2002 Annual Report

of the International Studies Quarterly Editors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drafted on behalf of the ISQ editors by

Christopher L. Ball, Chief Editorial Assistant*

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Team

 

Peter J. Dombrowski (Naval War College)

Patrick James (University of Missouri)

James McCormick (Iowa State University)

Richard W. Mansbach (Iowa State University)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 January 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

Report Highlights

 

  • In 2002, average submission-to-decision time was reduced by 4.8% while submissions rose 19.4%. 

 

  • Since 1997 submissions have increased 38%.

 

  • Manuscripts authored exclusively by women accounted for 14.4% of all submissions while  women co-authoring with men accounted for 9.8% of submissions. This represents an increase from 2001 when the figures were 11.5% and 8.8%, respectively.[1]

 

  • Scholars affiliated with institutions outside the United States accounted for 26% of all first-time submissions, an increase over 24% in 2001 and 19% in 2000.

 

  • Reviews by scholars affiliated with institutions outside the United States accounted for 17.3% of all reviews, down from 18.4% in 2001. 

 

 

 

 

 

1.    Editorial Staff at Iowa State

 

The staff consists of seven individuals. Peter Dombrowski, Patrick James, Richard W. Mansbach, and James M. McCormick are the co-editors. Jim McCormick was the lead editor for 2002, and Peter Dombrowski will be lead editor for 2003.

 

The four co-editors are responsible for the content of each ISQ issue.  They assign  all peer reviewers and make all publication decisions. Each editor handles several primary and secondary “areas of expertise,” analogous to ISA sections. At least two editors share responsibility for most areas to prevent a large influx of submissions in any one area slowing the editorial process. The editors’ primary areas of expertise are:

 

Peter Dombrowski: International Political Economy; Comparative and Interdisciplinary Studies; Environmental Studies; Comparative Politics

 

Patrick James: Methodology and the Scientific Study of International Processes; Rational Choice and Formal Modeling

 

Richard W. Mansbach: International Politics Theory; International Law; Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Migration; International Organization; Identity Politics; Feminist Theory and Gender Studies

 

James M. McCormick: International Security and Peace Studies; Foreign Policy Analysis; Human Rights

 

The chief editorial assistant (CEA) oversees the daily operations of the journal and supervises the graduate student staff. The CEA also serves as the liaison between the editors and the authors, reviewers, and publishers.  Kirsten L. Rafferty was the chief editorial assistant through June 2002; Christopher L. Ball succeeded her in mid-July 2002. Dan Christenson and Kristin Sherk are the current graduate editorial assistants. Kim Saak and Zhenya Hu were graduate editorial assistants earlier in the year.

 

 

2.    Submissions

 

Submissions rose from 180 in 2001 to 215 in 2002, an increase of 19.4%.

 

Submissions by Year

Year

#

% change

2002

215

19.4%

2001

180

7.8%

2000

167

16.8%

1999

143

-7.7%

1998

NA*

NA

1997

155

NA

* 1998 data is incomplete due to the editorship transition

 

 

As the following table (“First-Time Submissions by Subfield”) indicates, the subfields of international political economy (28), international political theory (21), and international security and peace studies (21) account for 47%of all submissions. [2]

 

 

First-Time Submissions by Subfield

                                                                        2002                                  2001

Field

#

%

#

%

Comparative Interdisciplinary Studies

7

4.7%

2

1%

Comparative Politics

8

5.4%

10

7%

Environmental Studies

3

2.0%

1

1%

Feminist Theory and Gender Studies

3

2.0%

0

0%

Foreign Policy Analysis

11

7.4%

16

12%

Human Rights

6

4.0%

NA

NA

Identity Politics

4

2.7%

2

1%

International Law

3

2.0%

5

4%

International Organization

6

4.0%

10

7%

International Political Economy

28

18.8%

16

12%

International Politics Theory

21

14.1%

32

24%

International Security & Peace Studies

21

14.1%

12

9%

Methodology and the Scientific Study of International Processes

13

8.7%

13

10%

Rational Choice and Formal Modeling

1

9.3%

15

11%

Other

1

0.7%

 

0%

Total

149

99.9%

134

99%

 

Of the 149 first-time submissions, 26% of the authors are affiliated with institutions outside of the United States (compared to 24% in 2001 and 19% in 2000). Submissions outside the United States and Canada accounted for 21% of all submissions. European institutions accounted for 14% of all first-time submission, with the United Kingdom accounting for 40% of European submission and 6% of all submissions.

 

International First-Time Submissions

 

Authors affiliated with U.S. institutions

74% (111)

Authors affiliated with non-U.S. institutions

26% (38)

 

 

Authors affiliated with US and Canadian institutions

79% (118)

 

In 2002, women authored 14% of submissions, men and women jointly authored 10%, and men authored 76%.

 

2002 Submissions by Gender

 

2002

2001

% (#)

% (#)

Female

14.4% (31)

11.5% (21)

Male

75.8% (163)

79.7% (145)

Joint

9.8% (21)

8.8% (16)

Total

100% (215)

100% (182)

 

 

Examining the same data with the method used in 2001 and prior years, 20.4% of first-named authors were women, an increase from last year’s 14.4% level but only marginally ahead of the 20% first-named female authors in 2000 and 18.5% in 1990.

 

2002 Submissions by Gender (prior year format):

 

First-Named Authors

Co-authors

 

%(#)

%(#)

Female

20% (43)

15.3% (13)

Male

80% (172)

84.7% (72)

 

 

1.    Acceptances

 

The acceptance rate rose from 14.9 % in 2001 to 17.7% in 2002. This compares to 14.9% in 2000, 11.7% in 1999, and 12.8% in 1997. The rejection rate rose to 50% from 46% in 2001 but on par with the 51% figure in 2000.

 

Invitations to revise and resubmit declined to 32% compared with 40% in 2001 (and rose slightly compared to the 2000 rate of 31.2%). On the advice of the ISQ editorial board, the editors have limited invitations to revise and resubmit manuscripts to instances in which reviews clearly indicate that a revised version is likely to be publishable. When revisions would require a manuscript to be fundamentally re-written or entirely redesigned, the editors generally reject the manuscript outright.

 

Decision

Number

Percent

Accept

38

17.7

Reject

108

50.2

Revise and Resubmit

69

32.1

Total

215

 

 

 

 

 

Acceptances have been distributed across the following subfields:

 

Acceptances by Subfield

2002

2001

2000

 

% (#)

% (#)

% (#)

Comparative Interdisciplinary Studies

0% (0)

5% (1)

0% (0)

Comparative Politics

2.5% (1)

5% (1)

4.3% (1)

Environmental Studies

0% (0)

5% (1)

0% (0)

Feminist Theory and Gender Studies

0% (0)

0% (0)

13% (3)

Foreign Policy Analysis

2.5% (1)

5% (1)

13% (3)

Identity Politics

0% (0)

5% (1)

8.7% (2)

International Political Economy

16% (6)

30% (6)

8.7% (2)

International Politics Theory

30% (11)

5% (1)

4.3% (1)

International Security and Peace Studies

13.2% (5)

10% (2)