HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The International Studies Association-Southwest (ISASW) is a regional affiliate of the parent organization, the International Studies Association whose editorial offices are currently affiliated with the University of Connecticut. The states in the southwest region encompass: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Our membership, however, is not limited to this particular region and over the years has attracted individuals from all over the country as well as from overseas.
A year ago at the business meeting of our annual convention in
Galveston, Texas, members of the organization by a unanimous vote supported
the motion to publish an electronic journal, The Southwestern Journal of International
Studies. The idea was to promote scholarship and offer an additional outlet
for the tremendous amount of research being done in the area of international
studies. Members felt that a significant amount of important research was either
being delayed or lost in the process of getting it published because of a lack
of sufficient journal space. Moreover an e-journal because of its nature would
be able to facilitate the dissemination of scholarship in a more timely fashion
compared to traditional print journals that understandably take longer to publish.
Dr. Dragan Stefanovic' of the Political Science Department of Appalachian State
University, who had originally presented the idea, was selected as the editor
and was asked to start
the journal. Dr. Dean A. Minix, Professor and Chair of the Political Science
Department of Northern Kentucky University, Dr. Abbas Manafy, Department Chair
and Professor of Political Science New Mexico Highlands University, Dr. Kelechi
Kalu Associate Professor of Political Science University of Northern Colorado
and Dr. David R. Dávila Villers Profesor Titular Universidad de las Américas
Puebla, Mexico were selected as coeditors and asked to assist in editorial review
as well. Dr. Gustavo Wensjoe Associate Professor and Associate Director of the
Center for International Studies University of St. Thomas, Dr. Rathnam Indurthy
Associate Professor of Government McNeese State University and Dr. Jawad Barghothi
Professor of Political Science Appalachian State University were added to the
group at the meeting in Ft. Worth.
To start, the journal will be published on an annual basis in the Fall. It will be divided into several sections that will contain peer reviewed international studies articles, yearly updates on the situation in regional hotspots, selected articles submitted by graduate and undergraduate students, book reviews and information about conferences.
Authors who desire to have their manuscripts considered for publication should submit them electronically as attachments to an e-mail message to the editor at stefanovicd@appstate.edu. Hard copy submissions should include one copy of the manuscript and a diskette with the paper saved on it and should be sent to the editor Dr. Dragan Stefanovic' Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. Submissions should be double spaced with one inch margins and should follow the American Political Science Review reference format. In-text parenthetical references, alphabetized references at the end of the text and the use of endnotes instead of footnotes are expected. A short abstract of no more than 100 to 150 words should be included in the submission.
Selection of articles will be based on a peer review process of at least three reviewers. Graduate student articles will follow the same process. Articles will be published only if approved by a majority of the assigned reviewers. Undergraduate student papers, as agreed at the Ft. Worth Conference, will be reviewed by Dr. Kelechi Kalu, Dr. Gustavo Wensjoe and Dr. Dragan Stefanovic' and selected for publishing based on their recommendations. The one exception to this process will be undergraduate papers selected for the best paper award at the yearly conference. These papers will be edited and automatically published in the next issue of the journal. Undergraduate students desiring to submit papers for publication should have a faculty sponsor review their work and send a recommendation along with the paper to: wensjoe@stthom.edu or kakalu@bentley.unco.edu.
To be considered for the yearly best paper award undergraduate students will be required to present their papers at the annual conference and to submit their papers for review at least two weeks prior to the conference to wensjoe@stthom.edu and to kakalu@bentley.unco.edu. Winners will be given a monetary reward, a memeto and will have their paper published in the journal.
A yearly update of regional hotspots will be published based on the submissions of papers and yearly roundtable discussion at the ISASW conference. Roundtable participants will be selected by the conference program chair and will be asked to submit short papers (one to three pages) covering their area of expertise. Submissions will be edited, reviewed and published in the journal.
Authors desiring to publish book reviews should contact Dr. Dean A. Minix at minix@NKU.edu the book editor and propose a title for review. Book reviews should be limited to five or six pages of 300 words each. \
Information about conferences should be prepared by program directors and submitted for publication to the editor not later than September 15.
The journal will also include comments by the president of ISASW and editor's notes.
The editors welcome suggestions and comments about our journal and its articles. Correspondence should be directed to: stefanovicd@appstate.edu or minix@NKU.edu.