The Australian Journal of Political Science (AJPS) announces a second call for Special Issues in 2026

The AJPS, the refereed journal of APSA, is pleased to launch a second call for the publication of special issues on any topic of interest to our readership and members.

The editors welcome proposals under two separate streams:

1. Australian politics: Topics related to Australian politics, elections, political parties, electoral behaviour, public policy and/or institutions; 
2. Open Call: Any topic not falling under the Australian politics category – special consideration will be given to topics related to First Nations and minoritized community scholarship. 

Criteria for acceptance

• Topic – Is the topic timely, relevant, and likely to be of interest to the AJPS readership?
• Quality – Is the proposed special issue coherent and representative of a range of perspectives on and/or approaches to the chosen research question?  
• Diversity – Is the special issue inclusive of scholars from different backgrounds and career stages? 
• Communication and Impact – Is an effective strategy in place for promoting the special issue? 

Format

All proposals should address a coherent research topic and take the following format

• A 1000-word introduction by the special issue editors  
• 7-8 papers of 8000 words each (excluding references, with a further 2,000-word limit for references) 
• Be no more than 6-7 pages long

Proposals must also provide the following details:  

• The Stream under which the proposal is submitted (Stream 1 or Stream 2)
• The research question and themes the special issue will address  
• The common theoretical or analytical frame that links the manuscripts
• Names of confirmed contributors (these should be people who have agreed to write papers)  
• Provisional paper titles and abstracts  
• The communications strategy that will be employed to promote the special issue (e.g. via social media, workshops, conferences, etc.), and any impact strategies (e.g. knowledge-exchange workshops with policymakers, etc.)  

Timeline

All enquiries and special issue proposals should be submitted by email to ausjps.eds@gmail.com by 30 September 2026

Submissions must also adhere to the following timeline:  

• 1 March 2027 – Submission of full manuscripts to the AJPS (the special issue guest editors will be responsible for organizing and managing any informal editorial review processes before this deadline)  
• 30 May 2027 – Double-blind refereeing processes completed and comments sent  to authors  
• 31 August 2027 – For manuscripts that have not been rejected, submission of revised manuscript to the AJPS  
• 30 September 2027 – Final decision

Final acceptance and publication in the journal are not guaranteed but will be determined by the editors after a double-blind refereeing process, administered by the AJPS editorial team. 

Preliminary acceptance of special issue proposals will be made by the editors of the AJPS by 31 October 2026.