Write For Us

The CDA Institute accepts submissions on a rolling basis. All submissions are thoroughly peer-reviewed. We welcome authors from any background: students, scholars, serving or retired military personnel, etc. We encourage those authors to focus on their core areas of expertise. The CDA Institute’s mission is to encourage the widest possible discussion of issues in defence and security. Nonetheless, the CDA Institute reserves the right to edit contributions to our portfolio of publications for coherence and space. Authors are responsible for the content of their papers. The views expressed through written publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute or its staff.

*We highly recommend that potential contributors read the guidelines prior of submitting their work.

Topics of Interest

The Conference of Defence Associations Institute welcomes submissions that contribute to the discourse on a range of pertinent defence and security topics. Our publications focus on areas including but not limited to:

• Canadian and Foreign Defence and Security: Analyzing strategic, policy, and operational aspects.
• Grey-Zone Conflict: Exploring non-traditional forms of conflict and aggression;
• Continental Defence: Examining defence strategies and policies across North America;
• Force Development: Insights into the evolution and modernization of military forces;
• Indo-Pacific Strategy: Addressing strategic concerns and dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region;
• Transatlantic Security: North America-Europe security partnership, particularly in the NATO context;
• Cyber and Space Security: Delving into the challenges in cybersecurity and space as a military domain;
• Military Technology and Procurement: Covering advancements and processes in military technologies and acquisitions;
• Radicalization: Understanding the drivers and prevention strategies of extremism and terrorism;
• Military Culture/Recruitment and Retention: Examining aspects of leadership, ethics, and management within military organizations;
• Climate Change and Security: Assessing the implications of climate change on national and global security.

Publications Format

1. Op-ed
2. Threat Assessment
3. Policy Paper
4. On Track

OP-ED (700 – 1,400 words)

Content specifics: Thought-provoking and intelligible piece either take a specific topic overlooked in the public debate; or bring a new angle on something that is in the news within the defence and security or international relations realms.

Format specifics: Publish as a web-entry, this publication is subject to a loose structure. References must be done through hyperlinks – if appropriate. Destinated for a broad audience, these contributions must carefully weigh the use of technical language.

Submission specifics: Abstracts are not required for submission. Authors should provide a brief bio to accompany their work, demonstrating their authority on the subject at hand.

Threat Assessment (2,500 – 4,000 words – exclusive of references)

Content specifics: Threat Assessments identify and detail a traditional, ongoing, emergent, and/or future threat to Canadian national security with the purpose of encouraging and increasing public awareness, knowledge, and informed debate. Designed to be educative, these reports invite experts to provide comprehensive overviews of issues they see as threats to Canada and its citizens. Experts then analyze current policies and responses and offer recommendations for actionable solutions. Historical pieces will not be accepted.

Format specifics: Publish as PDF, the document must be appropriately referenced (see further information at the end of the guidelines). The authors are invited to use headings / subheadings to guide readership. The final version must contain an abstract.

Submission specifics: Authors must submit an abstract. Upon approval, the CDAI publication management team will propose a timeframe for publication. Authors should provide a brief bio to accompany their work, demonstrating their authority on the subject at hand.

Policy Paper (4,000 – 10,000 words – exclusive of references)

Content specifics: The Policy Paper Series provides an in-depth discussion of critical defence and security issues impacting Canadians today. Policy Papers offer substantive commentary on strategic security and defence matters affecting Canada and its citizens. Historical pieces that draw lessons from recent operations or experiences will also be considered.

Format specifics: Publish as PDF, the document must be appropriately referenced (see further information at the end of the guidelines). The authors are invited to use headings / subheadings to guide readership. The final version must contain an abstract.

Submission specifics: Authors must submit an abstract. Upon approval, the CDAI publication management team will propose a timeframe for publication. Authors should provide a brief bio to accompany their work, demonstrating their authority on the subject at hand.

ON TRACK (5-7 articles – 1500 – 3,500 words – exclusive of references

Content specifics: ON TRACK is the official journal of the CDA Institute, published quarterly. Its purpose is to promote informed public debate on the role of the armed forces and to explore discussions in defence and security. The journal achieves this by publishing various articles united under an overarching theme. While ON TRACK primarily focuses on Canadian defence and policy issues, research papers on international topics will also be considered.

Format specifics: Publish as PDF (see further information at the end of the guidelines). The authors are invited to use headings / subheadings to guide readership.

Submission specifics: The journals are done jointly with invited editors. Guest editors are responsible for authoring the Executive Summary and Introduction and ensuring the quality and consistency of the content and arguments presented by the co-authors. The CDA Institute acts as an intermediary to execute the peer-review process, and supervise the completion of the overall project.

To apply to be a Guest Editor of ON TRACK:  submit to submissions@cdainstitute.ca the following:

• A short proposal that outlines the topic of the edition you wish to lead;
• V. and/or biography that demonstrates your qualifications to act as the lead editor of the edition you are proposing.

General Guidelines

• All articles should be the author’s original work and be succinct, well written, and referenced accordingly (see referencing section);
• All submissions are anonymously and thoroughly peer-reviewed by specialists in the selected field;
• All contributors are asked to read and follow the Institute’s in-house style guide;
• All submissions should be double-spaced and set in 12 pt Times New Roman;
• All submissions should be submitted as a word document;
• Visual aids and figures are encouraged (Any graphs should not be embedded in the text but should be attached separately when submitted);
• The submission of any content to other publications must be indicated.

Referencing

The CDA Institute require that all references (except op-ed) be formatted using the Chicago-style (author-date) intra-text. Examples of Chicago style formatting can be found here. Footnotes may still be use to provide further details or comments on a specific issue.

CDA Institute In-House Style

Please take note of the in-house style below:

• Acronyms and Abbreviations — All acronyms must be fully spelled out when they first appear;
• Canadian Spelling — Use Canadian spelling (-ize for words like organize and -re for words like centre);
• Capitalization — Capitals should be used for specific references only. For example, Prime Minister Trudeau is capitalized; a meeting of prime ministers is not;
• Contractions — Avoid use of contractions like don’t, can’t, shouldn’t;
• Currency — Write out in number form: $200, $2,000, $2 million;
• Dates — 1 October 2018; 2000-2018; the 2000s; the twenty-first century;
• Foreign Words — Italicize unfamiliar foreign words and phrases;
• Names — Double-check the spelling of all names;
• Numbers — Write out numbers below twenty and write out ordinals up to 10th (first, second, third etc.);
• Percentages — Use percent. For example, 10 percent;
• Quotation Marks — Use double quotation marks, but use single quote marks for a quotation within double quotes.

How to submit:

To submit your work/abstract or to discuss a proposal, please contact our team at submissions@cdainstitute.ca.

When submitting, please ensure that you include a succinct personal bio that demonstrates that you are qualified to write authoritatively on the subject matter you propose to explorec