Each year, PS editorial staff provides a report of activities to the APSA Publications Committee and the APSA Council. Usually we include a few items in that report to our readers here in PS. We provide details on submissions, demographics of authors, acceptance/rejection rates, most read articles, and other details. Finally because all articles in PS are blind peer- reviewed, we take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the reviewers who offered their time and service to PS and the profession. Their names and affiliations are listed at the end of this report.
PS is primarily supported by the American Political Science Association, but would like to acknowledge the support of the Dean’s Office and Department of Government and Justice Studies at Appalachian State University and the Mildred Twohy Benezet Fund and Department of Political Science at Reed College.
MISSION AND EDITORIAL STATEMENT
PS: Political Science & Politics provides critical analyses of contemporary political phenomena and is the journal of record for the discipline of political science reporting on research, teaching, and professional development. PS, begun in 1968, is the only quarterly professional news and commentary journal in the field and is the prime source of information on political scientists’ achievements and professional concerns.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS
Table of Contents
The April 2016 issue (49:2) is the first to showcase the new design of the Table of Contents and a slight restructure of the journal. At the suggestion of the Ad Hoc Review Committee on the Future of PS, the “Features” section has been renamed. We feel the new name “Politics” better reflects the content of that section and dispels the idea that articles in the other sections are somehow not “featured.”
The redesigned layout of the Table of Contents identifies the four main sections of the journal: Politics, The Profession, The Teacher, and The Association. Content is subcategorized into Articles, Symposia, Spotlights, and From the Sections. The most substantial change is the placement of symposia underneath the appropriate content heading. We have done this because symposia, which typically appeared every couple issues a decade ago, have become an important and regular element of PS. We thought it would help the readership to recognize that symposia could appear underneath any of our three main content categories, and it would also help readers navigate the journal. To illustrate, a forthcoming symposium on the subject of “Mainstreaming Gender in the Teaching and Learning of Politics” will now be under The Teacher section.
“From the Sections” & “Reflections”
Last year, in response to input from a number of members and organized sections, and after reviewing a number of submissions, we decided that the journal could provide a venue for content that had been originally published in one of APSA’s excellent organized section newsletters. We have started to print these under the heading “From the Sections.”
We also decided that we’d like to provide an opportunity for scholars to write essays on mentoring, graduate training, experiences as an administrator (analogous to essays that appear in the Chronicle of Higher Education), and other professional “Reflections.”
Our major editorial conversation with our Board was how to solicit and peer-review these submissions. “From the Sections” contains articles that have been nominated by section newsletter editors and are deemed of sufficient importance and interest to be disseminated to the entire discipline. The level and type of peer-review is determined in consultation with newsletter editors. “Reflections” provides authors an opportunity to submit non-anonymized essays on mentoring, research, graduate and undergraduate education, or other reflections on your experiences in the profession. We send this out for single-blind review, and often have relied on our Board members to help us respond to authors.
Symposia
As symposia have become an increasingly prominent component of PS, we have streamlined the submission, review, and editorial process. All symposia are now being processed through the Editorial Manager system, and all are subjected to some level of peer-review, chosen in consultation with the guest editor(s).
Guidelines for a symposium proposal can be found at http://www.apsanet.org/pssymposium-guidelines. We have also developed more extensive symposium guideline documents that can be quickly sent to any interested scholars.
PSNow
Recently, APSA launched a new website, http://www.politicalsciencenow.com/ the use of which PS is implementing into our own workflow. The outward facing website is an excellent resource for highlighting articles in our journal. The web interface allows for comments and discussion of the articles. We look forward to continue using PSNow to reach different audiences on different platforms.
SUBMISSION AND DECISION
Unsolicited manuscripts to PS have increased in the past year (table 1) We received more submissions in 2015 than in any of the past five years. For the first time, we are reporting the total percentage of symposia submissions, which made up 26% of total submissions (table 2). Notably, we are tracking these as symposia submissions as opposed to grouping them into the section under which they fall.
Table 1 New Submissons to PS
Table 2 PS Submissions by Category
Note: Starting in April 2016, the “Features” section is now known as the “Politics” section. Numbers may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Symposia remain a central feature of PS (table 3). The editors receive initial proposals, including an overview of the symposium and a list of topics and authors for consideration and review. If accepted the guest editors serves as the coordinator of the review process and manuscript preparation.
Table 3 Symposia Published in PS
We have reduced dramatically the number of submissions that are accepted after first submission (in part this number is impacted by our use of an “accept with revision” category). The rejection rate has increased as well, but we don’t think this rate (66%) is out of line with PS’s submission rate and prominence in the profession (table 4).
Table 4 Editorial Outcome: First Decision
AUTHOR DEMOGRAPHICS
Authors of varying ranks are published in PS. Most authors are full professor (34%) followed by associate professors (23%)(table 5). Since 2013, every year shows an increase in the number of female authors (table 6) with 2016 having only slightly fewer female than male authors. We will continue to strive to have a balanced representation of authors. Footnote 1
Table 5 Distribution of PS Authors by Rank (n=113 )
Table 6 Distribution of Authors by Gender
PS REVIEWERS 2015
For the past year, PS: Political Science & Politics published articles covering a range of topics. The professionalism and integrity of the journal’s content relies on anonymous peer reviewers. The PS editorial team thanks the following reviewers who dedicated their time to PS in 2015.
A
Viviana Abreu-Hernandez, Excellencia in Education; David Adamany, Temple University; Aaron Adams, University of Washington; Brian Adams, San Diego State University; Alex Aguado, University of North Alabama; Scott Ainsworth, University of Georgia; Susan Allen, University of Mississippi; John Altman, York College of Pennsylvania; Sarah Anderson, University of California, Santa Barbara; Theodore Arrington, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Victor Asal, University at Albany, SUNY; Amy Atchison, Valparaiso University; James Avery, Stockton University
B
Laila Balcells, Duke University; Kevin Banda, University of Nevada, Reno; Jason Barabas, Florida State University; Michael Baranowski, Northern Kentucky University; Michael Barber, Brigham Young University; Barbara Bardes, University of Cincinnati; Nichole Bauer, Ball State University; Zachary Baumann, Pennsylvania State University; Jody Baumgartner, East Carolina University; Charles Bell, California State University, Fullerton;
Lauren Bell, Randolph-Macon College; Jennifer Benz, NORC; John Berg, Suffolk University; Benjamin Berger, Swarthmore College; Jeffrey Bernstein, Eastern Michigan University; Jeffrey Berry, Tufts University; Sarah Birch, University of Glasgow; Amanda Blair, University of Chicago; Taylor Boas, Boston University; Keith Boeckelman, Western Illinois University; Mark Bradbury, Appalachian State University; Paul Brewer, University of Delaware; Michelle Brophy-Baermann, Rhode Island College; Susan Burgess, Ohio University
C
Brian Calfano, Missouri State University; David Campbell, University of Notre Dame; James Campbell, University of Buffalo; Steven Campbell, University of South Carolina, Lancaster; Mary Caputi, California State University, Long Beach; Kiki Caruson, University of South Florida; Daniel Cassino, Fairleigh Dickinson University; Gamze Cavdar, Colorado State University; Miguel Centellas, Jackson State University; Matthew Childers, University of North Florida; Mark Chou, Australian Catholic University; Maqsood Choudary, Northeast Lakeview College; Chi Chung, Harvard Law School; Chelsea Clark, Chelsea Clark Consulting, LLC; Vicki Claypool, University of Iowa; Charles Conyers, Howard University; Corey Cook, University of San Francisco; Rosalyn Cooperman, University of Mary Washington; Jonathan Cope, College of Staten Island, CUNY; Gary Copeland, University of Oklahoma; Irasema Coronado, University of Texas at El Paso; Skyler Covich, University of California, Santa Barbara; Nyron Crawford, Temple University; Michael Crespin, University of Oklahoma
D
Allan Dafoe, Yale University; Christine Day, University of New Orleans; Janet Day, SUNY Oneonta; Jonathan Day, Western Illinois University; Michael Delli Carpini, University of Pennsylvania; Eric Dickson, New York University; Michelle Dion, McMaster University; David Doherty, Loyola University Chicago; Gary Donato, Bentley University; Ian Down, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; James Druckman, Northwestern University; Lee Drutman, New America; Jennifer Dugan, Randolph College; Mary Durfee, Michigan Technological University; Kent Eaton, University of California, Santa Cruz; Marie Eisenstein, Indiana University Northwest; Kevin Esterling, University of California, Riverside; Nicholas Eubank, Stanford University; Heather Evans, Sam Houston State University; Alec Ewald, University of Vermont
MOST DOWNLOADED ARTICLES
The following are the top ten most cited articles published in PS between 2010–2014, as measured by Google Scholar.
-
1. Collier, David. 2011. “Understanding Process Tracing.” 44 (4): 823–830.
-
2. Lewis-Beck, Michael, Charles Tien, and Richard Nadeau. 2010. “Obama’s Missed Landslide: A Racial Cost?” 43 (1): 69–760
-
3. Karpowitz, Christopher F., J. Quin Monson, Kelly D. Patterson, and Jeremy C. Pope. 2011. “Tea Time in America? The Impact of the Tea Party Movement on the 2010 Midterm Elections.” 44 (2): 303–309.
-
4. David Lazer. 2011. “Networks in Political Science: Back to the Future.” 44 (1): 61–68.
-
5. Perliger, Arie, and Ami Pedahzur. 2011. “Social Network Analysis in the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence.” 44(1): 45–50.
-
6. Abrams, Samuel J., and Morris P. Fiorina. 2012. “‘The Big Sort’ That Wasn’t: A Skeptical Reexamination.” 45(2): 203–210.
-
7. Gronke, Paul, Darius Rejali, Dustin Drenguis, James Hicks, Peter Miller, and Bryan Nakayama. 2010. “US Public Opinion on Torture, 2001–2009.” 43 (3): 437–444.
-
8. Wedig, Timothy. 2010. “Getting the Most from Classroom Simulations: Strategies for Maximizing Learning Outcomes.” 43 (3): 547–555.
-
9. Jones, Michael D. 2011. “Learning the Way to Compromise? Cultural Theory and Climate Change Opinion.” 44 (4): 720–725.
-
10. Geer, John G. 2012. “The News Media and the Rise of Negativity in Presidential Campaigns.” 45 (3): 422–427.
PS EDITORIAL BOARD
We would like to thank our board members for their dedication and service to the journal and to the profession!
Lindsay Benstead, Portland State University
James E. Campbell, University at Buffalo, SUNY
R. Scott Crichlow, West Virginia University
Jennifer Gandhi, Emory University
James C. Garand, Louisiana State University
J. Tobin Grant, Southern Illinois University
Todd K. Hartman, University of Sheffield
Jennifer Jerit, Stony Brook University
Alisa Kessel, University of Puget Sound
David Kinsella, Portland State University
Amber R. Knight, Saint Louis University
Ari Kohen, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Peter Lindsay, Georgia State University
Joanne M. Miller, University of Minnesota
James E. Monogan III, University of Georgia
Jennifer Nicoll Victor, George Mason University
Ismail White, George Washington University
Catherine Warrick, Villanova University
Jason Windett, Saint Louis University
Betina C. Wilkinson, Wake Forest University
F
Christopher Federico, University of Minnesota; Michaele Ferguson, University of Colorado, Boulder; John Filter, Kansas State University; Jeffrey Fine, Clemson University; Charles Finocchiaro, University of South Carolina; Andrew Flores, Williams Institute; Summer Forester, Purdue University; Ole Forsberg, Oklahoma State University; Brian Frederking, McKendree University
G
James Garand, Louisiana State University; James Gerlach, Western Carolina University; John Gerring, Boston University; Clark Gibson, University of California, San Diego; Julie Gilbert, Gustvus Adolphus College; J. David Gillespie, College of Charleston; Rebecca Glazier, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Stephen Godek, Illinois College; Johnny Goldfinger, Marian University; Kristin Goss, Duke University; Matthew Green, The Catholic University of America; Adolf Gundersen, Interactivity Foundation; Michael Gunter, Tennessee Technological University
H
Himanee Gupta-Carlson, SUNY, Empire State College; Robert Hackey, Providence College; Michael Hagen, Temple University; Richard Hall, University of Michigan; Jarrod Hayes, Georgia Tech; Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Harvard University; William Hicks, Appalachian State University; Randall Holcombe, Florida State University; Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Juan Huerta, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christy; Karen Hult, Virginia Tech; Lisa Hultman, Uppsala University; Dena Hutto, Reed College
J
Natalie Jackson, Huffington Post; Nicole Janz, Cambridge University; Jennifer Jerit, Stony Brook University; Mark Johnson, Chapman University; Jason Jolley, Ohio University
K
Joseph Kahne, Mills College; DuBose Kapeluck, The Citadel; Eric Kasper, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; Kate Kenski, University of Arizona; Robert Keohane, Princeton University; Ellen Key, Appalachian State University; Abby Kinchy, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute; David Kinsella, Portland State University; Andrew Koch, Appalachian State University; Ari Kohen, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Kyle Kopka, Elizabethtown College; Kevin Kosar, R Street Institute; Martha Kropf, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
L
Laura Langbein, American University; Edward Lascher, California State University, Sacramento; Olivia Lau, Google, Inc.; Kathryn Lavelle, Case Western Reserve University; J. Wesley Leckrone, Widener University; Jack Levy, Rutgers University; Michael Lewis-Beck, University of Iowa; Tracy Lightcap, LaGrange College; Stephen Long, University of Richmond; Sherry Lowrance, Northcentral University; Arthur Lupia, University of Michigan; Marc Lynch, George Washington University
M
Fiona Macaulay, University of Bradford; Neil Malhorta, Stanford University; Maruice Mangum, Southern Illinois University; Christopher Mann, Skidmore College; Andrew March, Yale University; Cathy Marcum, Appalachian State University; Lisa Martin, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Wendy Martinek, SUNY, Binghamton; Lilliana Mason, University of Maryland, College Park; Angie Maxwell, University of Arkansas; Kenneth Mayer, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Ian McAllister, Australian National University; Fletcher McClellan, Elizabethtown College; Seth McKee, Texas Tech University; Timothy McKeown, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Scott McLean, Quinnipiac University; Kenneth Meier, Texas A&M; Marc Meredith, University of Pennsylvania; Carol Mershon, University of Virginia; Tamara Metz, Reed College; Melissa Michelson, Menlo College; Michael Miller, George Washington University; William Mishler, University of Arizona; Sara Mitchell, University of Iowa; James Monogan III, University of Georgia; Matthew Moore, California Polytechnic State University; Irwin Morris, University of Maryland, College Park; Kevin Mullinix, Appalachian State University; Michael Munger, Duke University
N
Gregory Neddenriep, Northeastern Illinois University; Daniel Nexon, Georgetown University; David Nickerson, Temple University; Robert Norris, Appalachian State University
O
Heather Ondercin, University of Mississippi
P
Kevin Pallister, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Bryan Parson, University of Tennessee at Martin; Paul Passavant, Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges; Saadia Pekkanen, University of Washington; David Penna, Gallaudet University; Peter Petrakis, Southeastern Louisiana University; Matthew Platt, Morehouse College; Sue Pryce, University of Nottingham; Charles Prysby, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Joshua Putnam, University of Georgia
R
Sarah Reckhow, Michigan State University; Rob Reich, Stanford University; Dan Reiter, Emory University; Joseph Roberts, Roger Williams University; Robbie Robichau, Georgia Southern University; John Rothgeb, Miami University; Tatyana Ruseva, Appalachian State University; Josh Ryan, Utah State University
S
Robert Sahr, Oregon State University; Renee Scherlen, Appalachian State University; Jennifer Schiff, Western Carolina University; Ronald Schmidt, University of Southern Maine; Peregrine Schwartz-Shea, University of Utah; Druscilla Scribner, University of Wisconsin, Oskosh; Brenda Seaver, CIA; Laura Seay, Morehouse College; Megan Shannon, University of Colorado, Boulder; Mack Shelley, Iowa State University; Kenneth Sherrill, Hunter College; Brian Shoup, Mississippi State University; John Sislin, The National Academies; Tracy Slagter, University of Wisconsin, Oskosh; Robbin Smith, Central Connecticut State University; Anand Sokhey, University of Colorado, Boulder; Mark Souva, Florida State University; Mary Stegmaier, University of Missouri; William Stodden, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; Jonathan Strand, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Jelena Subotic, Georgia State University
T
Jeremy Teigen, Ramapo College; Andrew Therriault, Democratic National Committee; Sue Thomas, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation; Lasse Thomassen, Queen Mary University of London; A. Trevor Thrall, George Mason University; Rebecca Tiessen, University of Ottawa; Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics
U, V, W, Y, and Z
Stacy Ulbig, Sam Houston State University; Don Van Atta, US Agency for International Development; Jennifer Victor, George Mason University; Lee D. Walker, National Science Foundation; Denise Walsh, University of Virginia; Megan Warnement, North Carolina State University; Jamie Warner, Marshall University; Kenneth Warren, Saint Louis University; Catherine Warrick, Villanova University; David Weimer, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Hal Wert, Kansas City Art Institute; Joseph Wert, Indiana University Southeast; Michael Widmeier, University of North Texas; Betina Wilkinson, Wake Forest University; Leonard Williams, Manchester University; Vanessa Williamson, Harvard University; Rick Wilson, Rice University; Laura Woliver, University of South Carolina; Pete Woodcock, University of Huddersfield; Peter Yacobucci, SUNY Buffalo State; Lawrence Zigerell, Illinois State University
