About the Journal
The ISSA Journal is the official publication of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA). Established in 1993, the Journal serves as a trusted resource for cybersecurity professionals, researchers, practitioners, and leaders seeking rigorous, practitioner-focused insight into the rapidly evolving field of information security.
Focus and Scope
The ISSA Journal publishes peer-reviewed articles and professional commentary that advance understanding and practice across the full spectrum of information security, including:
• cybersecurity governance and leadership
• cyber risk quantification and measurement
• artificial intelligence security
• cloud architecture and zero-trust security
• privacy engineering and regulatory compliance
• security operations, detection, and response
• cryptography, identity, and access management
• critical infrastructure and cyber-physical systems
• emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies
The Journal welcomes contributions from practitioners, scholars, CISOs, researchers, technical experts, and thought leaders across all sectors.
Peer Review Process
All scholarly and technical submissions undergo a double blind peer review, requiring evaluation by a minimum of two qualified reviewers. Articles may go through multiple revision cycles before acceptance. Professional commentary, columns, and editorial content may be reviewed by the editorial team without external peer review.
Access Policy
The ISSA Journal is a member-only publication. Full-text articles are accessible exclusively to active members of ISSA International through secure member login. The Journal does not provide open access, delayed access, or public distribution of full-text content. Abstracts and metadata may be publicly visible for indexing and discovery purposes.
Copyright & Licensing
Authors submitting to the ISSA Journal agree to the terms outlined in the Journal’s Copyright Release Form. Under this agreement, the author warrants that the submitted work is original, that all included materials (text, charts, code, illustrations, graphs, examples, etc.) may be freely published without restriction, and that the work is not under consideration elsewhere unless fully disclosed. The author also agrees to indemnify ISSA, Inc. for any breach of these warranties.
ISSA, Inc. becomes the copyright owner of the full publication of the ISSA Journal issue in which the article appears. Authors grant ISSA a perpetual worldwide license to publish the work, distribute reprints, and create derivative works based on the publication version.
Authors may not submit, release, redistribute, or republish the accepted version of the article for 12 months following its publication in the Journal without written permission from ISSA, Inc. This restriction applies to all versions and formats, including PDFs, reprints, email distribution, or hosting on external servers. After publication, authors may post the PDF of their article to a personal or company website and may share it privately with a limited number of colleagues.
If a submitted article has appeared previously in any form—other than internal company newsletters or documentation—the author must disclose this fully. The author agrees to revise previously published material to ensure it is unique to the ISSA Journal prior to acceptance.
Company authorization may be required for authors employed by organizations with publication policies; such authorization must accompany the submission. 
Indexing & Abstracting
The ISSA Journal is indexed in:
• EBSCO
• Internal ISSA archives
• Additional indexing services as partnerships expand
The Journal adheres to industry standards for metadata, citation formatting, and digital preservation.
Sponsorship & Funding Disclosure
The ISSA Journal is sponsored and published by ISSA International. The Journal accepts paid advertising, which is clearly identified as advertising and visually distinguished from editorial content. Advertisers have no influence over editorial decisions, manuscript acceptance, peer review, or the selection and presentation of content.
Editorial independence is maintained at all times. Advertising revenue supports Journal operations but does not impact the peer-review process, editorial judgment, or the Journal’s commitment to unbiased, practitioner-focused cybersecurity content.
The ISSA Journal does not charge article processing fees (APCs), submission fees, or publication fees. All editorial decisions are made solely by the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial team, independent of ISSA’s marketing functions or external sponsors.
Privacy Statement
Names, email addresses, user accounts, and personal information entered into this journal management system are used exclusively for editorial, publication, and communication purposes. Information will not be shared with third parties except as required for indexing, preservation, or technical operation of the Journal.
Journal History
Founded in 1993, the ISSA Journal has been a key publication for cybersecurity professionals for more than three decades. Thom Barrie served as the founding Editor from 1993 to 2020, establishing the Journal’s editorial standards, readership, and reputation. Jack Freund, PhD, assumed the role of Editor in 2021 and continues to lead efforts to modernize the Journal’s workflow, expand coverage, and elevate practitioner research in the cybersecurity community.
