The APJ welcomes articles from serving or former police, public safety officials, academics and anyone with a legitimate interest in law enforcement matters. 

The key points are:

• Submissions must be relevant to policing in Australasia
• The publication process is a partnership between the APJ and authors, and
• Published authors will be offered an honorarium of AUD$75 per printed page.

SELECTION CRITERIA

When considering submissions for publication, the APJ editorial team applies the following criteria: 

• Is the article relevant to policing in Australasia?
• Is the article educational, informative and/or entertaining?
• Are assertions in the article supported by evidence and facts?
• For crime case histories, has the investigation concluded and have convicted offender/s exhausted all legal avenues of appeal?
• For unsolved crime cases, have investigating police endorsed the publication of the article?
• For training, education and other types of contemporary corporate articles, are they approved by the relevant police force?
• Are quotations or the writings of others, referred to in the article, suitably acknowledged?
• Are there photographs or other images to help illustrate the article?
• Has the APJ previously published an article about the topic?

As part of the evaluation and publishing processes, a clearance from the relevant police force is usually required (see below). 

AUDIENCE

The majority of APJ readers are serving or retired police. Other readers include the families of subscribers, unsworn police employees, officials as well as members of the public and media with an interest in law enforcement issues.

NON-FICTION

While the APJ may print cartoons and jokes, or explore hypothetical scenarios in relation to actual criminal cases, it does not print fictional stories. 

TOPICS

Noting articles must be relevant to Australasian law enforcement (educational, informative and/or entertaining), there is almost a limitless potential for topics. Previous examples of articles include, but are not limited to:

• Crime case studies – investigations into homicides, robberies, thefts, sexual assaults, other victim-based crimes, drug offences, road offences, terrorist incidents, environmental crimes etc
• Police responses – disasters and emergencies, major events, international peacekeeping etc
• Educational – new training practices, briefings on crime types, legislation/offences, trends in policing, court decisions, comparative studies between organisations etc
• Technical developments or innovations – new equipment and technology, new business practices etc
• Historical – histories of units, stations, organisations etc
• People – profiles of notable police officials, acts of bravery, members killed on duty etc
• Awareness – allied or charitable organisations that assist or work alongside police or who support victims of crime, police-related sporting, musical or welfare groups etc, and
• Miscellaneous – poetry, humour, ceremonial and protocol, photography, insignia etc.

ARTICLE LENGTH

There is no pre-set word limit. A page in the APJ contains approximately 500 words. Don’t worry if you think your article is either too short or too long – an Assistant Editor will work with you to maximise its quality.

ACADEMIC ARTICLES

The APJ often publishes articles that are based on reports or papers which had been written earlier for another forum (eg: a university essay or a conference paper). The subject matter in these papers can be vital in the education of the readership on policing issues.

However – the APJ is not an academic publication. 

It is normal for academic submissions to be substantially edited to suit the publication’s style. For instance, the APJ prefers footnotes or endnotes rather than the ‘Harvard’ annotation method. Further, extensive bibliographies are rarely printed or will only be included in the online version of the article. Authors seeking to have their papers published for academic purposes are encouraged to pursue other options.

PLAGARISM

Submissions found to contain unacknowledged copying of text from another author will not be published.

REPUBLISHING ARTICLES

From time-to-time the APJ will republish articles which have appeared in other publications, with the permission of the publication and author(s). 

WRITER’S BLOCK

It can sometimes be a daunting experience to write an article. APJ Assistant Editors work in partnership with authors to make the experience as easy as possible. If you are struggling with writing, or have an idea for an article but need some help in realising it, contact apj@apjl.com.au for help.

EDITING

All submissions are edited before publication. The purpose of editing is to improve the readability of the article and to ensure the APJ meets legal and other obligations. Articles are not published without the approval of the author.  

Some authors find the editing process challenging however it is an essential part of the publishing process which applies to even the most high-profile professional authors. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The APJ recognises that artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly central role in communications. For transparency purposes, the use of AI in the production of articles and images must be declared to the editorial team, when it is submitted.

LEGAL ISSUES

Authors must be mindful of laws that impact publications. This extends beyond civil laws relating to libel and slander, to criminal laws which prevent the identification of victims, offenders and certain facts. The APJ consults with lawyers before publishing articles that risk litigation, but it also relies on authors to bring potential concerns to the attention of editorial staff as soon as possible. 

ONGOING COURT MATTERS

The APJ rarely publishes crime case articles on matters which are still before the criminal courts. Submissions relating to unsolved crimes are published from time-to-time, but only with the approval of investigating police. 

PHOTOGRAPHS AND IMAGES

Photographs and images are an essential aspect of conveying a story and message. High resolution images (a resolution of 300 DPI or higher) are preferred.

PUBLISHING TIMELINES

The APJ is published quarterly – in March, June, September and December.

It can take several months and sometimes more than a year for an article to be accepted, edited and published. 

Some submissions may be time-sensitive (eg: a unit’s reunion dinner or upcoming sporting event). In such cases the author needs to contact the APJ (apj@apjl.com.au) to determine if it is feasible to meet the deadline.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Submissions will be considered by the Editorial Team. Preliminary feedback will be provided within a month of receiving the submission. Once a submission is accepted an Assistant Editor will work with the author to review and refine the document. This process includes obtaining the clearance of the relevant police agency for articles relating to contemporary investigations and/or departmental policies. 

The final decision to publish, and which issue an article is published in, rests with the APJ Editor. 

Click on any of the following case studies, which illustrate the different types of routine scenarios.