Aims and Scope
Founded in 2012, Saber and Scroll is the peer-reviewed general history journal of the American Military University and American Public University. Saber and Scroll publishes articles, essays, book reviews, and museum reviews on all topics within the discipline of any history or military history topic. Submissions covering general history during any period and in every geographic region are welcome as long as they are historical in nature.
Saber and Scroll serves as a point of scholarship, conversation, and debate for military historians ranging from aspiring and emerging scholars to independent historians and academic historians from around the world. The Saber and Scroll is affiliated with American Military University and American Public University, allowing it to reach a wide and diverse audience ranging from independent historians, students, and faculty, making it a resource for those who read and write about military history.
Saber and Scroll is also noted for its reviews of museums. This allows readers to discover those smaller and less well-known museums associated with military history.
Ownership and Management
Saber and Scroll is published by the Policy Studies Organization (PSO) in Washington, DC. PSO advances policy analysis and development in multiple fields by publishing peer-reviewed journals, books, and book series. It was founded in 1972 as an outgrowth of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and produces over 20 national and international policy journals. Saber and Scroll’s academic home is American Military University.
Business Model
The Policy Studies Organization (PSO) is a not-for-profit organization and does not charge membership fees. Saber and Scroll does not charge fees for submission, article review, processing, or publication.
Publishing Schedule
Saber and Scroll is committed to publishing bi-annually, the first being a Winter Issue, then Winter, followed by a Spring and then Summer issue.
Journal Copyrights and Licensing
The Saber and Scroll is an open-access journal. This allows for immediate free access to the work and permits any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose. This is under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No-Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Authorship
Authorship is limited to those who made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the article. Individuals who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included in the paper and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
Author Copyright Policy
You retain ownership of the copyright to your article but grant PSO the non-exclusive right to publish it in PSO’s Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy (JCIP) - www.jcip1.org - as well as in any other publication that may be directly derived from this journal, such as print and digital books owned and published by PSO.
Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed to the Editor-in-Chief immediately.
Citations
The individual reference format should follow the style guide of the Chicago Manual of Style:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html
Including a hyperlink to the web-based article is encouraged, if possible, for a reference and practice for the author.
Originality, Plagiarism, and Acknowledgement of Sources
Authors will submit original works and appropriately cite or quote the work and words of others. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited. Plagiarism and making fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unacceptable behavior.
AI-Generated Content Policy
It is Saber and Scroll’s policy that all published articles be the original creation of its author(s) and not, in whole or in part, the product of Generative AI tools.
As of January 1, 2024, the Editors-in-Chief may reject outright or require some or all of an article to be revised if he/she reasonably believes it contains AI-generated content that is not compliant with the Submission Guidelines.
The Author’s Cover Letter, which accompanies all submissions, must attest that “This submission is the original work of the author(s) and does not contain any AI-generated content.”
The only exception to this policy is the author’s use of office productivity tools that correct misspellings, grammatical errors, and bibliographical entries and notes, such as a spell checker, Grammarly, Citation Machine, etc. …
Any questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief.
Errors in Published Works
If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must notify the Editor-in-Chief (saberandscrolljournal@gmail.com) as soon as possible. From that point, the author and the editorial board will work together to correct or retract the published work in question (See the Corrections and Retractions section below).
Responsibility of the Reviewers
Reviewers should strive to be objective in their assessments. Reviewers’ comments should be clearly expressed and supported by data or arguments. Personal criticism of the author(s) is not appropriate.
Manuscripts for review must be considered confidential documents. Information concerning the manuscripts should not be discussed with others without the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. Reviewers will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their research purposes without the author(s)’ explicit written consent. Reviewers will recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest relating to the reviewed article’s subject matter.
Based on the journal’s double-blind peer review process, reviewers will notify the Editor-in-Chief at the earliest point where they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies or institutions connected to the articles.
Peer Review Process
- An Initial review determines if the submission suits the Saber and Scroll and meets all the Submission Guidelines. The Editor-in-Chief (EIC) may involve an Associate Editor or Editorial Board Member in this review process;
- If a submission does not meet the minimum requirements or is not a proper subject matter for the Saber and Scroll, the submission may be rejected and returned to the author with comments or necessary changes to meet the requirements for resubmission;
- Saber and Scroll conducts double-blind reviews. For eligible manuscripts, two peer reviewers are typically assigned for an initial review, and on occasion, an Associate Editor or Editorial Board Member may be involved in a review. Peer reviewers who possess knowledge in the relevant discipline are assigned whenever possible. Each reviewer makes an individual determination regarding the submission and provides both general and specific comments when necessary;
- Based on Submission Guidelines, manuscripts are submitted with a separate cover page containing author identification and institutional affiliation, which the peer reviewers do not see;
- Peer reviewers submit their reviews to the Editor-in-Chief, who then assesses the reviews;
- The EIC transfers the reviews to the corresponding author anonymously after the second peer review has been received. The EIC uses a consolidated peer review format for author ease of use.
Responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief’s key responsibility is determining which journal submissions will be published. Decisions are made based on a manuscript’s perceived merit. The Editor-in-Chief will also oversee any discussion related to academic debate, appeals, corrections, and retractions, as explained in the following sections. Furthermore, the Editor-in-Chief will continuously work to create a fully inclusive environment for authors, readers, and reviewers alike.
Academic Debate
Saber and Scroll encourages academic debate over the articles that have been published. Constructive comments, complaints, and criticisms should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief (saberandscrolljournal@gmail.com) and the article’s author(s).
Appeals
Authors looking to appeal decisions made by the editorial board and/or peer reviewers should contact the Editor-in-Chief (saberandscrolljournal@gmail.com). To maintain the double-blind peer review process, the Editor-in-Chief will mediate all communication between the Author and Reviewer. Any editorial decisions concerning the matter are final.
Corrections
Readers are encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief (saberandscrolljournal@gmail.com) if they find any errors in any article published by Saber and Scroll. In the event of an error, the EIC will work with the author(s) and the publisher to correct the identified error. If the identified error is found to invalidate the article in question, editors will consider retracting the article.
Any corrections made to an article will be recorded, and a log of corrections will be made readily available to readers. Articles will be updated on every applicable part of the website as soon as corrections have been approved, as well as an update to the journal’s print version.
Retractions
Saber and Scroll is committed to maintaining the highest level of integrity in the articles published. Therefore, articles with severe errors and/or unreliable findings may be eligible for retractions. Such scenarios for retraction include:
• Plagiarism
• Unauthorized data usage
• Copyright infringement
• Failure to disclose conflicts of interest
• Major miscalculations
• Data fabrication
• Falsification of Materials
• Other serious matters, as deemed by the Editorial Board
In the event of a retraction, the EIC will promptly identify the retracted article on the Saber and Scroll website. This identification will include a date of retraction, the issuer of the retraction, and detailed reasoning for the retraction.
Inclusivity and Impartiality
Saber and Scroll is dedicated to creating a completely inclusive space for critical infrastructure discussions. This includes cultivating a welcoming environment for authors, reviewers, and readers. Discriminating and bias-related language will not be tolerated to create such an environment. This includes language concerning any party’s race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and political beliefs.
Saber and Scroll’s double-blind peer review process helps alleviate concerns of discrimination or favor on the reviewer’s part. The Editor-in-Chief will choose the best reviewer to impartially review the article in question. Care will be taken to ensure that the reviewer has no conflict of interest in the article’s subject matter and that any judgment is impartial. The Editor-in-Chief will also work to eliminate any identifiable information from the article that would result in a partial review.
Bias-Free Language
The Editorial Board will ensure that all articles use appropriate terminology and avoid bias-related language to create a welcoming environment for any reader. This includes, but is not limited to, the language concerning race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and political beliefs. Authors shall avoid using derogatory descriptions or offensive language unless the descriptions are integral to the article in question (e.g., direct quotes).
Any concerns about Inclusivity, Bias, and/or Discrimination should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief.
Borders and Territories
Since history is a topic that may intertwine with geopolitics, border disputes and ongoing regional disputes may play a factor in published articles. To minimize unnecessary controversy, the Editor-in-Chief may have a discussion with the author(s) if references to a disputed territory are considered inappropriate. Ultimately, matters will be handled on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.