The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association actively seeks applications for a new Politics & Gender editorial team. Politics & Gender, published by Cambridge University Press, was founded by the APSA Women and Politics Research Section in 2004 and published its first issue in March 2005. The journal has established a strong reputation as an agenda-setting outlet that publishes the highest quality scholarship on gender and/or women and politics. As of July 2018, the journal was ranked 7th of 42 Women’s Studies journals, 59th of 169 Political Science journals, and has a five-year impact factor of 2.17 (with a 2017 impact factor of 1.64). The journal publishes four issues per year, featuring peer-reviewed scholarly articles, short Critical Perspectives essays on common thematic issues, and book reviews; since 2016, it has published book reviews online. The journal uses the software submission program Editorial Manager to process manuscript submissions and reviews.

On June 30, 2019, Mary Caputi will complete her term as editor of Politics & Gender. The Section seeks a new editorial team, with preference given to a team led by two (or possibly more) faculty members with combined expertise in the research area of gender, women, and politics. Prospective editors should hold tenured positions at a college or university anywhere in the world. The term of the editors will be three years, with the possibility of an extension by the Section for one to three more years.

Editorial Team

The editorial team for Politics & Gender will continue the tradition of promoting rigorous standards in publishing and attracting top quality research of interest to all the subfields intersecting with research in gender and women and politics. The editors will be responsible for leading the editorial team; managing and administering the day-to-day operations of the journal; selecting, appointing, and managing the Politics & Gender editorial board of 20 to 35 members (which exercises general oversight); and presenting an editorial report to the Business Meeting of the Women and Politics Research Section at the annual APSA Meeting. 

Proposals should identify a Managing Editor responsible for ongoing journal administration, who will work in cooperation with Cambridge University Press, and a list of prospective Editorial Board members, including any Associate Editorial team members and a Book Review Editor.

Criteria

The Editorial Selection Committee empowered by the Women and Politics Research Section will evaluate proposals based on four key criteria:

1. Comprehensive vision for the journal. Proposals should spell out a clear and compelling vision for the journal that will help the selection committee – and eventually, readers and potential authors – understand the intended contributions of this journal to scholarship, and how the editors will continue Politics & Gender’s record of excellence and centrality in advancing research on gender, women, and politics. Proposals might include assessment of the journal’s current strengths and weaknesses, suggesting major lines of continuity and change through the next administration.

2. Demonstrated breadth and balance in the subfield. It is essential that the journal, and therefore the editorial team, represent breadth and balance of areas and approaches in the broad interdisciplinary field of gender and politics. The proposed editorial team as a whole should individually and collectively demonstrate a record of breadth of scholarly interest and positions, especially across the major subfields of political science. The committee also hopes to see evidence of methodological pluralism and interdisciplinary work, sustained intellectual balance and judiciousness, and an active interest in tolerating and learning from approaches different from their own. Preference will be given to proposals of editorial teams or boards that are international in membership.

3. Editorial and administrative experience. Members of the editorial team should be familiar with the highest standards of scholarly assessment and publication, whether as authors of refereed journals and books, as scholarly journal and book editors, and/or as members of university press editorial boards. The managing editor, especially, should have administrative experience that demonstrates appropriate levels of management, organizational, and communication skills.

4. Effective organizational plans and financial/institutional support. Submissions should provide logistical information and clear lines of administrative responsibility and coordination, showing how the proposed team is planning to handle and divide up the varied managerial demands of editorial work. Submissions should indicate where the editorial office will be located and describe the facilities and staffing that will be available. Submissions should also include a proposed budget that specifies how the Cambridge University Press subsidy of US $15,500 per annum will be allocated, and the contributions from the editors’ home institutions (which may include things like faculty release time, graduate or undergraduate student assistance, office staff personnel support, editorial team office space, or other contributions). Currently, the journal receives about 200 manuscripts per year, a number that has increased 60% over the past two years. Applicants should seek resources that can accommodate this and should anticipate an increasing volume of future submissions.

Additional Materials

Proposals for the Politics & Gender editorial team should include a brief biographical summary and full c.v. for each team member. In addition, relevant academic administrators should provide written statements specifying office space, financial subsidies, faculty release time, student or staff assistance or other material support that will be provided to editorial team members, should their submission be accepted.

Selection Process

The selection committee is chaired by Section Co-Chair Merike Blofield, University of Miami (m.blofield@miami.edu) and includes Karen Beckwith, Case Western Reserve University(karen.beckwith@case.edu); Nadia Brown, Purdue University (brown957@purdue.edu); Laura Sjoberg, University of Florida (sjoberg@ufl.edu), as well as Section Co-Chair Shauna Shames, Rutgers University-Camden (shawanda@gmail.com); and Section Chair-Elect Eileen Hunt Botting, Notre Dame (E.H.Botting@nd.edu). 

Potential candidates should feel free to consult with members of the search committee and with Mary Caputi (mary.caputi@csulb.edu), the current editor, about the journal. 

Please send all editorial team proposals via email to Merike Blofield (m.blofield@miami.edu).

Deadline for Submissions

Please submit editorial team proposals by January 15th, 2019. 

The Editorial Selection Committee expects to announce the new editorial team by March 1st, 2019, to start on July 1, 2019.