Press Release
from Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Homeland Security Project Launches New Paper Series
The Homeland Security Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is pleased to announce the creation of a paper series examining current and critical issues in homeland security. The Homeland Security Project seeks a variety of viewpoints, and the paper series is non-partisan. The intended audience for the paper series is broad, including policymakers in Congress and the Executive Branch, the homeland security community, and the general public. This call for papers is open to policy practitioners, scholars, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.
The Homeland Security Project invites proposals for papers addressing any topic within the homeland security enterprise. Proposals should identify specific issues within a given field (e.g., voting machine security) rather than proposing general topics (e.g., cybersecurity or election security), and recommend concrete and actionable policies. Proposals should additionally include: (1) the author’s contact information; (2) a short biography indicating the author’s experience; (3) whether the author has any actual or potential conflict of interest; and (4) an anticipated timeline to complete the paper.
Rolling Submissions
Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Proposals should not exceed one page in length and should be submitted in PDF attachment by email to homeland_papers@hks.harvard.edu. Notification of accepted proposals will be made by email.
Following acceptance of a proposal, the submitted paper must be drafted in a non-technical manner and be appropriate for a general audience. This paper series does not seek full-fledged research papers, although arguments should be supported by appropriate citation, factual matter, and research. Accepted papers are not to exceed five pages in length and must comply with a template that will be provided by the Homeland Security Project upon acceptance of a proposal. Papers will be reviewed by the Executive Editor and an Editorial Board before publication.
The Homeland Security Project will publish selected papers through a paper series (available through www.belfercenter.org/project/homeland-security-project), and will further disseminate the papers via social media and directly to interested parties. The Homeland Security Project may hold conferences or discussions involving paper authors.
Criteria for Evaluating Proposals
The Homeland Security Project will consider the following criteria, among others, in determining which proposals to select:
- Does the proposal identify a clear challenge within the homeland security enterprise;
- Is the issue of significant importance to be of interest to policymakers;
- Does the proposal articulate specific, actionable, and feasible steps that can be taken to address the issue;
- Does the author(s) have the experience, background, and familiarity with the issue to credibly evaluate the topic;
- Can the authors complete the paper within a realistic period of time?
About the Homeland Security Project
The Homeland Security Project seeks to foster understanding of and critical thinking regarding the massive and diverse universe of policy guiding the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts, and those of the broader homeland security enterprise, to address strategic questions that touch the life of every American.