About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Metis is a biannual scientific journal published as an Open Access Journal by the Department of International Relations (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) at Comillas Pontifical University.

The term Metis derives from the ancient Greek word, “wisdom, skill or ability.” Its meaning therefore includes, but is not limited to, the use of force. In this sense, its use seems particularly fitting as a frame for contemporary international debates on the need for states and international actors to develop strategic capacities and skills with which to navigate an increasingly uncertain international environment characterized by disputes between established and rising powers.

Regarding its areas of focus, the journal is open to a diverse range of contributions from different areas related to the study of international phenomena, such as International Relations Theory, History of International Relations, European Union Studies, Regional Studies, International Sociology, International Security, Strategic Studies, and Development Cooperation. Due to the growing integration between states and societies and the close connection between national and international politics, the journal also welcomes contributions on Political Theory, Political Science, and Comparative Politics that help to explain the relationship between domestic and global actors and factors, and how they can influence each other.

The journal also seeks to address the concept of strategic autonomy, which it understands as the growing willingness of international actors to make key decisions and reduce their dependence on others. This relates to all areas of international relations; political, economic, military, and technological. This requires a deep understanding of the causes of this trend and its potential impact on collaboration between national and international actors. As strategic autonomy is a widespread aspiration among most contemporary international actors—great powers, middle powers, small states, and regional blocs of countries alike—the journal aims to build a forum for dialogue between academics, policymakers, and civil society representatives on both the conception and practice of strategic autonomy.

Guided by these objectives, the journal welcomes submissions from a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches to promote debate between different paradigms.

Objectives:

  • Scientific research and the promotion of academic debate in International Relations.
  • To support the development of the discipline of International Relations and its professional profile.
  • To answer society's concerns about the complex political, economic, and social landscape of today’s globalized world, which is characterized by contradictory trends concerning interdependence and the search for greater independence.

Frequency of Publication

Semi-annual scientific journal.

Statutes

The following regulations were approved by the Governing Board at its meeting of 28 April 2014 under the title Comillas Journal of International Relations. The change of title, together with additional revisions to the wording of the regulations of the aforementioned journal, was subsequently approved by the Governing Board at its meeting of 18 December 2025.

Peer Review Policy

Once the manuscript is received, the editorial team will conduct an initial screening to determine whether the article’s topic is both relevant and well aligned with the journal’s scope. This first review will also assess whether the submission meets basic quality standards, as well as the journal’s formal submission requirements and style guidelines.

Manuscripts that are rejected at this stage will not enter the peer‑review process. Those submissions that can be reviewed will be returned to their authors prior to evaluation. In such cases, authors will need to the required revisions and make the necessary formal adjustments. Otherwise, the manuscripts will not proceed to the review stage.

Once the pre-evaluation stage has been successfully completed, the formal peer-review process will commence. The manuscript will be sent anonymously to two external reviewers with expertise in the field, who will issue their assessments based on the originality, relevance, and methodological rigour of the submission.

This report shall provide a reasoned assessment indicating whether the reviewers recommend accepting the manuscript, requesting a revised version, or rejecting it. Although the reviewers’ reports are not binding, they are nonetheless decisive. The final decision rests with the Metis editorial team. In certain cases, a third review may be requested, particularly when there is a significant divergence of opinion between the reviewers.

By submitting their manuscript, authors acknowledge that it will be subject to evaluation by reviewers and editors, and agree to revise the final version in accordance with the required changes. Authors are expected to implement all revisions deemed essential and, to the extent possible, to address the reviewers’ additional recommendations.

Open Access Policy

Metis provides Diamond Open Access to its content, based on the principle that offering society free access to research helps to promote a greater global exchange of knowledge, advances the discipline and public policy, reduces information‑access gaps, and enables the reuse of research outputs for the benefit of society as a whole.

The content published in Metis is made freely available, with no barriers other than those inherent to internet access itself. Users are permitted to read, download, distribute, publicly communicate, reproduce, and otherwise make lawful use of the material, in accordance with the terms of the license. The applicable license conditions may be consulted in the rights and permissions policies provided on this website.

Metis does not levy any charges on authors at any stage of the publication process. No fees are applied for manuscript submission, editorial handling, or open‑access publication, as the journal operates under a fully Diamond Open Access model (APC free).

Anti‑Plagiarism Policy

iThenticate

Metis uses the iThenticate tool, which checks multiple sources of digital content and generates a similarity report to ensure that submitted articles are original and free from plagiarism.

Should any form of malpractice be detected, the measures outlined in the journal’s Code of Ethics, available on this website, will be applied.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Good Practice Policy

Metis is firmly committed to promoting equality and to fostering a society that embraces diversity and removes any barriers that hinder inclusion.

The acceptance of manuscripts is based solely on the quality of the work and on its contribution to the advancement of the discipline, and never on factors related to the author’s origin, nationality, or any personal or identity characteristics.

The journal encourages the use of inclusive language in the preparation of manuscripts, ensuring that writing is free from biases related to gender, age, disability, sexual diversity, racial or ethnic identity, political or religious beliefs, or socioeconomic status.

If issues related to biological characteristics (sex) or to the social and cultural attributes (gender) of men, women, intersex, or non‑binary people have been relevant to the research, authors are encouraged to include in the article an analysis of the role these variables have played in the research design, methodological approach, or results.

All published articles include the full name of each contributing author.

Digital Archiving and Preservation Policy

Interoperability Protocol
Metis offers a metadata collection service to other research platforms through the OAI-PMH protocol at the following URL: https://revistas.comillas.edu/metis/oai

Metadata is offered in the following formats: Dublin Core, MARC, and MARC21.

Archiving Service
Metis uses LOCKSS to store and distribute its content with partner libraries, ensuring the long-term preservation and access of its articles. https://revistas.comillas.edu/metis/gateway/lockss

Funding Disclosure Policy

Authors must disclose any sources of funding, whether public or private, that have supported the work resulting in the published article. The funding body and the corresponding project codes must be specified. This information should appear at the end of the article, in the Acknowledgements section, and be included in the article’s metadata.

Research Data Policy

Metis encourages authors to deposit any underlying data or supplementary materials generated during the research project on which their article is based in institutional or subject repositories providing open access. Whenever possible, such data should comply with the FAIR principles—findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable—and include unique and persistent identifiers.

Depositing supplementary research materials supports their dissemination and reuse, thereby contributing to the acceleration of scientific progress. The registry of research data repositories can be consulted at the following website: https://www.re3data.org/

The article must indicate where these data have been deposited, specifying at the end of the manuscript, before the Acknowledgements section, the type of data or supplementary materials and providing an appropriate citation. If the data are not made publicly available, an access statement must be included explaining the reason for this decision and indicating whether the data may be requested directly from the authors.

Likewise, any other datasets consulted during the course of the research—even if generated in previous studies—must also be cited.

As with any other source, APA guidelines should be followed:

Author. (Date). Title [Data]. Name of Repository. DOI

AI Tools Usage Policy

Authors may use generative AI tools for supportive tasks, such as improving the readability of the manuscript or assisting with data analysis during the research process. However, such tools must not influence the originality, substantive content of the article or the conclusions presented.

Where generative AI tools are used, their use must be fully transparent and clearly described, indicating what tasks were performed, how they were carried out, and to what extent the tools were employed, in a manner comparable to the disclosure required for any other research tool. Authors must specify the software used and describe its application in sufficient detail to enable replication, if necessary. This information may be included either in the methodology section or at the end of the article, before the Acknowledgements section. The journal considers that transparency in this regard strengthens trust in the research, the authors, and the journal itself. If generative AI has been used only in a limited way—for example, for spelling correction or minor stylistic improvements—its use may be declared at the end of the article, immediately before the Acknowledgements section or the reference list.

In accordance with COPE guidelines, AI tools do not meet the criteria for authorship and therefore cannot bear responsibility for any work submitted to this journal. Authors retain full responsibility for the content of their article, including any parts in which such tools have been used. They must review and verify all material to avoid biases, errors, inaccuracies, copyright infringement, and to ensure the integrity of both the research and the manuscript at all times.