Will my Paper be Rejected More Easily, or Even Automatically, if I am from the Global South?

Authors

  • Abel Polese IICRR, Dublin City University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.58.CON2

Keywords:

Publication Strategy, Academic Publishing, Global South Scholars, Peer Review Process, Academic Writing, International Collaboration

Abstract

There exist concerns about potential bias against Global South scholars in academic publishing. While discrimination exists, in academia as in life, I suggest this statement is an oversimplification. It is obviously worth acting if we witness clear signs of discrimination, but no work is immune from errors and an accepted paper might still offer room for improvement. Accordingly, rejection is a chance to revisit your work critically and improve it. In the piece, I offer an overview of the most common reasons for paper rejections, including unclear structure, weak methodology, language barriers, and insufficient engagement with global debates and practical advice for improving your manuscript (and possibly acceptance rate). They can range from co-authoring with international colleagues, to seeking feedback at conferences, reviewing for target journals, and pay special attention to methodological approaches.

Author Biography

Abel Polese, IICRR, Dublin City University

Abel Polese is a Senior Research Fellow with DCU Institute for International Conflict Resolution and Reconstruction. He has been a Marie Curie Fellow at the Technical University of Dresden, Germany (2006-2008) and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (2008-2011). In 2012-2013 he worked as a policy analyst for the European Commission (DG Research). He has been a visiting professor to several universities in America (Harvard, Toronto, Manizales), Europe (Paris, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Moscow, Cagliari, Vilnius, Rijeka, Kyiv), Asia (Tezpur, JNU in Delhi, Konkpook in Daegu, Renmin in Beijing).

References

Polese, Abel. 2019. The SCOPUS diaries and the (il)logics of academic survival: A short guide to design your own strategy and survive bibliometrics, conferences and unreal expectations in academia. Stuttgart: Ibidem Verlag (distributed by Columbia University Press)

Polese, Abel. 2019.“Think strategically: what can co-authorship bring to your academic career?” ECHER Blog https://echer.org/what-can-co-authorship-bring-to-your-academic-career/

Polese, Abel. 2021. “Why Was My Article (Desk) Rejected?” Institute for International Conflict Resolution and Reconstruction (IICRR), Dublin City University. https://iicrr.ie/why-was-my-article-desk-rejected/

Published

2024-11-30

How to Cite

Polese, Abel. 2024. “Will My Paper Be Rejected More Easily, or Even Automatically, If I Am from the Global South?”. Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science 58 (November). Online:90-94. https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.58.CON2.

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