General Overview of CJPS
© Canadian Political Science Association
The Canadian Journal of Political Science (CJPS) began in 1968,
having evolved from the Canadian Journal of Economics and
Political Science which had been published since 1934. CJPS is
jointly sponsored by the Canadian Political Science
Association/Association canadienne de science politique
(CPSA/Acsp) and the Société québécoise de science politique
(Sqsp). From 1968 until 1976 CJPS was published by the
University of Toronto Press and from 1976-2004 by Wilfrid
Laurier University Press. Since then it has been published by
Cambridge University Press.
CJPS is the primary outlet in Canada for refereed scholarship in
political science. Published quarterly, it presents articles, notes,
commentaries and book reviews in English and in French. The
Editorial Board of CJPS is committed to the publication of
scholarly research in all fields of political science. Manuscripts are
assessed on the basis of their contribution to the discipline and by
the authors' adherence to the highest scholarly standards.
The first objective of CJPS is the publication of outstanding
scholarly manuscripts on all areas of political science, including
manuscripts on the history of political thought, contemporary
political theory, international relations and foreign policy,
governmental institutions and processes, political behaviour, public
administration and public policy. Published work reflects the main
methodological approaches used in the discipline - normative
arguments; quantitative methods; interpretative analysis; historical
and institutional studies; pluralist, statist and class analyses. In
evaluating manuscripts for publication, the primary considerations
are, first, whether they make a contribution to political research in
general and, second, whether they will be of interest to a broad
cross-section of readers than simply a narrow group of specialists
in a particular subfield. This aim to publish excellent manuscripts
in all major subfields of political science is accomplished mainly
by the publication of scholarly articles. Research notes are another
form of publication for original scholarship in all subfields. The
quality and significance of all manuscripts submitted for
consideration as articles or research notes are assessed through
anonymous peer review.
Within the framework of its role as a leading omnibus journal,
CJPS has as its second objective to serve as the primary publishing
outlet for innovative research on all facets of Canadian politics and
government. CJPS conceives itself as having a special
responsibility to publish manuscripts which have met the highest
standards of scholarship and which may range in their subject
matter from Canadian political thought through Canadian foreign
policy, political institutions, political behaviour and public policy.
Therefore, in addition to being an omnibus journal of political
science, it is the omnibus journal of Canadian political science.
The third major objective of CJPS is publication of
communications about current problems, recent research and future
prospects in political science. The primary means of achieving this
objective is the review of recent books published by Canadian and
non-Canadian authors in all fields of political science. Comments
on articles and replies to comments are a second form of
communication in CJPS. Field analyses are also occasionally
commissioned.
The Editorial Management Board of CJPS comprises an
Administrative Editor jointly appointed by the CPSA/Acsp and the
Sqsp, a Co- Editor, Assistant Editor and Review Editor (English)
appointed by the CPSA/Acsp, and a Co-directeur and Directeur des
recensions (French) appointed by the Sqsp. A 28 member Editorial
Advisory Board, whose members are appointed either by the
CPSA/Acsp or by the Sqsp assists the Editorial Management
Board in carrying out its mandate.