Submit an Article

Each issue gives significant attention to a single topic, but touches on other topics of interest as well, to ensure well-rounded coverage.

There is no cost to submit an article for the Journal.

The Journal is published 6 times per year and combines short columns with longer feature articles. Additionally, the Journal offers online-exclusive articles weekly. These articles undergo the same rigorous double-blind peer-review process.

Editorial Calendar

We invite you to submit articles on any topics that are part of the Journal's editorial calendar as well as on additional topics of interest to the industry.

Why Invest in Being Published?

Publishing an article in the ISACA Journal offers you several benefits. It places your name in front of your peers, establishes you as an expert in a technical area and enables you to exchange ideas with your colleagues. In addition, Journal authors are eligible for CPEs, recognized for ISACA certifications under the "publication of articles, monographs and books" category of the Contributions to the Profession section of Qualifying Educational Activities.

ISACA Journal is listed in Cabell's (http://www.cabells.com).

Who May Write and About What?

Authors should cover either new developments in the field or in-depth technically oriented subjects. Major features should have broad appeal and focus on practical matters; purely theoretical material is not solicited. Authors are not required to be association members.

The ISACA Journal predominantly publishes original manuscripts. However, in some cases, finished manuscripts also will be considered. Advertising and public relations agency submissions are considered only if the submissions are objective, balanced and cite examples from US as well as non-US countries.

Our Reader Profile

The ISACA Journal's more than 250,000 readers are practitioners, managers and senior executives in more than 180 countries around the world. The circulation list is a combination of association members; paid subscribers, which includes university, corporate and government libraries worldwide; and pass-alongs.

According to a recent reader survey:

• Journal readers include IS auditors, IS audit managers, IS consultants, compliance/risk/privacy professionals, IT managers, IT security managers and executive managers, among others.
• More than 65 percent work in companies with an annual budget of more than US $1 million.
• Thirty-two percent pass their copy of the Journal along to at least three other people.
• In terms of the perceived benefits of the Journal, readers rate access to exclusive, peer-reviewed, noncommercial industry-related content as most important.

Types of Articles Accepted

Articles may be factual recitations of research or experiential findings, or they may express the author’s opinion on a topic pertinent to Journal readers. (Opinion articles will be clearly identified as such.) Articles should be from four to ten double-spaced pages (standard Word document in 12 pt Times New Roman) in length. Articles may be edited for length and appropriateness of content for our readers.

A strong article will commingle the pertinent facts with references to personal experience, and use anecdotes to illustrate the author’s key points. Quotations from other experts involved also add to the article’s depth. Please obtain quotes and add perspective from as broad a mix of countries as possible, in recognition of the international nature of the Journal readership. The use of references and/or endnotes is strongly encouraged, as they increase the relevance and significance of an article and increase its relevance to the industry’s general body of knowledge. The author is responsible for obtaining any necessary permission for quoted or borrowed material.

Articles based on surveys or questionnaires must indicate when and where the study was done, relate the number of respondents, and include a brief analysis of the results and an evaluation of the significance of the results.

Authors are strongly encouraged to include exhibits, graphics and artwork for an article. They will assist the reader in comprehending and retaining the information in your article. Such items are treated as text manuscripts requiring the same warranties and assignments. Art files should be submitted separately from the text, in jpg, tif or gif format. Again, the author is responsible for obtaining any necessary permission for borrowed material.

Submission Requirements

The following guidelines must be followed when formatting a document for submission to the Journal:

• Electronic submission is required; in Microsoft Word is preferable.
• These documents parameters must be followed:
  • Turn off the hyphenation.
  • Double-space lines.
  • Number pages in the upper right corner.
  • Turn off the right justify option.
  • Do not use automation headers/footers.
  • Turn off track changes and ensure all changes have been accepted/rejected, as appropriate.
  • Remove any and all comments.
  • Select standard printer specs.
  • Avoid special characters or keys. (For example, for indents use the TAB rather than the indent key.)
• Article length should be from four to ten pages, double-spaced (standard Word document in 12 pt Times New Roman). Articles will be edited for length and appropriateness of content for Journal readers.
• Use endnotes at the end of the article, rather than footnotes, to credit sources. Include all relevant source information (e.g., author, publisher, title of book or article, magazine name, date/year of publication, country of publication). Follow “Author Acknowledgement of Copyright” guidance provided below.
• Include a reference section for any and all general references. Include all relevant source information (e.g., author, publisher, title of book or article, magazine name, date/year of publication, country of publication). Follow “Author Acknowledgement of Copyright” guidance provided below.
• Include a brief biography including current position, background, professional affiliations, and books or articles published. Avoid including educational information.
• Submit material in English, the author’s preferred language or both. Non-English language articles are encouraged. Please discuss this with the editor, mjasper@sceduc.net, prior to submission.

Author Acknowledgment of Copyright

Citations or copyright acknowledgements are needed for any materials that are not solely the original creation of the author. When submitting work to ISACA, these copyrighted materials must be clearly identified to ensure that proper attribution and credit is given to the original copyright holder. Typically this information falls into one of two categories:

Text

• Written material that is not the original idea or creation of the author should include a citation in the form of an endnote. This includes paraphrased material from another source.
• Direct quotations should include context within the running text.
  • If a large amount of text is to be quoted, formal permission from the copyright holder may need to be requested.

Graphics

• Graphics include, but are not limited to, figures, tables, photographs and diagrams.
• Any graphic from an outside source must have a complete citation line when submitted with the draft.
• Graphic image files should be submitted with the draft.
• Any graphic material that is adapted from a third-party source or uses third-party source material requires a citation or reference indicating this.

Citation/Reference Lines

• Citations and references should include at a minimum:
  • Author(s), if applicable
  • Title of book, book chapter, article and/or webpage, if applicable
  • If an article, title of magazine or publication
  • If a book, name and location of publisher
  • Date of publication
  • Complete URL, if applicable
  • Original figure number and/or location/page number of material used

Requesting Permission
Periodicals authors must make all permissions requests and be able to provide proof of permission upon request. ISACA reserves the right to refuse/replace any copyrighted material.

Any questions pertaining to permissions and/or copyrighted material can be sent to publication@sceduc.net.

Review Process

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal are acknowledged by the staff upon receipt. Manuscripts are subject to review by two or more members of the Journal review team.

The double-blind, peer-review process generally takes four to six weeks, depending on the length of the article, its complexity, and the anticipated date of publication or the topic’s relevance to upcoming themes. When the review process is complete, authors will be informed of the reviewers’ comments and recommendations regarding publication.

Each article published in the Journal becomes part of the Journal’s overall copyright, as specified in the Author Warranty and Copyright Assignment form that authors are asked to sign.

Accepted articles are usually published within three to six months of their acceptance. Published authors receive three copies of the issue. Additional copies may be received upon request. There is no honorarium for Journal authors.

Manuscripts for publication in the ISACA Journal are edited for grammar and according to The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage and the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (www.merriam-webster.com). Significant content revisions are returned to the author to be made.

Copyright and Reprints

ISACA obtains first international serial rights to any published manuscript in the ISACA Journal. While every effort is made to preserve the author's (or authors') style, the Journal Editorial Committee and staff reserve the right to edit articles.

Article reprints are available after publication. For more information, contact IPinfo@sceduc.net.

Send Your Article to...

Please e-mail manuscripts as Microsoft Word attachments, and illustrations as a jpg, tif or gif attachment, to: publication@sceduc.net.

A Checklist for Success

Helpful Hints for Getting Published

Drafting a manuscript takes time and practice. Crafting an article to fit a publication's style requires an eye for editorial detail. Here are some tips regarding the ISACA Journal that will help prospective authors become published:

Keep the readers in mind. Remember that while the readers are a sophisticated audience, both in technical training and in education, they also are busy. Be concise when expressing ideas and use subheadings to break up the text and make skimming easier.

• Follow a journalistic style. Provide details that illustrate the position expressed in the article and follow a logical progression of ideas. Vary sentence lengths to make reading easier and to engage the reader.
• Write in the third person.
• Write in the active voice using active verbs. (For example, use "Write the sentence..." rather than "The sentence should be written...".)
• Use specific examples and case histories to illustrate points, but be careful not to promote an individual, company, product or service.
• Address readers clearly. Avoid unnecessarily complex vocabulary, clichés and excessive jargon.
• Use bullets to make points easier to read.
• Provide a summary of the major points of the article at the end.
• If the article becomes too long, consider separating some of the copy to form a sidebar. Sidebars should include supporting facts or data and should be no longer than 250 words.
• Provide supporting tables, figures, charts or artwork along with the manuscript. Indicators of the location of supporting illustrations should be included in the text, so the Journal staff will know where to place them and so the reader can easily determine the relevance, but the actual art itself should be submitted in a jpg, tif or gif file, separate from the text. Titles should be included that explain the relevance and significance of these supporting items.
• Please do not submit articles with automatic headers and footers or track changes functions engaged.
• Give the article a final edit to eliminate unnecessary words. Make sure paragraphs flow smoothly and logically.

Best wishes for a successful publishing experience!

Editors
Chief Editor
Betsie Estes, bestes@sceduc.net

Asiah Lewis, alewis@sceduc.net
Abigail Norton, anorton@sceduc.net

Editorial Office
Betsie Estes
ISACA Journal
1700 E. Golf Road, Suite 400
Schaumburg, Illinois 60173, USA
+1.847.660.5553