About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Illini Journal of International Security (IJOIS) is a peer-reviewed undergraduate academic journal that is comprised of exceptional undergraduate and graduate papers on topics related to international security or foreign affairs. IJOIS is published biannually through the Program of Arms Control & Domestic and International Security (ACDIS) and the University Library. IJOIS employs a cross-disciplinary approach and accepts papers from students studying the social sciences, STEM fields, business and the humanities that analyze international security issues from innovative perspectives.

IJOIS serves as a venue for undergraduates to publish their scholarly work and promote an active discussion on topics in the realm of international security or foreign affairs.

Peer Review Process

All papers will be blind peer-reviewed by at least 3 Editors and 1 Senior Editor. Our editing process is outlined below:

  1. Editors review abstracts and discuss comments/suggestions in editorial board weekly meeting, in addition to suggesting whether the paper topic should move forward; send to senior editors for further review
  2. Senior editors review abstracts and determine which comments/suggestions that the editors made should remain for consideration and suggest whether the paper topic should move forward; send to Editor-in-Chief for further review
  3. Editor-in-Chief reviews abstracts and determines if this is a paper that should be included in the publication; finalizes comments to be sent to author, or rejects the abstract
  4. Editors review each first draft that is received; make comments and present them to the editorial board. After discussion, first drafts are sent to the Senior Editors for further review
  5. Senior Editors review first draft comments that Editors made and decide what changes are necessary; after review, send to Editor-in-Chief for final review
  6. Editor-in-Chief ensures that all necessary changes are indicated for the author and makes final comments/suggestions; after review, send back to author for revision
  7. Upon receiving a final draft, a similar process is initiated and ends with the Editor-in-Chief making final revisions to the final draft and granting final approval

The editing process is allowed to fluctuate depending on paper quality and the needs of the staff at the will of the executive board.

Publication Frequency

Twice a year at the end of each semester

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Sources of Support

IJOIS is hosted by ACDIS at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and draws on the exceptional breadth and depth of the Programs expertise. ACDIS is a multidisciplinary venture at the University of Illinois that facilitates objective research, education and outreach on international security issues. A central objective is to disseminate the findings to the policymaking community, academia, educators, and students. The strength of the Program rests in its ability to integrate insights generated by engineers, natural scientists, social scientists, and scholars of the humanities to produce comprehensive analyses that do not reduce security issues to singular and simplifying explanations. International security challenges are approached as complex phenomena that can only be understood through an examination of multiple causes and impacts.

 

All individual articles are archived in IDEALS.