Reviewer Guidelines

Commitment to Double-Blind Peer Review

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

Becoming a Reviewer

Serving as a reviewer for IAPSS Politikon is a valuable academic contribution that helps uphold high standards in Political Science publishing. Reviewers have the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research while contributing professionally to the scholarly community.

Reviewer Database

To become a reviewer, please complete the application form.

Upon acceptance into the reviewer database, Editorial Board members will contact you with review requests for manuscripts aligned with your area of specialization. The timing of your first review request will depend on the topics of submitted manuscripts.

If you wish to be removed from the reviewer database, please send an email to: politikonjournal@iapss.org.

Submitting Your Review

You are expected to complete the review form provided with the request. This includes multiple-choice questions and a section for general comments. You should use this section to elaborate on your evaluation and provide feedback on the manuscript’s strengths, weaknesses, and compliance with submission guidelines.

Optionally, you may also insert comments directly into the manuscript file using the 'comments' or 'track changes' function in your word processor and send it back alongside the completed review form. However, you must still submit the official review form.

Anonymizing Comments in Microsoft Word

On Windows:

1. Go to the "File" menu and click "Options".
2. In the "Word Options" dialog box, select "Trust Center".
3. Click "Trust Center Settings".
4. Choose "Privacy Options".
5. Check "Remove personal information from file properties on save".
6. Click "OK" to confirm and close the dialogs.

On Mac:

1. Open the manuscript file in Microsoft Word.
2. Click "Word" in the top menu and select "Preferences".
3. Choose "Security" under "Personal Settings".
4. Check "Remove personal information from this file on save".
5. Click "OK" to save settings.

These steps help maintain reviewer anonymity in the double-blind review process.

Your Review

A strong review highlights any weaknesses in the manuscript and provides constructive suggestions for improvement. If a manuscript shows promise but needs work, detailed and specific feedback can help the author bring it to publication quality.

When completing your review form, please select one of the following decisions:

• Reject: The manuscript does not meet publication standards due to major flaws in methodology, originality, or presentation.
• Revise & Resubmit: The manuscript has potential but requires substantial changes before reconsideration. It will be reassessed upon resubmission.
• Major Revisions: The manuscript requires significant improvements. Authors must address critical issues; a second round of review will follow.
• Minor Revisions: The manuscript is mostly sound but needs minor adjustments. It will be re-evaluated, but not fully re-reviewed.
• Accept Without Revisions: The manuscript meets all standards and is ready for publication as is.

After You Submit Your Review

Reviewers may request access to anonymized comments from other reviewers once the process is complete, for comparison purposes. Your own anonymized review may also be shared with others involved in the review process.

You may be invited to review a revised version of a manuscript you previously evaluated. You are free to accept or decline this follow-up review without any impact on your reviewer status.

Thank You

We sincerely appreciate your time and contribution to the peer review process. Your detailed and thoughtful feedback is vital to maintaining the high standards of IAPSS Politikon.