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Submission Guidelines for AARC Publications

Thank you for your interest in becoming an AARC author.  We welcome your research, experience and distinctive viewpoints.  As the Chief of Army’s lead agency for coordinating and publishing on the topic of Army land power, we offer an audience within a global network of world class contemporary strategic thinkers. 

These contributor guidelines are intended to assist you to prepare your written work for publication by the AARC.

What Publications Interest you Most?

There are three AARC publications you may wish to write for:

  • Australian Army Journal (AAJ) The AAJ is an Army journal publication of world-class standard.  It focuses on the presentation of contested and evidence-based research and analysis of approx. 4,000-8,000 words (excluding citations) in length.
  • Occasional Paper Series.  The Occasional Paper Series publishes carefully researched, evidence-based and contested analysis of approx. 10,000-20,000 (excluding citations) words in length, including written outcomes of the Australian Research Scheme.
  • Land Power Forum (LPF) The LPF hosts short (600-1000 word) research, observations and opinion about the employment and modernisation of Australian land power, including book reviews. 

(Note: Word length excludes footnotes/endnotes).           

What we are Looking For

The AARC aims to raise the level of professional discussion and debate on war, military force, and future land capability development, including its challenges within Army, the nation, and internationally. The AARC’s point of difference is its focus on land power and land power’s contribution to the Joint force. To this end, the AARC publishes quality and stimulating content that provides insight into the employment and modernisation of Army land power. A good way to learn more about what the AARC publishes is to read past publications.

When writing for the AARC, it is best to present your argument in a narrative structure rather than as a report or brief. Avoid technical jargon and explain any specialised terminology or abbreviations.

Our Review of your Work

The AARC’s publications are hosted on a Defence website and we are responsible to ensure that published works display intellectual rigour and maintain the high standards expected of Army.  So all submissions are subject to an internal review and clearance process.  The depth of review will depend on the publication type, length and content.  Usually, submissions are reviewed by a military expert and a subject matter expert. Authors will be contacted by a member of our publications team who will work with you during the review process.

Images, Illustrations and Diagrams

You may use charts, graphs, or illustrations.  But please ensure that they directly support your argument and are not used as a substitute for well-written prose. The relevance of supporting material needs to be explained - don’t assume it will speak for itself.

For digital publication on the Land Power Forum, all images, illustrations and diagrams must be at least 72dpi and in either .PNG (preferred) or .JPEG format.

For print publication in the Australian Army Journal or Occasional Paper Series, all images, illustrations and diagrams are preferred in the CMYK colour profile, 300dpi and in either .TIFF or .JPEG file format. Vectored graphic files (e.g. .AI, .EPS) will also be accepted.

As a rule, it is best to supply the highest quality imagery available regardless of publication of type.

Other Information to Include

Please include a short (less than 100 word) biography with your submission. This biography should provide a brief summary of your current or previous relevant professional and/or academic experience. 

For submissions to the AAJ or Occasional Paper Series, we also require an abstract (up to 200 words) that summarises the major aspects of your submission. Please include in your abstract the:

  • purpose of your written work
  • key issues addressed
  • conclusions reached, and (if relevant)
  • any recommendations

We welcome you providing a copyright-free cover image to accompany publication of your submission.  We use the Defence Image Gallery to source images.  We also accept open-source material that is ‘Public Domain’ or Creative Common 0 ‘CC0’ classified.  To enable us to access the highest resolution image, we would prefer to receive a jpeg or URL of the source image instead of a copy embedded in your submission.

Referencing

Take care to reference your submissions correctly. The AARC uses the Chicago Manual of Style, version 17A (Notes and Bibliography system). Please do not use in-text referencing.

All references should be automatically formatted in Microsoft Word as endnotes. Table and figure captions and cross-references should also be automatically formatted in Word.

We strongly recommend you use a referencing software program.

Formatting and Style

The presentation and submission preferences that are most important to us are:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
  • 1.5 line spacing
  • 2.5cm margins on all sides
  • 12pt Times New Roman
  • Left align, no justification
  • Use of Heading styles
  • Do not "double enter" to create a space between paragraphs
  • ‘Single quotes’ are to be used instead of “double quotes” unless ‘a quote is “inside” another quote’
  • Minimal use of abbreviations
  • All abbreviations should be written out in full upon the first appearance
  • Spelling is to be anglicised (eg –ise instead of –ize) and according to the Macquarie Dictionary
  • References to countries, economies and regions should be in accordance with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website

Copyright Considerations

The AARC only accepts original, unpublished submissions. We do not consider work that has been published elsewhere. You need to tell us if you have published your contribution elsewhere or if you have already assigned copyright of your work. We prefer that all images, illustrations and diagrams are your own original work or are reproduced from non-copyrighted sources.

If you use copyrighted materials, you are responsible to obtain appropriate permissions (evidence of these permissions will need to be supplied).

When you click ‘submit’ you agree to grant the Commonwealth ownership of your original work. This means you agree to waive, in favour of the Commonwealth, all rights which you may now (or at any time) possess in respect of the written and personal media files that you submit to us. 

For further information about our copyright provisions, please refer to the copyright statement on our website. 

Want to Know More?

By writing for the AARC, you have the opportunity to make a real difference to the future of Army capability.

For more information about the AARC and our publications, connect with us through one of our many communication channels.

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