Author Guidelines
The Journal of Politics and Democratization (JPD) seeks to publish scholarly research that focuses on important issues for the field of study that demonstrates a high standard of excellence in conceptualization and methodology. An important criterion for publication in the journal is the extent to which the submitted research advances understanding of politics and democratization. It is the goal of JPD to appeal to a diverse international audience, authors must be able to show how their research responds to research questions of general political interest.
The JPD publishes only original work. Submissions should not include anything that has already been published or that is forthcoming in other places as it could violate the copyright of the other publisher. Similarly, the JPD will not consider submissions that are currently under review by another journal. If there are any questions about whether these policies apply in your case, you should address them in a cover letter to the editors.
The JPD uses a blind 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, during which time each article is discussed at a weekly editorial staff meeting. At this point in the review process, our purpose is to determine whether or not we will send the manuscript out to external referees. In all cases that do not pass this review, authors can expect to receive word of the decision in a timely manner, 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 two 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. You should follow the guidelines for preparing an anonymous submission in the "Specific Procedures" section that follows.
The JPD accepts only electronic submissions. When submitting manuscripts to JPD, be aware of the following file type restrictions. Do not submit files as PDF documents. The JPD staff will create a PDF document from the Microsoft Word files you submit, which will ensure anonymity. The web site provides detailed information about how to submit, what formatting is required, and what type of digital files may be uploaded. Please direct any questions to the journal's editorial offices to the following addresses: t.sharashenidze@gipa.ge (Dr. Tornike Sharashenidze), tanderson@troy.edu (Dr. Terry Anderson).