Colleagues:

Happy New Year to all! I am writing to note several changes to manuscripts submitted to the American Journal of Political Science. The guidelines can be read in their entirety at the AJPS website (http://www.ajps.org).

The primary changes are as follows:


1. I am encouraging authors to submit Supporting Information (SI) with the manuscript. Material included in the SI can be information that ordinarily might be in an appendix, it might be a set of proofs or extensions to a formal theory, it might include computer syntax for coding variables, building simulations or generating estimates and it might include additional estimates and robustness checks. Material in the SI will not be counted against the page limit for submissions to the journal. The SI is intended to provide reviewers with additional material in order to make an informed judgment. The SI will be published on-line with the article when accepted. In this sense the SI should provide the specialized reader with information that augments the article. As such one should be able to read the SI as a separate document.


2. If a manuscript is accepted for publication the first footnote in the manuscript must explicitly state where the data used in the study can be obtained for purposes of replication. As well, any sources that helped fund the research must be pointed out in that footnote. This is not required for manuscripts under review. Obviously if data are not part of the study and/or the study has not been funded, the appropriate portion of the footnote will be omitted.


3. Authors are urged to think creatively about the visual display of data. Tables supporting any figures should appear in SI.

Other aspects of the guidelines can be found on the AJPS website.

I am looking forward to working with the Midwest community. Please keep AJPS in mind when considering where to submit your excellent work.


rkw