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Submission and Review

Perspectives on Politics only accepts unsolicited research articles for publication in its “Articles” section. Every article submitted to Perspectives undergoes a standard review process.

The first step in this process is a blind, in-house assessment by editorial staff aimed at determining whether the submission is of sufficient quality and an appropriate fit for the journal. Every article submitted is read and reviewed by the editor-in-chief and at least one additional member of the editorial staff. The editorial office seeks to promptly consider each article within a week to ten days of submission, during which time each article is discussed at a weekly editorial staff meeting. At this juncture, our aim is to determine whether or not we will send the manuscript out to external referees. Many submissions do not meet this hurdle, typically because the submissions in question are not geared toward the journal’s broad readership and seem more appropriately placed in more specialized scholarly journals. In all such negative cases, authors can expect to receive word within two weeks, along with an explanation for this editorial decision. The goal of the editorial office is to treat each manuscript with the seriousness it deserves, to subject each to careful consideration, and to render editorial decisions that offer clear explanations and useful comments.

Those submissions that clear the internal review process are then sent out for external review according to a standard double-blind referee process. We typically seek three reviews, and select a diverse group of scholarly reviewers capable of approaching a manuscript from a range of pertinent scholarly perspectives. We expect that reviewers will return their reports within four to six weeks. Based on referee reports and his own careful reading of the article, the editor will then decide whether to accept a submission, reject it, or offer the author(s) the opportunity to revise and resubmit the manuscript. Authors will have access to all reviewer reports, and will receive a letter from the editor clearly explaining his decision.

Perspectives does not consider papers that are currently under review at other journals or that duplicate or overlap with parts of larger manuscripts submitted to other publishers (including publishers of both books and periodicals). Submission of manuscripts substantially similar to those submitted or published elsewhere, or to part of a book or other larger work, is also strongly discouraged. If you have any questions about whether these policies apply in your particular case, you should raise such questions in the author comments section of the online submission process. You should also notify the editor-in-chief of any related submissions to other publishers, whether for book or periodical publication, that occur while a manuscript is under review at Perspectives and which would fall within the scope of this policy. The editor may request copies of related publications.

Authors are required to upload a minimum of three separate files:

1. A separate title page that includes the full manuscript title, plus names and contact information (mailing address, telephone, fax, email address) for all credited authors in the order their names should appear, as well as each author’s academic rank and institutional affiliation. You may also include any acknowledgements or other author notes about the development of the paper (e.g., previous presentations of the research) as part of this separate title page. In the case of multiple authors, indicate which should receive correspondence.
   
2. A 200-word abstract for the submission.
   
3. An anonymous digital file of your paper. This file should not include any information that identifies the authors, or any other collaborators in the work (including anyone responsible for creating tables or figures, if they are also an author/collaborator). It should not thank colleagues in notes or elsewhere in the body of the paper or mention institution names, web page addresses, or other potentially identifying information.

Although we strive to keep the review process as short as is possible, commissioning prompt reviewers can be a challenge and can sometimes take longer than we would like. Authors can monitor the status of their submissions through the Editorial Manager system, and we are always happy to answer questions.

Authors who wish to submit manuscripts for consideration at Perspectives on Politics must register with Editorial Manager, our online manuscript processing system. First-time users should register and create their profiles at www.editorialmanager.com/pop. Returning users may log in and continue using their existing profiles, and may update their user information at any time.

When submitting manuscripts to Perspectives on Politics using Editorial Manager, be aware of the following file type restrictions: Do not submit files as PDF documents. The Editorial Manager system will build a PDF document from the Microsoft Word files you submit, which will ensure anonymity.

More information is available under “Instructions for Authors.”

If you have questions or concerns about our procedures, please contact the managing editor at perspectives@apsanet.org.