Spring 2024 CALL FOr submissions

— CLOSED —

Our call for submissions is now closed. We will open a call for submissions once again in the Fall.

If you have submitted a piece for consideration for our Spring 2024 issue, please note that pieces are selected through an author blind review process in March and we will be in touch with authors of selected pieces within two weeks following the submission deadline. We appreciate your interest in publishing with YJIA.

Submission Guidelines

YJIA will only consider four types of submissions. When submitting, please observe the following submission requirements. 

Consider these requirements a checklist. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a rejection during our blind review process.

1) Articles (1,500 to 3,500 words)

  • Articles should have a main argument that can be summarized in one sentence.

  • Articles must include clear, specific, and actionable policy recommendations. Submitted work should not just describe a problem, but offer ways to solve it. 

  • Articles should be geared toward a knowledgeable reader of international affairs, but not a specialist in a topic area.

  • We prefer articles that are free of unexplained jargon (e.g., path dependency, cultural Marxism) and throat-clearing (e.g. “it must be realized that” or “in an era of deep technological change”)

  • Please note YJIA no longer accepts pitches. We only accept full-length article drafts. 

2) Op-Eds (600 to 850 words)

  • Op-eds should make one argument.

  • Op-eds can and should be topical, but should avoid being so time-specific as to become dated hours after publication.

  • We accept op-eds in advance of a planned event (Publication not until afterwards).

3) Book reviews (1,500 words or less)

  • We accept book reviews for books released within the past 12 months, or if you would like to review two books on the same topic, at least one must be within the past twelve months.

  • If you are a book publisher and would like to submit a review copy to us, please send it to Yale Journal of International Affairs, 55 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06511

4) Photo essays (up to 25 images)

  • Please include captions with all pictures and a short narrative (500 words or less) to precede and set up your photo essay.

  • A photo essay is a narrative tool. Each image should convey a powerful message while the whole should also tell a comprehensive and coherent story.

  • Photo essays explore the human condition, social or political issues, or the character of places and events; all should have a focus on international themes.

  • We are looking for images with clarity, aesthetic style, and documentary integrity, and welcome essays with up to 25 photographs.

Formatting your submission

  • Submissions can be in the following file formats: docx, doc, and rtf. Please do not submit PDFs. 

  • Please include a title of no more than 10 words, accompanied by a short descriptive subtitle. 

  • All submissions must be original work, with all quotations and references properly cited.

  • All citations should take the form of endnotes.

  • All submissions must conform to the conventions of the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition.

  • All submissions must include a short bio of the author, which must indicate current institutional affiliation and not exceed three sentences in length.

  • All submissions must be exclusive to YJIA, unless the article is time-sensitive and the author explicitly acknowledges submission to other publications at the time of submission. Failure to acknowledge submission to other publications may be grounds for rejection. 

  • Submissions should include a photograph to accompany the piece on our website. The photograph should be licensed under Creative Commons for reproduction or the author’s original image. 



ABOUT YJIA

The Yale Journal of International Affairs (YJIA) is a journal run by graduate students that seeks to bridge the gap between academia and the policy world. YJIA publishes articles, interviews, and op-eds by academic scholars, think tanks, policy practitioners, and advanced graduate students on international affairs topics with implications for policy. We look for bold, original arguments and thoughtful policy critiques.

Past contributors to the Yale Journal of International Affairs include: Francis Gavin, Robert Jervis, John M. Owen IV, Marc Trachtenberg, Stephen M. Walt, David Cohen, Alexander Evans, Janet Napolitano, Oona Hathaway, Stanley McChrystal, Tony Blair, Paul Collier, Joseph Stiglitz, John Negroponte, and Mary Kaldor, among others. To view YJIA’s print archives, click the “Print Journal” tab at the top of this page.

YJIA publishes through two calls for submissions per year. The fall semester call for submissions seeks pieces for online publication, while the spring call seeks pieces for both print and online publication. As of 2021, YJIA reviews all submissions through an author-blind process to reduce bias in selection. 

Due to volume, please note we are not be able to respond to every submission.