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How International Is Political Science? Patterns of Submission and Publication in the American Political Science Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2018

Marijke Breuning
Affiliation:
University of North Texas
Ayal Feinberg
Affiliation:
University of North Texas
Benjamin Isaak Gross
Affiliation:
Jacksonville State University
Melissa Martinez
Affiliation:
University of North Texas
Ramesh Sharma
Affiliation:
Data Analytics Consultant
John Ishiyama
Affiliation:
University of North Texas

Abstract

How international in scope is publishing in political science? Previous studies have shown that the top journals primarily publish work by scholars from the United States and, to a lesser extent, other global-north countries. However, these studies used published content and could not evaluate the impact of the review process on the relative absence of international scholars in journals. This article evaluates patterns of submission and publication by US and international scholars for the American Political Science Review—one of the most selective peer-reviewed journals in the discipline. We found that scholars from the United States and other global-north countries are published approximately in proportion to submissions but that global-south scholars fare less well. We also found that scholars affiliated with prestigious universities are overrepresented, irrespective of geographic location. The article concludes with observations about the implications of these findings for efforts to internationalize the discipline.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2018 

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