. (above style used if anonymity requested)

Newspaper: 

Sophia Kishkovsky, “Georgia is Warned By Russia Against Plans to Join NATO,” New York Times, June 7, 2008, p. 8.

Speech:         

Robert O. Blake Jr., “U.S. India-Relations: The Making of a Comprehensive Relationship,” Speech at the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA, August 23, 2004.

Studies:        

Phil Williams, From the New Middle Ages to a New Dark Age: The Decline of the State and U.S. Strategy, Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, June 2008.

Paul  I. Bernstein, John P. Caves, Jr., and John F. Reichart, The Future Nuclear Landscape, Washington, DC, Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, 2007, pp. 26-27.

Unpublished manuscript:

Stephen J. Cimbala, The New Nuclear Disorder,Unpublished Manuscript, 2008, pp. 1-3.

Websites:      

Barrack Obama, “Towards a Nuclear Free World,” available from www.barackobama.com/issues/foreignpolicy/, accessed on July 20, 2008.

(Do not use hyperlink function. It is not necessary to use http://).