The Latest Issue of JPS: 10(1), July 2017
Contents: In addition to the usual security news and editor’s rants, this issue has papers
about:
• The “Rule of Two” for firefights
• Security and forensic criminology
• A vulnerability assessment of “indelible” voter’s ink used for elections
• Security outsourcing in Nigeria
• How Compliance can sometimes harm Security
• Unconventional security metrics and “Marginal Analysis”
• Common security reasoning errors
Contents: In addition to the usual security news and editor’s rants, this issue has papers
about:
• The “Rule of Two” for firefights
• Security and forensic criminology
• A vulnerability assessment of “indelible” voter’s ink used for elections
• Security outsourcing in Nigeria
• How Compliance can sometimes harm Security
• Unconventional security metrics and “Marginal Analysis”
• Common security reasoning errors
About the Journal of Physical Security:
The Journal of Physical Security (JPS) is a free, non-profit, online, peer-reviewed journal devoted to physical security R&D, testing, evaluation, analysis, theory, modeling, and management. Both technical and social science aspects of physical security are of interest.
JPS (ISSN 2157-8443) is hosted by Right Brain Sekurity, LLC. The Editor is Roger G. Johnston, Ph.D., CPP.
To get notified via email when a new issue is posted online, use the contact form below or send an email to JPS at:
The Journal of Physical Security (JPS) is a free, non-profit, online, peer-reviewed journal devoted to physical security R&D, testing, evaluation, analysis, theory, modeling, and management. Both technical and social science aspects of physical security are of interest.
JPS (ISSN 2157-8443) is hosted by Right Brain Sekurity, LLC. The Editor is Roger G. Johnston, Ph.D., CPP.
To get notified via email when a new issue is posted online, use the contact form below or send an email to JPS at:
Past Issues:
This is the revised version of a book/ebook that Security Magazine called “fascinating” and “full of thought triggers”.
Available on iTunes, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, etc.
Instructions for JPS Authors:
Submit your manuscript for consideration via email to JPS.
Papers should focus on physical security. Both technical and social science aspects are of interest. Papers primarily about cyber security, cryptography, criminology, or law enforcement will not be accepted. Authors are welcome to contact the Editor to discuss possible papers at the above email address, or by using the contact form below. Authors retain any copyright.
Your manuscript should ideally be in .docx or .doc format (MS Word) with left and right margins of 1" and footers and headers of 0.5". Cambria font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing is preferred but is not required. References can be in any reasonable format that allows readers to find them. A section at the end of the paper with "References" or "References and Notes" is strongly preferred over Footnotes or Endnotes. Please do not insert any text in the headers or borders, except page numbers.
Research papers will typically be reviewed by 2 anonymous reviewers. Viewpoint papers can be reviewed by 0, 1, or 2 reviewers, depending on the content.
Authors should have their manuscript reviewed prior to submitting it to JPS to be sure it contains no sensitive or classified information that would be inappropriate to release to the public. By submitting a manuscript, authors are certifying that they are using no copyrighted material, or have explicit permission to use the copyrighted material, or its use clearly falls within "fair use" doctrine.
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How to write a JPS paper:
Technical or scholarly writing is NOT synonymous with bad writing. Authors should write to COMMUNICATE, not to impress, or sound profound, scholarly, or stiff. Good writing involves telling a story that flows in a logical and satisfying manner from beginning to end.
The best writing approximates speech. Short sentences are usually better than long sentences. Less is often more. Avoid redundancy, and saying the same thing over again. Don't waste the reader's time.
Avoid the passive voice, and be sure to write in the first person. (Thus, "I analyzed the data." not "The data were analyzed.") Commas should be used liberally, including in inverted sentences ("After collecting the data, I analyzed them."), where there are natural pauses in speech ("This, too, was in error."), and before the last item in a list, i.e., use the Oxford comma ("I like cucumber, ham, and cheese sandwiches." for a total of 3 sandwiches, not "I like cucumber, ham and cheese sandwiches." equaling 2 sandwiches.)
If you are not a good writer, find somebody who is to edit your manuscript prior to submitting it to JPS. Authors for whom English is not their first language and lack proficiency should seek editing assistance from somebody who is fluent in English. JPS uses American spellings, e.g., "color" instead of "colour".
Simple graphs are often a useful way to convey data or findings, or to summarize tables. Figures can be in color. Long figure captions that explain what is going on in the figure are welcome. Figure captions should be at the bottom of the figure and have the following format: "Figure 3 - Hours as a function of cost. This graph shows a linear behavior…" Tables should have the caption at the top and have the following format: "Table 1 - Efficiency for various security postures." Every figure or table should be referenced in the main body of the paper, e.g., "The final results can be seen in figure 3 and table 1." where "figure" and "table" are neither bolded nor capitalized.
Sometimes details or tangential issues are most effectively handled in an Appendix if they get in the way of the discussion.
Submit your manuscript for consideration via email to JPS.
Papers should focus on physical security. Both technical and social science aspects are of interest. Papers primarily about cyber security, cryptography, criminology, or law enforcement will not be accepted. Authors are welcome to contact the Editor to discuss possible papers at the above email address, or by using the contact form below. Authors retain any copyright.
Your manuscript should ideally be in .docx or .doc format (MS Word) with left and right margins of 1" and footers and headers of 0.5". Cambria font size 12 and 1.5 line spacing is preferred but is not required. References can be in any reasonable format that allows readers to find them. A section at the end of the paper with "References" or "References and Notes" is strongly preferred over Footnotes or Endnotes. Please do not insert any text in the headers or borders, except page numbers.
Research papers will typically be reviewed by 2 anonymous reviewers. Viewpoint papers can be reviewed by 0, 1, or 2 reviewers, depending on the content.
Authors should have their manuscript reviewed prior to submitting it to JPS to be sure it contains no sensitive or classified information that would be inappropriate to release to the public. By submitting a manuscript, authors are certifying that they are using no copyrighted material, or have explicit permission to use the copyrighted material, or its use clearly falls within "fair use" doctrine.
*****
How to write a JPS paper:
Technical or scholarly writing is NOT synonymous with bad writing. Authors should write to COMMUNICATE, not to impress, or sound profound, scholarly, or stiff. Good writing involves telling a story that flows in a logical and satisfying manner from beginning to end.
The best writing approximates speech. Short sentences are usually better than long sentences. Less is often more. Avoid redundancy, and saying the same thing over again. Don't waste the reader's time.
Avoid the passive voice, and be sure to write in the first person. (Thus, "I analyzed the data." not "The data were analyzed.") Commas should be used liberally, including in inverted sentences ("After collecting the data, I analyzed them."), where there are natural pauses in speech ("This, too, was in error."), and before the last item in a list, i.e., use the Oxford comma ("I like cucumber, ham, and cheese sandwiches." for a total of 3 sandwiches, not "I like cucumber, ham and cheese sandwiches." equaling 2 sandwiches.)
If you are not a good writer, find somebody who is to edit your manuscript prior to submitting it to JPS. Authors for whom English is not their first language and lack proficiency should seek editing assistance from somebody who is fluent in English. JPS uses American spellings, e.g., "color" instead of "colour".
Simple graphs are often a useful way to convey data or findings, or to summarize tables. Figures can be in color. Long figure captions that explain what is going on in the figure are welcome. Figure captions should be at the bottom of the figure and have the following format: "Figure 3 - Hours as a function of cost. This graph shows a linear behavior…" Tables should have the caption at the top and have the following format: "Table 1 - Efficiency for various security postures." Every figure or table should be referenced in the main body of the paper, e.g., "The final results can be seen in figure 3 and table 1." where "figure" and "table" are neither bolded nor capitalized.
Sometimes details or tangential issues are most effectively handled in an Appendix if they get in the way of the discussion.
Instructions for JPS Reviewers:
We rely on--and are very grateful to--anonymous reviewers who volunteer their time to review manuscripts submitted to JPS. Reviewers are asked to advise whether the manuscript is appropriate for publication in JPS, and whether it represents a significant contribution to the field of physical security. Reviewers are also asked to offer suggestions for improving the work and the paper.
The review process should not just improve the work and paper, but also serve as a learning experience for the author(s), the reviewer(s), and the editor. Reviewers are asked to cut some slack for security practitioners who aren't academic scholars, as well as for authors for whom English is not their first language. The editor can help with editing improvements for papers with writing problems. Reviewers of Viewpoint Papers do not need to agree with the author(s), but the paper should acknowledge and address counter-arguments for controversial issues.
Reviewers agree to keep the submitted manuscript confidential until it is accepted for publication (if indeed it is accepted), and until it appears in print.
If you would be willing to serve as a reviewer, please use the form below to contact JPS. Please include information on your background and expertise.
We rely on--and are very grateful to--anonymous reviewers who volunteer their time to review manuscripts submitted to JPS. Reviewers are asked to advise whether the manuscript is appropriate for publication in JPS, and whether it represents a significant contribution to the field of physical security. Reviewers are also asked to offer suggestions for improving the work and the paper.
The review process should not just improve the work and paper, but also serve as a learning experience for the author(s), the reviewer(s), and the editor. Reviewers are asked to cut some slack for security practitioners who aren't academic scholars, as well as for authors for whom English is not their first language. The editor can help with editing improvements for papers with writing problems. Reviewers of Viewpoint Papers do not need to agree with the author(s), but the paper should acknowledge and address counter-arguments for controversial issues.
Reviewers agree to keep the submitted manuscript confidential until it is accepted for publication (if indeed it is accepted), and until it appears in print.
If you would be willing to serve as a reviewer, please use the form below to contact JPS. Please include information on your background and expertise.