Peer Review and Research Transparency Policies

Peer Review Process

Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science uses a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality and integrity of published research. Authors and reviewers do not know each other's identities.

All submitted manuscripts are first screened by the editorial team for fit with the journal's scope, scholarly quality, and compliance with the submission requirements, including anonymization. Research articles, research notes, and review essays are also checked with Similarity Check. Manuscripts that pass this screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field.

Reviewers are expected to provide unbiased, constructive, and timely feedback. They assess the manuscript's originality, significance, methodological soundness, engagement with the literature, and clarity of presentation. Reviewer identities remain confidential and are not shared with other reviewers or the authors.

The editorial team considers the reviewers' reports and decides to accept the manuscript, request minor or major revisions, or reject it. Authors receive the reviewers' feedback and are invited to submit revisions where requested. Manuscripts requiring major revisions are normally sent for a further round of review.

Special-issue submissions follow the same editorial screening and external peer-review standards as submissions to regular issues. Guest editors and editorial-team members who submit manuscripts are excluded from decisions and access to the review process for their own submissions, which are handled by an independent editor.

Book reviews and contributions to the Conversations section are evaluated by the Editorial Team. External review is commissioned when subject-specific expertise is required.

Research Transparency

IAPSS Politikon is committed to promoting research transparency and reproducibility. Authors are encouraged to describe their research methods, data collection, and analysis procedures in enough detail to support replication and validation.

Where applicable, authors should include a data availability statement in the manuscript, specifying whether their data are publicly accessible and where they can be found. If data cannot be shared because of ethical, legal, or confidentiality constraints, authors should explain why and describe the measures taken to ensure data integrity.

Instructions for Reviewers

  • Respect double-blind review: Do not try to identify the authors. If you recognize the work or its authors, inform the editor.
  • Maintain confidentiality: Do not share or discuss the manuscript without the editor's explicit permission.
  • Do not use generative AI: Do not upload the manuscript, or any part of it, to generative AI tools. Write the review report yourself.
  • Declare conflicts of interest: Inform the editor of any potential conflicts, such as personal or professional relationships with the authors.
  • Assess originality and significance: Evaluate the manuscript's novelty, importance, and potential contribution to the field.
  • Evaluate methodology: Assess the robustness of the research design, data collection, and analysis procedures.
  • Check ethical compliance: Note any ethical concerns in the confidential section of the review form.
  • Provide constructive feedback: Offer clear, specific, and actionable comments on the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses, indicating which revisions are essential.
  • Be timely: Submit your review within the agreed timeframe, or notify the editor if you need an extension.

For detailed instructions, see the Reviewer Guidelines.

Editorial Process for Authors

  1. Submission: Send your cover page and anonymized manuscript by email to politikonjournal@iapss.org, following the author guidelines.
  2. Initial screening: The editorial team assesses the manuscript's suitability for the journal and runs a similarity check. Manuscripts may be desk-rejected at this stage with a brief explanation.
  3. Peer review: Suitable manuscripts are sent to at least two independent reviewers for double-blind review.
  4. Editorial decision: Based on the reviewers' reports, the editorial team accepts the manuscript, requests minor or major revisions, or rejects it.
  5. Revision: Authors address the reviewers' comments and submit a revised manuscript with a detailed response to each comment.
  6. Further review: Manuscripts requiring major revisions are normally reviewed again; minor revisions are checked by the editors.
  7. Acceptance and publication: Accepted authors receive instructions on final formatting, the publishing licence, and proofs. The article is then published online.

Authors may contact the editorial office at politikonjournal@iapss.org with questions about their submission. Please allow six weeks after the confirmation email before sending status inquiries.

Publication Ethics

IAPSS Politikon 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. See also the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

Last updated: October 15, 2026