Opportunities for Sudents to Publish

Dear all,

Today’s topic is our student-run journal, Swords and Ploughshares. The journal is an academic publication in the style of such periodicals as International Security and the Journal of Foreign Affairs. The articles are all written by students at SIS and Washington College of Law, and are typically refined pieces that were written for a class or for a research requirement. There is no central topic focus, other than the obvious international affairs theme. Anything within international affairs will be considered for publication. In recent issues we have published articles on various topics including international whaling laws and regulations; a comprehensive definition of terrorism; and the security of Russia’s energy sector.

I’m going to discuss two aspects of the journal as it relates to you, the grad student. First, Swords and Ploughshares presents you with a great opportunity for getting involved with something on campus. In the interest of full disclosure, I currently serve on S&P’s Editorial Board and as the Senior Copy Editor. It is not a paid job (wouldn’t that be nice…), but it can give you valuable experience in the publishing process that will serve you well on your résumé, especially if you are considering employment at a research foundation (a think-tank). Unless you are one of the senior editorial staff, the time commitment is relatively minimal.

Secondly, the journal is obviously a great opportunity to get your work published. We send out calls for papers at the beginning of every semester through the SIS listserv (I encourage you to subscribe to it) and also through “The Diplomatic Pouch”, our SIS newsletter. Submit something whenever you have a piece of work of which you are particular proud. The work you send us should be your very best. Don’t send us a rough draft or a paper you wrote overnight. Although we have editors, we want articles that exhibit a polished and professional writing ability. We have received articles in the past that contained potentially interesting subject matter, but were so poorly written that we had to decline them. The best way to ensure the professional caliber of your work is to involve a professor in the process. They can give you valuable insight into a research strategy, as well as helpful critique of your writing style and technique (remember, professors do this for a living). Don’t let your ego get in the way of improving your writing skills. Always have someone read and critique your work before you submit it for publication, and take their remarks seriously and objectively. Again, professors are the best source for this type of help. You won’t have to share authorship credit with them. All you have to do is thank them for their guidance in a footnote on the first page. Finally, it always helps to read the reputable journals in the field, such as the aforementioned. You’ll get a feel for what kind of style is appropriate for publication as well as how to structure a good argument. All this equates to better papers and, yes you guessed it, better grades in your classes!

So there you have it. Get involved and constantly seek to improve your skills as writer. I’m looking forward to seeing your submissions for future issues of Swords and Ploughshares.

Yrs. Truly,
Andy

“As in political so in literary action, a man wins friends for himself mostly by the passion of his prejudices and the narrowness of his outlook.” – Joseph Conrad