Correction: volume and issue numbering, 2023–2026
Volume numbers of IAPSS Politikon now correspond to the year of publication. The issues published between 2023 and 2026 have been relabelled, and their PDFs reissued. All DOIs are unchanged.
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Publication Ethics Standards
Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science follows the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Editors handle suspected misconduct, complaints, and requests for corrections or retractions in line with COPE guidance and flowcharts. Politikon is not a member of COPE. Full text: COPE Core Practices.
Peer Review Process
All submitted manuscripts are initially evaluated by the Editorial Board and then reviewed by external experts.
Politikon follows a rigorous and transparent double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, validity, and integrity of published research. Reviewers are selected based on subject-matter expertise and provide impartial, constructive feedback. Reviewer identities are kept confidential unless voluntarily disclosed.
Editorial decisions are made independently and are based on the scholarly quality and significance of the research. Editors follow established ethical standards and are committed to fair and unbiased evaluations.
To maintain the double-blind review process, authors must submit two separate files:
- An anonymized manuscript with no identifying information
- A cover page including the article title, the author's name, academic position and affiliation (with country), a brief biography, email address, and a statement on any use of generative AI
Failure to maintain proper anonymity may result in delays during the review process.
Types of Submissions
Politikon accepts submissions in the following categories:
- Original research articles
- Research notes
- Review essays
- Book reviews
The journal also welcomes contributions to its Conversations section, including interviews, pedagogical discussions, film commentaries, conference and workshop reports, and research project summaries. Conversations contributions and book reviews are evaluated by the Editorial Board; external double-blind review is commissioned when subject-specific expertise is required.
Language and Fees
The journal publishes in English. Special issues may, with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, publish contributions bilingually in English and another language.
There are no submission or publication fees (article processing charges).
General Policies
Authorship and Contributorship
All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. Authorship changes after acceptance require justification and written agreement from all parties.
Handling Complaints and Appeals
Complaints or appeals should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief or Deputy Editor-in-Chief. The following steps are taken:
- Receipt of complaint or appeal
- Initial assessment
- Investigation
- Review by Editorial Board
- Decision and communication
- Follow-up actions
- Documentation
Conflicts of Interest
All participants in the publication process must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could affect objectivity. Identified conflicts will be managed appropriately to maintain integrity.
Data Sharing and Reproducibility
The journal encourages authors to share research data to promote transparency and reproducibility. Authors may be asked to provide supporting data or deposit it in a suitable repository.
Ethical Oversight
All research involving human or animal subjects must comply with relevant ethical standards. Authors must obtain ethical approval and disclose it. Ethical breaches will be investigated and addressed as needed.
Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections
The journal supports scholarly engagement through comments or letters to the editor. When necessary, corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions will be issued to ensure accurate and reliable content. These follow COPE guidance and are linked to the original article.
Authors
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure their work is original and unpublished. All sources must be properly cited. Politikon strictly prohibits plagiarism in any form.
The journal adheres to the definition provided by Oxford University:
"Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional."
Plagiarism Screening
All research articles, research notes, and review essays are screened with Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate) after initial editorial assessment and before external peer review. Revised manuscripts may be screened again before acceptance. Editors interpret each similarity report individually; no fixed percentage determines acceptance or rejection. Suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or text recycling is handled according to COPE guidance.
Authorship and Contributions
All authors must have made meaningful contributions and approve the final version before submission. The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating author consent.
Data Integrity
Authors must ensure the accuracy of their data and provide sufficient detail for reproducibility. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting is unethical and unacceptable.
Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect interpretation. These must be clearly stated in the manuscript.
Multiple Submissions and Redundant Publication
Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal or publish substantially similar content in multiple outlets.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence
Authors may use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools only to improve the grammar, spelling, and readability of text they have written themselves. Generative AI must not be used to produce content, arguments, analysis, literature reviews, data, images, or references, or to translate manuscripts. Authors who use AI tools for language editing must name the tool and describe its use in the cover page. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they cannot take responsibility for the work. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and originality of their manuscripts. Undisclosed or prohibited use will be handled according to COPE guidance and may lead to rejection or, after publication, correction or retraction.
For further details, refer to the journal's author guidelines.
Reviewers
Role in the Peer Review Process
Reviewers ensure the scholarly quality of published content. They must respond promptly and provide objective, constructive feedback.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential and not shared without editor approval.
Generative AI
Reviewers must not upload manuscripts, or any part of them, to generative AI tools, as this breaches confidentiality. Review reports must be written by the reviewer.
Expertise and Objectivity
Reviewers must have subject expertise and offer impartial assessments. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed, and reviewers should recuse themselves when appropriate.
Timeliness and Communication
Reviewers should adhere to deadlines and inform editors if delays arise. Feedback should be clear, respectful, and aimed at improving the manuscript.
Editors
Editorial Decision-Making
Editors make impartial decisions based on the manuscript's quality, originality, and relevance. Discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, or affiliation is not tolerated.
Confidentiality and Integrity
Editors treat submissions confidentially and only share details with those involved in the review and publication process.
Generative AI
Editors must not upload manuscripts, review reports, or decision letters to generative AI tools.
Conflict of Interest
If an editor has a conflict of interest regarding a submission, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor. Manuscripts submitted by members of the editorial team, or by guest editors to their own special issue, are handled by an independent editor and undergo the same double-blind review as all other submissions; the submitting editor has no access to the review process.
Publication Ethics
Editors are responsible for upholding ethical practices, investigating misconduct, and taking appropriate actions, including issuing retractions or corrections when necessary.
Publisher
Politikon maintains a clear division between editorial and publishing responsibilities to ensure editorial independence and freedom from commercial influence.
The publisher archives signed license agreements with authors and oversees the technical and administrative operation of the journal in collaboration with the IAPSS website team. The journal ensures open access to all published content.
In cases of proven scientific misconduct or plagiarism post-publication, the publisher, in cooperation with editors, will issue corrections or retractions as necessary to uphold academic integrity.
Last edited: October 15, 2026
