Statement of Philosophy and Mission from the new Editors of PS.
Dear Colleagues,
We are thrilled to assume the editorship of PS: Political Science and Politics for a four-year term beginning September 1st. We thank the American Political Science Association and its officers and Council for the vote of confidence in providing us this honor and opportunity. The journal would not be what it is without the support and hard work of the PS Editorial Board. As we move forward we are fortunate to be able to rely on the able support and guidance of Managing Editor Marah Schlingensiepen and our three student Editorial Assistants Beth Seagroves, Phoebe Dias, and Cynthia Wang. Most importantly, we thank the outgoing editors, Phillip Ardoin and Paul Gronke for their outstanding stewardship of the journal over the last 8 years. They succeeded in raising the profile of the journal to make it a force in political science by publishing innovative and cutting-edge research from a variety of perspectives.
Some changes are coming to the structure of APSA’s flagship journals, and the new editorial team wants to capitalize on these changes to further improve the impact of research in PS.
Going forward (and continuing the policy of the previous editors), the new editorial team is committed to publishing only peer-reviewed, original research in the pages of PS on a variety of topics that are relevant to political scientists and researchers in allied fields. We continue to encourage submissions and symposia regarding research on political science pedagogy, building on the previous PS editors’ efforts in this area. We also intend to continue developing and inviting peer-reviewed symposia assembled in response to or in anticipation of political events in the U.S. and abroad. But we also want to solicit more research contributions and reviews from political scientists working outside of the academy and make the journal more accessible and interesting to this wider audience. Further, we seek to position PS as a premier outlet for scientific research on how social science works. Historically, PS has always been an outlet of choice for commentary on the state of our discipline, including survey research on political scientists. This presents an excellent foothold to shape PS into a high-impact outlet for “science about science.”
An electronic journal provides more accessibility and facilitates what we see as our core mission: the representation of all political scientists at every type of institution across the world, be they students, academics or practitioners. A primary goal of our inclusive strategy will be to welcome work authored by and reflecting the research priorities of underrepresented groups, those working outside the academy, and scholars residing outside the United States. An electronic journal (combined with the enhanced social media presence we envision) also provides the opportunity to broaden our international reach to attract scholars from the Global South and those who might have perceived PS as primarily an outlet for publishing on US politics. Our new Editorial Board, soon to be announced at the APSA meeting, reflects this change in focus.
As we assume our duties as the new editorial team, we are eager for input, suggestions, and—most importantly—submissions! Watch for our redesigned web page to go live in the coming weeks. We also invite you to join us at the upcoming APSA meeting in Montreal for a meet-and-greet and information session on Saturday, September 17th from 2:00 to 3:30 PM in Palais, 515C. We hope to see you all in Montreal!
Sincerely,
Lina Benabdallah
Justin Esarey
Betina Wilkinson
Peter Siavelis