Get your International Affairs paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to International Affairs goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the International Affairs guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to International Affairs. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the International Affairs journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the International Affairs guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the International Affairs guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Int Affairs requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract of no more than 200 words required for all submissions (research articles, policy papers, book reviews). Policy papers must additionally include a concise executive summary of no more than 200 words, presented as four or five bullet points |
| Main text | Research articles: 7,000-9,000 words including footnotes. Policy papers: 3,000-4,000 words including footnote references. Book reviews: 700-900 words (900-1,000 for review of two books). Submissions exceeding or falling under stated limits receive technical rejection |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | International Affairs house style, footnote-based citation system. Full details provided in the journal's style guide at https://static.primary.prod.gcms.the-infra.com/static/site/ia/document/ia-house-style.pdf. Includes author name (full forenames), title, place of publication, publisher, date, and page reference for books; journal title, volume and issue numbers, year and page reference for articles. DOI required for journal articles. Short titles used for subsequent mentions (not ibid.) |
| Peer review | Double-blind (double-anonymous) peer review. Manuscripts are sent for anonymous peer review to a minimum of two independent reviewers |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/inta |
Read the International Affairs guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to International Affairs in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Int Affairs papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the International Affairs journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the International Affairs guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).