Submissions

Login or Register to make a submission.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • The text follows the guidelines specified in the Author Guidelines.
  • The submission is made via e-mail to politikonjournal@iapss.org and includes at least two files (COVER PAGE and ANONYMIZED MANUSCRIPT).
  • The submission files are in MS Word format (and if one or more appendices are in another format, an explanation has been provided in the submission e-mail).
  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it under consideration by another journal.
  • The author(s) of the manuscript do not have another manuscript under evaluation in this journal at the time of submission.

Author Guidelines

Important Notice

Please disregard the login/register button above. All submissions must be sent via email to politikonjournal@iapss.org. No registration is required.

These instructions are designed to help ensure your paper moves smoothly through the peer review, production, and publication process. Please follow them carefully to meet the journal’s formatting and submission requirements.

Editorial Process and Communication

Evaluation Stages

  • All research articles, notes, and review essays are first reviewed by the Editorial Board.

  • Submissions may be desk-rejected with a brief explanation or moved to external double-blind peer review.

  • External reviewers are independent and not affiliated with the editorial board or authors.

For Book Reviews and Conversations

These are reviewed by the Editorial Board. External review may be requested in cases requiring subject-specific expertise.

For more information, please read the journal’s Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

Communication Timeline for Authors

  1. Initial confirmation: Upon receipt of your submission, you will receive a confirmation email.

  2. Waiting period: Please allow sufficient time for the editorial and peer review process.

  3. Reminders: Do not send status inquiries earlier than six weeks after receiving your confirmation.

  4. After six weeks: If you have not received an update, you may email us. Include your manuscript title and any specific questions.

  5. Status notification: You will be informed of the outcome:

    • Acceptance

    • Minor Revisions

    • Major Revisions

    • Revise and Resubmit

    • Rejection 

If revisions are requested, please follow our specific resubmission instructions.

Submission Requirements

All submissions must be sent electronically to politikonjournal@iapss.org. Please include the following:

1. Cover Page (Word file)

  • Title of the manuscript

  • Full name(s) of author(s)

  • Short bio (max. 150 words per author)

  • Email address(es)

  • Abstract (not required for book reviews)

  • 5–10 keywords

2. Anonymized Manuscript (Word file)

  • Title

  • Abstract (not required for book reviews)

  • Keywords

  • Full text

  • References

  • Appendices (if applicable; long ones may be submitted as separate files)

Formatting Specifications

  • Font: Garamond

  • Main text: 12 pt, 1.5 spacing

  • Abstract: Max. 150 words, italic, 12 pt, 1.15 spacing

  • Keywords: 12 pt, 1.15 spacing

  • Main title: 16 pt, bold

  • Section headings: 14 pt, bold

  • Sub-section headings: 12 pt, bold italic

  • Footnotes: 10 pt, single spacing

  • Paragraphs: First-line indent 1.25 cm, no spacing between paragraphs

  • Margins: Top/bottom: 2.5 cm; Left/right: 3.0 cm

  • Quotes (3+ lines): Indented 1.25 cm, 11 pt

  • Tables/Charts: Numbered, one per page, with a source (e.g., "Source: Author.")

Style Guide

  • Use double quotation marks except for quotes within quotes.

  • Spell out abbreviations and acronyms on first mention (e.g., European Union (EU)).

  • Italicize non-English words and names; include accents and diacritics.

  • Italicize titles of books, journals, films, artworks, and long-form works.

  • Do not use italics for quotations, dialogue, or quoted material.

  • Spell out whole numbers one through one hundred.

  • Use numerals for other numbers unless starting a sentence.

  • Use symbols for %, $, €, and £.

  • Avoid contractions (e.g., “it is” instead of “it’s”).

  • Use commas as thousand separators (e.g., 10,000).

  • Dates: use Month Day, Year format (e.g., February 2, 2006).

  • Do not use: in litt., op. cit., idem., e.g., i.e., ibid.

Formatting Block Quotes

  • Use block quotes for quotations that are 40 words or longer.

  • Start block quotes on a new line, and indent the entire quote from the left margin.

  • Do not use quotation marks around block quotes.

  • Maintain the original punctuation and capitalization of the quoted material.

  • Place the citation or attribution after the final punctuation of the quote.

  • Do not italicize block quotes.

  • If the block quote contains multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph.

References

Use the Chicago Manual of Style (author-date format), 14th Edition.
Examples:

  • Article: Kneip, Katharina. 2016. "Female jihad–women in the ISIS." Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science 29: 88–106. https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.29.5

  • Book Chapter: Lalancette, Mireille, and Manon Tremblay. 2019. "Media Framing of Lesbian and Gay Politicians." In Queering Representation, edited by Manon Tremblay, 102–123. Vancouver: UBC Press.

  • Book: Onuf, Nicholas. 2012. World of Our Making. London and New York: Routledge.

More examples can be found in the official Chicago Manual of Style.

Format-Free Submissions

You may submit your manuscript using any consistent and standard citation style commonly used in the humanities or social sciences. If your manuscript passes editorial review, you will be asked to revise it to conform with the Chicago Manual of Style (author-date format).

Note: Manuscripts with in-text citations are preferred over those with footnotes or endnotes.

This format-free policy aims to reduce barriers while maintaining high academic standards.

 

Research articles

A research paper is a comprehensive and in-depth academic article. It contributes substantially to the existing body of knowledge within a specific subfield. It presents comprehensive research that has undergone rigorous analysis, making a significant impact on the understanding of a particular topic.

A research paper ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 words, excluding references and appendices. It requires a detailed and extensive discussion of the research question, a comprehensive review of relevant literature, a thorough explanation of the research methodology and data analysis techniques, and a comprehensive presentation of results. 

Research notes

A research note is a short academic article, usually between 2,500 and 5,000 words.  It offers a concise and focused contribution to the scholarly literature, presenting new insights, findings, or methods. A research note is typically more narrow in scope compared to a research paper.

While it still follows a standardized format, a research note might provide less extensive details about the research design and methodology compared to a research paper. It is meant to quickly communicate a valuable insight, finding, or method to the research community. In addition to communicating findings, research notes can also introduce new concepts, albeit in a more compact manner compared to research papers. They often highlight novel ideas, emerging trends, or preliminary frameworks that offer fresh perspectives to the scholarly community. These conceptual contributions might not be fully developed theories but can lay the groundwork for further exploration. 

Review essays

A review essay is a type of essay (between 1,500 and 3,000 words)  that combines a critical analysis of one or more books, with broader discussions and reflections on relevant themes, topics, or issues. In a review essay, the writer not only provides a detailed assessment of the works under review but also uses them as a starting point for exploring larger questions, debates, or cultural trends.

A review essay typically begins with an introduction that provides context for the works being reviewed and previews the main arguments or themes that the writer will explore in the essay. The body of the essay consists of a detailed analysis of the works themselves, including an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as any broader implications they may have.

For more details, please see our guide for writing a review essay.

Book reviews

A book review is a critical analysis and evaluation of a book's content and merits. The purpose of a book review is to provide readers with an understanding of the book's subject matter, themes, and arguments, as well as the author's writing style and approach. A book review typically includes a summary of the book's main ideas, followed by an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses.

A good book review:

  • is between 500 and 1000 words in length;
  • provides a balanced and thoughtful analysis of the book being reviewed;
  • provides an overview of the book's content, including a summary of the main ideas, themes, and arguments presented by the author;
  • includes an evaluation of the book's strengths and weaknesses, discussing the book's methodology, its contribution to the field, or any other relevant factors;
  • offers a critique of the book's arguments and ideas, and may include a discussion of any counterarguments or alternative perspectives that the author did not address.

For more details, please see our guide for writing a book review.

Conversations

The Conversations section provides a platform for diverse forms of academic engagement. This section is open to opinion essays, interviews, pedagogical discussions, film commentaries, and critical reflections on academic events within the realm of Political Science. It aims to expand the boundaries of Political Science to encompass creative interventions and interdisciplinary dialogue. 

Contributions to the Conversation section are subject to Editorial Board Evaluation only, unless the need for expertise in a specific subfield that is not present in the Editorial Board necessitates the commissioning of an external peer-review on a double-blind basis.

Copyright Notice

By submitting to Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science, authors agree to the following copyright terms:

All articles published in Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. This license allows others to share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, providing appropriate attribution to the original author(s) and indicating if changes were made.

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science the right of first publication.

For more information please refer to the journal's Open Access Policy, Archiving and Publishing License policies.

Privacy Statement

At IAPSS Politikon, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information that you provide to us through our website and editorial email.

Information Collection: If you choose to submit a manuscript or review for publication in our journal, we may collect personal information, such as your name, email address, affiliation, and academic qualifications.

Information Use: We may use your information to communicate with you about your manuscript or review.

Information Sharing: We will not share your personal information with third parties without your consent, except as required by law or as necessary to fulfill our obligations to you.

Your Rights: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to request that we correct or delete that information. To make such a request, please contact us using the contact information provided on our website.

Updates to Privacy Statement: We may update this privacy statement from time to time. Any changes we make will be posted on our website, and we encourage you to review this statement periodically.

Contact Us: If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us using the contact information provided on our website.