Information For Authors

Access: Open Access

APC: Free

Accepts preprints? Yes

Identity transparency: Single anonymized

PolicySci is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal. All accepted articles are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication.

Following acceptance after peer review, authors are required to pay a one-time Article Processing Charge (APC) of USD10 to support publication and editorial costs. There are no submission fees.

The APC may be covered by the author(s), their institution, or research funder. PolicySci also supports publishing accessibility through APC discounts and waiver opportunities for eligible authors, particularly those from underrepresented institutions and developing regions, subject to applicable policies and agreements.

Prior to submitting a manuscript, authors are expected to verify that their research aligns precisely with the official aims and scope of PolicySci. Only submissions that demonstrate clear thematic relevance and rigorous scholarly quality will be considered for subsequent peer review.

Core Publication Frameworks

Authors are encouraged to review the journal's aims, scope, and topical areas prior to submission to ensure that their manuscript aligns with the journal's editorial focus and objectives.

• PolicySci welcomes original research articles, literature reviews, policy analyses, theoretical and conceptual papers, and book reviews.
• Granular details regarding article categories and methodological expectations are explicitly outlined in the PolicySci Guide for Authors.

Methodological Standards

For empirical studies, authors should follow the APA Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) or other recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to the research design employed. Adherence to reporting standards enhances the transparency, rigor, and quality of scholarly communication.

Originality and Intellectual Property

All submissions must represent original work and must not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. Authors must ensure that they have the necessary rights and permissions to submit and publish all content included in the manuscript.

Where copyrighted materials—such as figures, tables, images, illustrations, or substantial excerpts from previously published works—are reproduced or adapted, authors are responsible for obtaining the appropriate permissions from the copyright holder prior to submission.

The Editorial Office may request evidence of such permissions at any stage of the review or publication process. Failure to obtain the required permissions may result in rejection, withdrawal, or delayed publication of the manuscript.

Statements and Declarations 

All manuscripts must include a section titled "Statements and Declarations" following the main text and before the references. Where a particular disclosure is not applicable, authors should indicate "Not applicable" under the relevant heading.

Ethical Considerations

Where applicable, authors must provide details of ethical approval obtained from an appropriate institutional review board, ethics committee, or equivalent body. Research involving human participants should be conducted in accordance with recognized ethical standards.

Consent for Publication

For studies containing identifiable personal information, images, videos, or other materials that could reveal the identity of participants, authors must confirm that appropriate consent for publication has been obtained. Documentation may be requested by the Editorial Office but should not be submitted with the manuscript unless specifically requested.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

All authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research. If no conflicts exist, authors should state:

"The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article."

Funding Statement

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support related to the research, authorship, and publication of the manuscript. If the study received no specific funding, authors should state:

"This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

Data Availability Statement

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to provide information regarding the availability of data, materials, and supporting documentation used in the study.

Main Text Metadata

The title, abstract, and keywords play a critical role in search engine optimization, directly impacting subsequent citation rates and global readership. 

• Title Specifications: Titles should be concise, clear, and descriptive, incorporating targeted keywords that accurately reflect the core focus and content of the study.
• Abstract Parameters: A structured abstract of no more than 250 words must be positioned immediately preceding the main body text. It must succinctly articulate the research objectives, primary findings, and overarching conclusions in a language tailored for a global, interdisciplinary audience.
• Keyword Selection: Authors must supply a minimum of 4–5 highly specific keywords beneath the abstract to ensure accurate indexing across bibliometric databases.

Plain Language Summaries (PLS)

An optional Plain Language Summary may be included for any article type that requires a standard abstract. This feature comprises a non-technical title (approximately 50 words) and an accessible summary (approximately 300 words) designed to engage a broader, non-specialist audience.

The PLS is published open-access directly beneath the scientific abstract and undergoes evaluation based on dedicated PLS reviewer guidelines.

Length Restrictions

Manuscripts should normally be between 2,000 and 10,000 words. The word count excludes the abstract and reference list but includes all tables contained within the manuscript file submitted for peer review.

File Formats and Typography

Microsoft Word is the preferred file format for submission.

Documentation, Citations, and Reference Style

The journal follows the APA (7th edition) reference style. Every in-text citation must correspond perfectly to an entry in the reference list with identical orthography and chronology.

If a peer-reviewed version of a cited preprint becomes available during the review or production cycle, authors are required to update the citation to reflect the definitive published work; authors should cite the most recent peer-reviewed version of a work whenever available. To facilitate formatting accuracy, an official APA EndNote output style file is available for download.

Double-Blind Peer Review Integrity

To guarantee an objective and impartial peer review process, manuscripts must be thoroughly anonymized. Author names, institutional affiliations, and any residual identifying metadata must be excluded from the primary document and compiled exclusively on a separate Title Page, which is withheld from referees. Authors must ensure that personal names or institutional identifiers do not appear within file names, headers, or footers (e.g., avoid file names such as 'Smith_manuscript_v2.docx').

Independent Title Page Composition

The standalone Title Page must contain the following specific components, entirely separated from the main body text:

• The complete article title.
• Full names and institutional affiliations of all co-authors (subsequent institutional changes may be noted at the conclusion of the manuscript).
• Complete contact information for the corresponding author, including name, physical institutional address, and institutional email address.
• The consolidated "Statements and Declarations" block (incorporating Ethical Considerations, Consent to Participate, Consent for Publication, Conflicting Interests, and Funding).
• Any additional metadata that could inadvertently compromise the anonymity of the review process.

Shared Data and Open Access Repositories

In alignment with institutional mandates for transparency and scientific reproducibility, authors are strongly encouraged to archive their primary research data in a recognized public repository. Submissions should feature a data availability statement containing direct persistent identifiers (such as DOIs) or, alternatively, an explicit explanation regarding data restriction policies.

Acknowledgments Section

This component, positioned at the conclusion of the published text, should recognize individuals who contributed to the project but do not fulfill the formal criteria for authorship. Written consent must be obtained from any non-author contributors named therein. Any professional writing, language editing, or developmental assistance received from third parties must be transparently disclosed both within this section and in the accompanying cover letter. The editorial board retains the right to reject submissions managed or uploaded by unauthorized third-party agencies.

Author Contributions

Authors are encouraged to include an Author Contributions statement describing the specific contributions of each author to the research and manuscript preparation. This statement promotes transparency and accountability in scholarly publishing.

Contributions may include, but are not limited to, conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, writing of the original draft, review and editing, supervision, project administration, and funding acquisition.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to follow the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework when preparing contribution statements.

Example

Author A: Conceptualization, methodology, data collection, formal analysis, and writing of the original draft.

Author B: Methodology, manuscript review and editing, and supervision.

Author C: Project administration, funding acquisition, and manuscript review.

As part of the submission process, authors must confirm that:

• The submitted work is original and that the authors hold all necessary rights to the content.
• The manuscript has not been previously published, is not under consideration by another journal, and has not been submitted elsewhere simultaneously.
• Any necessary permissions for the use or reproduction of copyrighted third-party materials have been obtained.
• The manuscript is submitted with the full consent of all contributing authors, and all contributors have been appropriately acknowledged and listed.

PolicySci accepts a maximum of five manuscripts submitted concurrently or within a two-year period by the same author or group of authors. Only manuscripts that demonstrate sufficient academic quality and align closely with the journal’s aims and scope will proceed to external peer review.

The journal does not accept manuscripts submitted by third parties on behalf of authors. PolicySci also strictly prohibits any form of manipulation of the peer review or publication process. The editorial team reserves the right to reject or withdraw submissions at any stage if unethical practices are suspected.

Before creating a new account, authors are encouraged to verify whether an existing profile already exists in the system. Authors or reviewers who have previously interacted with the journal may already have an account. For assistance with online submission procedures, please refer to the Submission Help Guide.

Authorship and Use of Generative AI

Generative AI tools and AI chatbots must not be listed as authors or co-authors of submitted manuscripts. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work. Please refer to the journal’s policy on the use of generative AI tools for further guidance.

Files Required for Submission

Authors must upload all files relevant to the submission, including supplementary materials where applicable.

Title Page

The Title Page must contain all author-identifying information required by the journal. To maintain the integrity of the double-blind peer review process, this file will not be shared with reviewers.

Manuscript File

The manuscript must be fully anonymized and prepared according to the journal’s formatting and double-blind review requirements. Any information that may reveal the identity of the authors must be removed from the manuscript and included only in the Title Page.

Figures and Images

Figures must be numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance in the text. All images should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi to ensure publication quality.

Identity Transparency: Double-anonymized

Reviewer Interaction: PolicySci Editorial Office

Review Information Published: None

Initial Evaluation

Your manuscript will undergo an initial screening. If it does not conform to the requirements outlined in these guidelines, it will be returned for revision prior to peer review. Manuscripts may be desk-rejected at this stage without external review if they fall outside the journal's scope or are otherwise deemed unsuitable.

Peer Review Framework

Once a manuscript passes the initial evaluation, it proceeds to peer review. You may log in to the submission system at any time to check the status of your manuscript, and you will be notified via email once a decision has been reached. The peer review philosophy of PolicySci differs from that of traditional journals. Our primary goal is to publish well-conducted research that meaningfully contributes to the academic record, enabling other scholars to connect with and build upon the findings. Consequently, we prioritize the clarity and quality of an article's contribution over its perceived scale or size. PolicySci evaluates manuscripts based strictly on the rigor with which the research was conducted and reported. For more information, please refer to the PolicySci Guide for Authors.

Review Integrity and Management

• PolicySci adheres to a rigorous double-anonymized review policy, ensuring that the identities of both reviewers and authors remain mutually concealed.
• A minimum of two independent reviews is required before a Revise or Accept decision can be issued.
• To safeguard the integrity of the peer review process, the Editorial Office assigns reviewers independently and does not accept author recommendations.
• All manuscripts are reviewed as expediently as possible while maintaining strict academic rigor.

Reviewers provide constructive comments to the authors and confidential recommendations to the PolicySci Editorial Office, which retains sole authority over the final decision. This policy applies to all submissions, including those for special issues or special collections.

Editorial Conflicts of Interest

The Editor-in-Chief or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for potential publication. In such cases, the peer review process will be managed entirely by alternative, independent members of the Board. The submitting Editor or Board member will have no involvement in the selection of reviewers or the final decision-making process.

For further details, please read PolicySci’s complete peer review policy.

Publication Ethics and Plagiarism

The journal takes issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism, and other breaches of publication ethics extremely seriously. Please review PolicySci’s complete policy on plagiarism and the corresponding disciplinary actions here.

Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, the corresponding author will receive detailed instructions regarding the next steps. This includes completing the journal’s open-access requirements, signing the applicable publishing agreement, and, where applicable, arranging payment for the Article Processing Charge (APC).

Following the completion of all requirements, accepted articles will proceed to copyediting, typesetting, and proofreading. While publication timelines may vary depending on editorial and production capacities, the journal endeavors to process articles expediently.

⚠️ Important Note: Where an APC applies, the manuscript cannot proceed to final publication until the required payment has been received or an official waiver has been approved.

Publishing Agreement and Open Access

Prior to publication, authors are required to sign the journal’s official publishing agreement or license form. Under this framework, authors retain the copyright to their work while granting PolicySci a license to publish and disseminate the article.

All articles are published under the journal’s designated Creative Commons license. Readers may access, download, and share published content in accordance with the specific terms of the applicable license. Authors are strongly encouraged to review the journal’s complete Copyright and Licensing Policy for detailed information.

Production and Proofs

During the production process, the Editorial Office will keep authors informed regarding the status of their manuscript. Page proofs will be provided to the corresponding author through the journal management system or via email.

Authors bear sole responsibility for reviewing these proofs carefully and returning corrections promptly to avoid publication delays. Particular attention must be given to:

• Author names, affiliations, and institutional metadata.
• Corresponding author contact details.
• Funding and grant acknowledgment statements.
• Conflict of Interest declarations.
• Data accuracy within tables, figures, and references.

The proof stage represents the final opportunity to correct typographical, formatting, or factual errors. Requests for substantial textual revisions will not be accepted at this stage.

Furthermore, changes to authorship after acceptance will only be considered under exceptional circumstances and must strictly adhere to the journal’s authorship policy.

Publication

As a fully open-access journal, PolicySci ensures that all published articles are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication. All published articles receive full, standardized bibliographic information—including a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI)—and may be cited, shared, and accessed worldwide without subscription barriers.

Promoting Your Research

Publication is an important milestone, but maximizing the visibility and impact of your research is an ongoing process. Authors are highly encouraged to share their published work through:

• Professional and institutional repositories.
• Academic platforms (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu).
• Relevant conferences, symposia, and seminars.
• Professional social media channels and scholarly networks.

By actively promoting their research, authors can significantly enhance the visibility, readership, and long-term citation impact of their work within the global scholarly community and beyond.

PolicySci is committed to strengthening the connection between academic research, public policy, and societal practice. As part of the Dariaceh.com media network, the journal has access to communication channels that can help increase the visibility and public engagement of selected scholarly works.

Articles considered particularly relevant to public policy, governance, social development, or community empowerment may be selected for broader dissemination through Dariaceh.com's media platforms. Such dissemination may include research highlights, policy-oriented summaries, interviews, or public communication materials designed for non-academic audiences.

This initiative aims to bridge the gap between academic scholarship and policy practice by making research findings more accessible to policymakers, practitioners, civil society organizations, journalists, and the wider public.

Selection for media dissemination is entirely independent of the peer review process and has no influence on editorial decisions regarding publication.

Contact Information

For editorial inquiries:

Editorial Office

redaksi@dariaceh.com

For media and dissemination inquiries:

Media Editor

Muhammad Siddiq Al-Ghifari

[Email Address]