Guidelines for Authors

Submission process 

All submissions should be sent with a clear subject line [Journal submission: Title of article] to [email protected]. We aim to attract scholars working on security studies, peace and security, international and regional structures, actors, and African peace operations. Submission should critically examine emerging challenges, responses to these challenges, and challenges that exist or add to existing perspectives and focus on the unique African-led examples emerging from a chosen theme.  

We welcome both individual and co-authored proposals for consideration for publication. Individual paper proposals will be evaluated on merit even if submitted as part of a group submission. 

Individual scholars interested in submitting an individual paper proposal are invited to submit: (1) a proposed title; (2) 200-words abstract and 600-words introduction which should include the papers core arguments, gaps in the literature, research design and detailed outline of the paper; (3) a biography of the author or authors if submitting as a group.

Requirements

Each paper observes a 6000-8000-word limit including references, tables, charts, figures, and any other attachments. Materials submitted must be original and must not have been published either in full or part elsewhere without the publisher’s express permission. A text similarity index above 10% will be considered as plagiarism. The use of AI tools must be disclosed transparently. Submissions that fail to disclose AI-assisted content or that rely on AI in ways that compromise academic integrity will be rejected. The text of the article must be formatted in Times New Roman, font size 12 with 1.5 line spacing. There should be 2.0 spacing before and after a heading. All headers must be in Times New Roman font size 14, Bold. Referencing must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition style. 

All submissions will undergo an initial editorial screening before being considered for peer review. Manuscripts that do not comply with the submission requirements, formatting guidelines, word limit, referencing style, plagiarism threshold and AI disclosure requirements will not proceed to the review stage and may be returned to the author(s) for correction or rejected outright. Authors are therefore strongly advised to ensure full compliance with all submission guidelines prior to submission. 

All papers should be organised according to the following framework:

• • Addressing the problem(s) and explaining the paper’s purpose and scope using single or multiple theoretical analyses and relevant literature; 
  • Presenting a clear discussion section of the materials presented;
  • Highlighting unique African-led experiences relevant to the theme under examination;
  • Using the correct APA (7th Edition) citation and referencing style, and;
  • Offering a conclusion with clear policy implications and contributions to theory/knowledge.

 Publication Process

• • Call for Papers
  • Submission of proposed title, abstract, introduction and a biography of the author(s)
  • Submission of First Draft
  • Reviews and Revisions
  • Proofreading and Copy Editing
  • Publication

Author Fees

The African Solutions Journal (AfSol) does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, processing, peer review, or publication. All articles are published free of charge to authors.