Policy Studies Journal

Published on behalf of the Policy Studies Organization and the Public Policy Section of the American Political Science Association

Edited by:
Hank Jenkins-Smith

Impact Factor: 0.515

The primary focus of the Policy Studies Journal (PSJ) is the study of public policy.  Published on behalf of the Policy Studies Organization, PSJ publishes individually-submitted articles and symposia of exceptional quality by social scientists and other public policy researchers and leaders.
The journal addresses a wide range of public policy issues at all levels of government, and welcomes a comparative approach.

TopNews and Announcements

SYNTHETIC REVIEW ARTICLES

The Policy Studies Journal has added a new element to the journal: synthetic review articles that shed light on important policy themes.  The general purpose behind adding this element to the journal is to provide our readership with productive ways to think about important policy areas. Review articles should be substantively focused and explore both classic and current scholarship in a given area. Ideally, review pieces will become bedrock articles included in any graduate policy seminar or substantive policy seminar.   There are many ways to organize this type of article.  Given the sheer diversity of ways to categorize and organize policy research, we expect review articles to take on many different forms.

General Guidelines:
   - These pieces must be article length (25 - 35 pages) and conform to the journal's general style guidelines.
   - To maintain quality within the journal, review pieces will be subject to a blind peer review process. As with PSJ articles in general, there is a high rejection rate; we publish approximately 10-15% of the articles submitted.
   - Review articles must contain an original title and they will appear along side other articles in the journal's table of contents.
   - Review articles must synthesize scholarship in a given area and promote innovative thinking about public policy research.
   - Finally, as an incentive to promote high quality review articles, we are offering $250 for each successfully published manuscript.

Desirable Characteristics:
   - Authors should identify important themes in the literature that enable readers to understand recent advances in research.
   - Articles should address both the theoretical approaches and analytical tools used to understand and inform a policy area.
   - Ultimately, these pieces will help identify the boundaries of substantive knowledge for a particular policy area.  Therefore, articles should explore areas of agreement in the literature, along with discussing points of conflict.
   - Review articles should suggest future directions for scholarship.
   - Review articles may contain new empirical evidence that supports an author's synthesis of a literature, but this is not a requirement.

We encourage review articles in all areas of policy research.  This includes domestic, international, and comparative policy articles on a range of topics.  Review articles should be submitted on line, following PSJ's electronic submission process.  If you have any questions about articles or would like to discuss writing a review article, please contact Dorothy Daley at daley@ku.edu or 785 864 9839.   

Online Content Now Available Back to Volume 1
All back issues of this journal are available online.   These archives represent 33 years of the best research in the field.  PSO members and premium subscribers now have the ability to view abstracts, download references, and view the full text of every article published in PSJ.  Readers can also search each archive for author names, article titles, or keywords.  These searches can be saved and readers can request an email alert each time an article is published that matches their research interests.

Click here to browse contents and abstracts. For further information on how to access these articles please visit our Librarian Site.

NIH Public Access Mandate
For those interested in the Wiley-Blackwell policy on the NIH Public Access Mandate,  please visit our policy statement. 

TopHighlights

• Policymaking in the Parallelogram of Forces: Common Agency and Human Service Provision
  Anthony M. Bertelli and Laurence E. Lynn Jr.
• Collaborative Watershed Management: A View from the Grassroots
  Mark Lubell
• Teachers' Attitudes and the Success of School Choice
  Kathleen Ferraiolo, Frederick Hess, Robert Maranto and Scott Milliman
• Representation and Agenda Setting
  Bryan D. Jones and Frank R. Baumgartner
• The Politics and Administration of Privatization: Contracting Out for Corrections Management in the United States
  Sean Nicholson-Crotty