About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Comillas Journal of International Relations is a semiannual scientific journal edited as an Open Access Journal by the Department of International Relations (Faculty of Human and Social Sciences) of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas.

Comillas Journal of International Relations consists of the following indexes and international databases: DOAJ, ERIH, OCLC, CIRC, and Dialnet.

From a thematic perspective, the journal maintains an open approach to contributions from various fields of knowledge related to the study of international phenomena—such as international relations theory, international history, international sociology, security, cooperation, strategic studies, and regional studies. However, given the increasing integration among states and societies, and the resulting close connection between national and international political dynamics, the journal also welcomes submissions from political theory, political science, and comparative politics. These contributions should aim to explain the relationships between domestic and global actors and factors, and how each can influence the other in shaping international events.

The journal is also interested in studies that explore the concept of strategic autonomy, understood as the growing willingness of international actors to make fundamental decisions while reducing their dependence on others. This topic encompasses contemporary international relations across political, economic, military, and technological domains. Addressing it requires a deep understanding of the causes behind this trend and its potential consequences in terms of increased or diminished cooperation among national and international actors. As strategic autonomy has become a widespread aspiration among most contemporary international players—major powers, middle powers, small states, and regional blocs—the journal aims to establish a forum for dialogue among scholars, scientists, policymakers, and civil society members. This forum will foster the study and interpretation of strategic autonomy from the perspective of all academic disciplines related to international relations.

In line with these objectives, the journal welcomes contributions from any theoretical and methodological approach, thereby fostering dialogue and debate among different paradigms.

Aims:

1. To promote scientific research and foster academic debate in the field of International Relations.
2. To strengthen the development of International Relations as a distinct academic discipline and professional field.
3. To address the concerns of society in light of the complex political, economic, and social dynamics of a globalized world, characterized by contradictory trends—from growing interdependence to the pursuit of greater independence.

Peer Review Process

All originals received by the Journal will be sent, anonymously, to two external reviewers of recognized expertise in the field of international relations and, more specifically, in the particular topic of the work. Peer reviewing will follow the double-blind system. In the event of receiving an unfavorable review from either reviewer, a third opinion will be sought. However, the Journal's Board of Editors will always have the final say on which articles are published and is responsible for informing authors of its decision. The entire process will always take place via the Journal's OJS platform.

Publication Frequency

Scientific journal published every six months.

Open Access Policy

Comillas Journal of International Relations provides Diamond Open Access to its content, based on the principle of offering society open access to research contributes to the global exchange of knowledge.

Self-archiving permission

Authors are recommended to publish the post-print articles version (the editor's version) on the internet (e. g., in institutional repositories or personal websites) immediately after their publication to contribute to their wider dissemination, quoting appropriately the original source (including the full URL of the article’s DOI).

Article Processing Charges

There is no charge for submission articles. Nor by editing or publishing them in open access (APC).

Interoperability protocol

Comillas Journal of International Relations offers a metadata harvesting service to other research platforms through the OAI-PMH protocol found in the following URL https://revistas.comillas.edu/index.php/internationalrelations/oai
Metadata is provided in the following formats: Dublin Core, MARC, and MARC21.