General Information
International Quarterly of Foreign Relations is a peer-reviewed international quarterly journal devoted to the study of international relations, foreign policy, diplomacy, international security, strategic studies, international political economy, international law, and related interdisciplinary fields. The journal seeks to promote original scholarship that contributes to both theoretical debates and practical policy discussions at the national, regional, and global levels.
The journal welcomes submissions from scholars, researchers, and practitioners worldwide whose work advances the understanding of contemporary international affairs through rigorous theoretical, empirical, comparative, or interdisciplinary approaches.
Submission Policy
Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the journal's online submission system. Submissions sent by email or through any other means will not be considered for review.
Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published, nor may they be under consideration by another journal at the time of submission. Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality and exclusivity of their work.
The journal gives particular consideration to manuscripts derived from funded research projects, doctoral dissertations, and original research programs that make a substantial contribution to the field.
Originality and Scholarly Contribution
Originality constitutes the primary criterion for evaluating manuscripts submitted to International Quarterly of Foreign Relations. The journal seeks studies that offer innovative theoretical arguments, new empirical evidence, novel interpretations of international developments, or original methodological approaches.
Contributions may include, but are not limited to:
Purely descriptive or literature-review articles that do not provide a clear scholarly contribution are generally not considered for publication.
Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Methodology
Each manuscript should begin with a clearly defined and original research question related to international relations, foreign policy, or international affairs. Explanatory questions that examine causal relationships between actors, institutions, processes, or concepts are strongly preferred over purely descriptive inquiries.
Authors are expected to formulate explicit hypotheses or analytical propositions and to examine those using appropriate scientific, interpretive, qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches.
The journal particularly encourages research addressing major theoretical, historical, strategic, and policy issues that have significant implications for contemporary international relations.
Manuscripts must provide sufficient empirical, qualitative, or documentary evidence to support their central arguments and conclusions.
Manuscript Structure and Format
Manuscripts should not exceed 8,000 words, including references, tables, and appendices.
Each submission should contain the following elements:
Sources and Evidence
Authors are expected to engage with relevant scholarship and to use authoritative and up-to-date sources.
The use of primary sources, international academic literature, and high-quality empirical evidence is strongly encouraged. Manuscripts based on original data collection must provide sufficient methodological information to demonstrate the validity and reliability of the data.
The journal values comparative and internationally oriented research and encourages authors to engage with contemporary debates in the broader field of international studies.
Author Information
Authors must provide the following information in both Persian and English:
Tables, Figures, and Notes
All tables, charts, figures, maps, and illustrations must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. Authors are responsible for providing complete and accurate source information for all visual materials.
The English equivalents of non-English names and technical terms should be provided in footnotes when necessary.
Review Process
All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening to assess their relevance, originality, scholarly quality, and compliance with the journal's policies.
Manuscripts that pass the preliminary evaluation are subjected to a rigorous peer-review process conducted by independent experts in the relevant field. The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection rests with the Editorial Board.
The journal reserves the right to accept, reject, edit, or request revisions to any submission.
Citation and Referencing Style
International Quarterly of Foreign Relations follows the seventh edition of the American Psychological Association (APA 7) referencing style.
To facilitate the submission process, the journal accepts manuscripts prepared according to other widely used citation styles, such as Harvard or Chicago, during the initial review stage. However, authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication are required to revise all citations and references in accordance with APA 7 before final acceptance. The inclusion of DOI identifiers is strongly recommended whenever possible.
Publication Ethics
The journal adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and expects authors to comply with the principles of academic integrity, originality, transparency, and proper attribution.
Any form of plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, or unethical research practice will result in the rejection of the manuscript and may lead to further editorial action.
Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions for copyrighted materials and for ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in their submissions.