Reviewer Guidelines

IAPSS Politikon is committed to the principle of double-blind peer review, ensuring anonymity for authors and preventing bias in the evaluation process. 

Being a reviewer for IAPSS Politikon is a substantial service to the academic community, participating in guaranteeing high standards of publications in Political Science and the integrity of the journal. Reviewers have the opportunity to read the latest research in their domain while providing a recognized professional service.

Reviewer database

To become a reviewer, please fill in the application form.

After being accepted to the reviewer database, you will be contacted by Editorial Board members with review requests for manuscripts that fall into your area of specialization. The timing of your first request depends on the topics of submitted manuscripts.

If you wish to be removed from the reviewer database, please send a short indication to politikonjournal@iapss.org.

Submitting your review

You are expected to fill in the review form provided with the review request. The form consists of multiple-choice questions and a section for your comments, where you should elaborate on your answers and share observations about the manuscript's compliance with submission guidelines.

You may insert specific comments into the text file of the manuscript using the 'comments' or 'revisions' functions in standard text editors and send it back alongside the review sheet. However, you must still complete the review form with your general comments.

When adding comments to the manuscript, it is essential to ensure that your comments are anonymized to maintain the integrity of the double-blind peer review process. To anonymize your comments in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the "File" menu and click on "Options."
  2. In the "Word Options" dialog box, click on "Trust Center" in the left-hand menu.
  3. Click on the "Trust Center Settings" button.
  4. In the "Trust Center" dialog box, click on "Privacy Options" in the left-hand menu.
  5. Under "Document-specific settings," check the box next to "Remove personal information from file properties on save."
  6. Click "OK" to close the "Trust Center" dialog box, then click "OK" again to close the "Word Options" dialog box.

To anonymize your comments in Microsoft Word on a Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Open the manuscript file in Microsoft Word.
  2. Click on "Word" in the top menu bar, then click on "Preferences."
  3. In the "Word Preferences" dialog box, click on "Security" under "Personal Settings."
  4. Under "Privacy options," check the box next to "Remove personal information from this file on save."
  5. Click "OK" to close the "Word Preferences" dialog box.

Now, when you save the document, Word will automatically remove any personal information, such as your name and initials, from the document properties. This helps ensure that your comments remain anonymous when you send the annotated manuscript back to the editorial team.

Your review

A good review should highlight weaknesses and offer solutions to overcome them. If the manuscript has potential but is not yet ready for publication, provide detailed feedback to help the authors make it publishable. Be precise and detailed in your review to clearly communicate the manuscript's strengths, weaknesses, and necessary improvements.

Please clearly indicate your decision on the review form, choosing from the following options:

  • Reject: The manuscript does not meet the standards or requirements for publication in its current form due to significant flaws in methodology, insufficient novelty or relevance, poor presentation, or other critical issues.
  • Revise & Resubmit: The manuscript has potential, but significant improvements are required before it can be accepted for publication. The author will need to make substantial changes and resubmit the revised version for further evaluation.
  • Major Revisions: The manuscript has potential but requires major changes to ensure its quality and accuracy. The author must address all major concerns raised by reviewers, and the revised manuscript will undergo another round of review.
  • Minor Revisions: The manuscript is generally in good shape but requires relatively small changes, such as clarifications, addressing minor errors, or adjusting figures or tables. The revised manuscript will be reevaluated but will not undergo an extensive review process again.
  • Accept Without Revisions: The manuscript should be accepted for publication without any further changes required, as the reviewer is satisfied with its quality, content, and presentation.

After you submit your review

When submitting your review, you may indicate your interest in receiving the other anonymized reviews once the process is complete for comparison purposes. Your review might also be shared with other reviewers in this anonymized form.

You may be asked to review a revised and resubmitted version of a manuscript you had previously reviewed. You have the right to decline this request, and doing so will not negatively impact your record in the reviewer database.

Thank you for your valuable contribution to the peer review process and for taking the time to provide detailed and constructive feedback to the authors. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and essential to maintaining the high standards of IAPSS Politikon.