‘Terrorism – studies, analyses, prevention’
The scientific journal published by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) – special service, which is responsible for, among other things, detecting and countering terrorist threats, which are one of the most serious challenges facing the modern world. It is dedicated to interdisciplinary issues relating to counter-terrorism and building resilience to terrorist threats and the associated phenomena of extremism, radicalisation and acts of sabotage. It is worth noting that this is the only scientific journal in Poland dedicated exclusively to this subject and one of the few forums in Poland for the exchange of scientific and expert knowledge in the field of terrorism and counter-terrorism. It was established to bring together the academic community and practitioners from institutions responsible for the state’s security. For this reason, in 2023, the journal introduced, among other things, the ‘Varia’ section, in which texts that are not strictly academic papers are published. This enables experts with practical experience to present their knowledge and opinions.
The journal enables PhD students and early-career researchers to publish their work in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, which is in line with the objectives of the state’s research policy regarding the development of Polish academic staff.
The journal supports state and local government bodies by providing tried-and-tested solutions in the field of countering terrorist threats (/ftp/foto/Wydawnictwo/terroryzm/nr8/36_-_varia_-_M__Cichomski.pdf)
Given the opportunity to present material published in the journal at the EU and NATO, it fosters discussion on combating terrorist and hybrid threats in Europe as well as sets out Poland’s national interest in this regard (e.g. articles on anti-drone systems and the standardisation of physical security for critical infrastructure facilities). The journal’s publications are also used in training activities and presented during the national and international debates organised by the Polish administration and the law enforcement agencies of the EU Member States (including at the forum of the EU Protective Security Advisor and the European High Risk Security Network), as well as during the work of the European Commission’s working groups (https://x.com/JacekDobrzynski/status/1938214654741795159).
In 2025, a special issue of the journal was published containing analyses of the current challenges relating to the protection of critical infrastructure on land, at sea and in cyberspace in the EU countries (https://www.abw.gov.pl/pub/terrorism-studies-analyses-pre/terrorist-and-sabotage-threats/54,Terrorism-Studies-Analyses-Prevention-2025-special-edition.html). During the Polish Presidency in the European Union Council the issue was distributed to the EU Member States as part of Polish contribution to building European resilience to hybrid threats. Thanks to the journal’s presence on the international forum, it has become an important voice, taking into account the views of representatives of the academic community, in building security not only for Poland, but also for allied nations.
The journal is developing dynamically and making efforts towards internalisation. Since the journal was launched, all published texts have been translated into English. The Scientific Council includes representatives from: The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE), The NATO Counter Intelligence Centre of Excellence (CI COE) and The Hague University of Applied Sciences. The journal’s consistent efforts to build its academic visibility are also evidenced by its inclusion in the following databases: DOAJ, ERIH PLUS, EBSCO, CEEOL, CEJSH.
JOURNAL METADATA
ISSN: 2720-4383
e-ISSN: 2720-6351
UIC ID: 201678
DOI: 10.4467/27204383TER
English title: Terrorism – studies, analyses, prevention
Publisher: Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego (Internal Security Agency)
Year of establishment: 2022
Number of issues: 9 and 1 special issues
Publication Frequency: biannual
Profile/Academic fields: security sciences, political and administrative sciences, legal sciences, social sciences
Languages of Publication: Polish and English
Type of Peer Review: double-blind review, at least 2 reviewers
Publishing Model: Open Access, licence CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (Attribution – NonCommercial – ShareAlike 4.0 International)
Contact: wydawnictwo@abw.gov.pl
SCOPE
The articles published cover the broadly defined issue of terrorist threat, as well as the methods of responding to and building resilience against such challenges to the security of states and international organisations. The issues relating to terrorist prevention are a very important part of the journal.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL
Editor-in-Chief: Damian Szlachter, PhD
affiliation: Polish Association for National Security (PTBN)
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2763-9325
Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Aleksandra Komar, PhD
affiliation: independent expert
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9717-5258
The Scientific Council comprises representatives from academic departments in Poland and experts from abroad: https://www.abw.gov.pl/pub/terrorism-studies-analyses-pre/academic-editorial-board/17,Academic-Editorial-Board.html
INDEXING IN SCIENTIFIC DATABASES AND ARCHIVING
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – 2026
ERIH PLUS – 2024
Central and Eastern European Online Library (CEEOL) – 2023
EBSCO – Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS) – 2023
EBSCO – Political Science Complete – 2023
Biblioteka Nauki – 2022
Central European Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (CEJSH) – 2022
ICI World of Journals/ ICI Journals Master List – 2022
Archiving: National Digital Library POLONA (2023)
PUBLISHING POLICY
The journal ensures transparency in the publishing process and quality control of metadata. Implemented standards for scholarly publishing:
- international ethical standards in accordance with COPE guidelines,
- plagiarism detection system: Antyplagiat.pl,
- preventing unfair practices (ghostwriting, guest authorship),
- DOI numbers for all articles,
- ORCID identifiers,
- Authors’ affiliations,
- Author contribution statement,
- Reviewer conflict-of-interest statement,
- statement on the use of artificial intelligence tools (AI/GenAI),
- statement on funding,
- Editorial Panel for managing submissions and peer review (OJS),
- Integration with Crossref (xml),
- integration with Biblioteka Nauki (API),
- integration with Index Copernicus (xml).
The journal also ensures a high standard of linguistic accuracy. Published texts undergo careful editing and proofreading.
DISTRIBUTION
The print version of the journal is distributed free of charge, among others, to libraries at training centres operating within state institutions and to higher education institutions offering courses in internal security-related subjects, as well as to state and local government bodies.
The electronic version is available via open access.
DEVELOPMENT PLANS
To increase the journal’s presence in the international academic community, particularly by publishing articles by foreign authors and recruiting reviewers from various academic fields. To increase the number of articles in which terrorist threats would be analysed from the perspective of various disciplines – security sciences, political sciences, law, sociology, psychology, international relations, economics and other fields. Preparing thematic issues dedicated to selected aspects of contemporary terrorism, extremism and security. More active promotion of the published articles through the involvement of the journal’s representatives in organising and co-organising academic conferences, seminar and expert workshops.