Editorial Guidelines

The African Journal on Conflict Resolution is a biannual peer-reviewed journal published by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) for the multidisciplinary subject field of conflict resolution. The journal seeks to publish articles and book reviews on subjects relating to conflict, its management and resolution, as well as peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding in Africa. It aims to be a conduit between theory and practice. Contributors should therefore reflect on theoretical approaches and engage practical aspects of preventing and managing armed violence, and building durable peace in Africa.

Statement Regarding ACCORD

ACCORD is a South African-based civil society organisation working throughout Africa to bring creative African solutions to the challenges posed by conflict on the continent. ACCORD’s primary aim is to influence political developments by bringing conflict resolution, dialogue and institutional development to the forefront as an alternative to armed violence and protracted conflict. ACCORD specialises in conflict management, analysis and prevention and intervenes in conflicts through mediation, negotiation, training, research and conflict analysis.

Notes for Contributors

Submission Requirements

We welcome submissions for consideration which address conflict resolution, management and peacebuilding from a scholarly perspective. The Editorial Board encourages academics and practitioners to submit scholarly articles that tackle the issues outlined above, and in particular that investigate questions related to the experiences and lessons of mediation, negotiation, multidimensional peacekeeping and peacebuilding; the faultlines of conflict and causes of armed violence; the nexus between conflict and socio-economic and environmental issues such as climate change, land, food security and natural resources; and development, society, reconciliation and peacebuilding. Prospective authors should submit manuscripts which meet scholarly standards. The Editorial Board has planned to devote the first issue of 2010 to the question of mediation and encourages submissions on this theme.

Submissions should be made electronically, via email. Authors should submit a covering letter requesting review of their manuscripts. The covering letter should confirm that the article being submitted is the author(s)’s original work, does not violate any contractual agreement and has not been published or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Generally, authors are informed about whether their manuscripts have been accepted or rejected within eight weeks. Authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication should expect an eight month turn around from the time of submission to the time of publication.
Accepted articles also undergo a peer-review process whereby three members of the journal’s Peer Advisory Panel or if necessary, an alternative from a specialised academic discipline, evaluate the manuscripts for their quality, originality, and contribution to knowledge. Manuscripts that are accepted to be published in the African Journal on Conflict Resolution must not be published elsewhere.

Presentation

Authors should submit an electronic file (Microsoft Word format) of their article to the Managing Editor of the journal. The full title of the article should be supplied on the title page. The article should be typed in Times New Roman 12 point font size in double spacing. The length of an article is between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including references, and book reviews have a 1,000 word limit. Their format should be identified and captions supplied including all sources and acknowledgements. A structured abstract of 200 words in length, covering the main factual points and statement of objective and research question, thesis, method, results, analysis and conclusions should accompany the article including a list of six keywords for abstracting and indexing services. Do not attempt layout. Figures and tables should also be saved as separate files with their position clearly marked in the text. A short biographical abstract of the author/s including name, mailing address, telephone, fax and email address as well as designation and country should also be included.

Where to send articles

Authors can send their manuscripts by email, as a Microsoft Word attachment, to the Managing Editor of the journal:

Professor Jannie Malan
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and copied to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

References

The journal’s referencing style requires the use of author–date style (also known as the Harvard). This style is simple, clear and renders footnotes obsolete. Guidelines for referencing and in-text citation can be downloaded on the ACCORD website at http://www.accord.org.za.