This journal uses a double-anonymized model of peer review. Neither author nor reviewers know the identity of each other.
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The review process begins with an initial judgment of suitability. Submissions are sent back to authors without review if the editors judge that the paper is inappropriate for the Journal or is unlikely to survive the review process, saving time for authors and reviewers. Roughly two-thirds of all submissions are not sent out for review.
Articles sent out for review are considered under a double-anonymized review process. We aim to obtain at least two external reviewers for each manuscript.
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To maintain the quality of the review process, authors of submitted manuscripts are expected to review future manuscripts for APSR. Editors may desk reject submissions of manuscripts by authors who repeatedly fail to provide invited reviews.
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Appeals
Submissions that have not been sent out for review (desk rejects) may not be appealed. For other cases – where an external review has been conducted – authors may appeal an adverse decision under limited circumstances.
The author must wait fourteen days after a decision has been rendered (a cooling off period). The appeal must be submitted within 60 days of the date of the original decision letter. Manuscripts under appeal must not be submitted to another journal until the appeal outcome is determined.
To initiate an appeal, the author should send a request to the journal email address (apsr@apsanet.org) with “Appeal: [Manuscript number]” in the subject line. The body of the email should describe the basis for the appeal.
Elements
In order for the editors to consider the appeal, an appeal request must lay out the grounds for the appeal, keeping in mind that mere disagreement with the editor’s reasoned decision is not likely to be successful and such appeals are strongly discouraged. Appropriate grounds include:
- Significant errors of fact in the letter or reviews
- Procedural irregularities or improprieties in the review process
- Unethical behavior by reviewers
- Conflicts of interest
- Other exceptional circumstances
The letter should also establish that these concerns have had a substantial effect on the decision to reject the manuscript.
Process
- The APSR ethics editor will initially review the appeal. If the appeal does not meet the threshold for further consideration, it will be rejected. Otherwise, the ethics editor will forward the appeal to the original handling editor. If the ethics editor handled the appealed manuscript, another member of the ethics committee will take on their role.
- On receiving an appeal, the handling editor can:
- Agree with the appeal. The handling editor will then coordinate with the ethics editor and, as appropriate, an additional editor on an appropriate course of action, which may include soliciting additional reviews or consulting with members of the editorial board. Any decision on the appeal must be agreed upon by at least two editors.
- Disagree with the appeal. The handling editor will then summarize why the original decision should stand in spite of the appeal. Both the original appeal request letter and the handling editor’s comments are then assigned to a new editor by the ethics editor. The new handling editor can decide to reject the appeal or accept the appeal and determine, in communication with the ethics editor, an appropriate course of action as above.
- The decision on the appeal, together with additional reviews (if any), is then communicated to the appealing author.
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Review Transfers
To speed the review process along, to encourage reviewers to provide detailed and forward- looking advice, and to reduce redundant reviewer workload, we allow manuscripts to be transferred in or out of the APSR editorial system.
Transfer Out
When a paper is rejected by the APSR with reviews, the corresponding author will be notified in the rejection letter that they have the option to transfer their manuscript and reviews to another journal within 4 weeks of their rejection. Protocol:
1. The author is notified in the rejection letter about this option.
2. If the author wishes to take this step, they ask the managing editor to initiate a transfer to another participating journal.
3. We send the anonymized manuscript and the anonymized reviews to the new editor.
4. If the recipient journal’s editor wishes to know the identities of the reviewers, they respond to apsr@apsanet.org and request that information.
Our initial request for review alerts reviewers of the possibility of this transfer.
The journals that are currently participating in this practice are listed below. Please consult with the new journal submission guidelines prior to initiating this transfer to understand their policies about transfers. Journals may ask you to submit a cover letter detailing any changes you have made or would propose to make if they review your manuscript.
Conflict Management and Peace Science
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy
European Journal of Political Theory
International Political Science Review
International Studies Quarterly
Journal of Conflict Resolution
Journal of Development Economics
Journal of Experimental Political Science
Journal of Global Security Studies
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
Journal of Theoretical Politics
Review of International Organizations
Texas National Security Review
Please consult with the new journal submission guidelines prior to initiating this transfer to understand their policies about transfers. Journals may ask you to submit a cover letter detailing any changes you have made or would proposed to make if they review your manuscript.
Transfer In
When a paper is rejected by another journal with reviews, we will accept the transfer of the anonymous manuscript and identified reviews to the APSR to assist in our review process. We will accept reviews only from journals that allow the transfer of reviews from the APSR and where manuscripts are reviewed anonymously by external reviewers.
To initiate such a transfer, an author should proceed as follows:
1. The author completes a normal new submission to the APSR. In the Note to editor, the author explains that they are requesting a transfer of reviews from another journal and specify that journal. The paper must have been rejected less than one month previously by the other journal.
2. The author is encouraged to submit a cover letter detailing any changes they have made, or would propose to make, if the manuscript were to be reviewed at the APSR.
3. The author requests from another journal that their manuscript and reviews be transferred to the APSR
4. If reviewer identities are not included in this initial correspondence from the other journal, upon receipt of this email, the APSR managing editor will request the reviewer identities.
5. This information, with any attachments, will be forwarded to the editorial team.
6. As with any other submission, a transferred paper can be desk rejected, sent out for review, or rejected with the option of resubmission. If a paper is sent out for review, a prior reviewer may be consulted again if the editor believes it would be helpful, particularly if a manuscript has been revised since initial submission. The editor is under no obligation to rely on these external reviews or to ask for additional comments from prior reviewers.
7. As with any other submission, a decision on a manuscript is final. In particular, a manuscript submitted through the transfer process cannot be resubmitted as a regular submission.