May Digest: Publishing

This May has marked an important and exciting transition for the Defence Research Network as we re-launched our website and moved to a new approach for sharing our content. No longer will we be filling up your inbox with an epic newsletter (interesting perhaps but a little too long!) and instead we will be publishing regular blogposts on our theme across the month (including all our usual features from 'in conversation' to 'what we've been listening to'). You will then receive a single monthly summary newsletter which will signpost you to our new blogposts. We hope you enjoy this new format and remain keen to showcase what you do so please get in touch if there's something you'd like to share with us. Whether it is an article you've had published, a call for participants or an event you would like us to share, then drop us an email at [email protected].

This month's theme has been publishing with a focus on traditional article formats and I am grateful to Ann Bajo for her support in co-leading this with me. We've prepared a number of new blogs sharing initiative such as the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society and directing your attention to the excellent resources made available on the websites of the major academic publishing houses. Do check these out especially if you are new to academic publishing and want to demystify the process. Our thanks go to Dr Dafydd Townley for sharing his experiences of publishing and editing as one of the Co Lead Editors of Political Studies Review.

We also hosted our Meet the Editors webinar, the recording of which you can watch on our blog post. This was a super opportunity to hear from a group of experienced editors from a range of different journals. Thanks to the BMJ Military Health, the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, the Journal of War and Culture Studies and the Civil War Journal. We hope with their top tips in mind you will have every success in making the next steps on your publishing journey.

Hannah West
Co-chair, Defence Research Network

Publisher's resources. If you only check out journal websites when you are searching for an article or frantically trying to submit one, then you might not have spotted the growing suites of resources available there. Hannah West and the team share a round up of these resource hubs to give you a sense of what is out there. Click here to read the article.

In Conversation with Dr Dafydd Townley. Ann Bajo chatted with Dr Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in International Security as part of the University of Portsmouth’s Military Education Team at RAF College Cranwell and one of the Co Lead Editors of Political Studies Review. Catch up on the conversation here.

Meet the Editors Webinar. On Thursday 22 May the DRN held a webinar to bring early career researchers together with editors representing a range of prestigious defence journals. You can find out about the event, and view the recording on the DRN website.

Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society. Hannah West shares her experience of the ALCS and provides some information on how it can benefit early career researchers. Read about the ALCS here.

The London Defence Conference 2025

Our committee member Ann Bajo attended the London Defence Conference 2025 on May 8-10 at King’s College London. It was attended by political leaders, militaries, leading academics, strategists, think-tanks, journalists, and defence industries to discuss the global security architecture and the threats and challenges like-minded states are facing in the world today. The theme for this year’s LDC is “Alliances” and how partnership and interoperability are more important than ever to address geopolitical challenges. Click here to read more about the conference and its outcomes.

What we're reading

This month, Veronika Poniscjakova looks at Asymmetric Warfare by Jacob Hagstrom and The Routledge History of the Modern Maritime World, edited by Kenneth Morgan. Both offer fresh perspectives on long-term patterns in warfare and global history.

What we’re reading: May 2025

This month at the Defence Research Network, we’ve been reading two thought-provoking books on global conflict and power.

Defence Research NetworkVeronika Poniscjakova

What we're listening to

This month, our playlist looks at renewed Ukraine-Russia peace talks, Trump’s possible return to diplomacy, NATO’s shifting role, and rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

What we have been listening to: May 2025

As May moves on, the Defence Research Network has been tuning into thought-provoking podcasts on diplomacy, conflict, and global security.

Defence Research NetworkVeronika Poniscjakova

Get in touch

We hope you've enjoyed our news, tips and recommendations. In case you missed our previous newsletter editions, check out our archive section here. Over the coming months we'll be transferring our past content to the new website.

We're always looking to showcase early-career researchers in research and their work, so don't be shy in getting in touch, and we welcome any suggestions for 'In Conversation' pieces with more established academics. And don't forget to let us know about any events you, or your departments, schools and Universities might be hosting in the near future, from book launches to webinars.