Political Research Quarterly

Political Research Quarterly
Title	Political Research Quarterly
Discipline	Political science
Abbreviation	PRQ
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1948–present

Contents

Political Research Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering political science research with emphasis on empirical and methodological contributions, comparative analysis, and substantive studies relevant to contemporary public affairs. The journal publishes original research, review essays, and methodological notes that contribute to debates involving United States House of Representatives, European Parliament, United Nations General Assembly, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and regional institutions such as African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Organization of American States. Articles often intersect with work associated with scholars at institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and London School of Economics.

History

Political Research Quarterly began publication in 1948 amid postwar expansion of scholarly periodicals influenced by organizations such as the Social Science Research Council, American Political Science Association, and foundations including the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation. Early editorial boards included scholars trained at Columbia University, Princeton University, and University of Chicago who had ties to research projects affiliated with the National Bureau of Economic Research and policy initiatives linked to the Marshall Plan. Throughout the Cold War, contributors examined phenomena related to events such as the Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the evolution of the European Economic Community; later decades saw work on transitions following the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the expansion of the European Union. SAGE Publications assumed responsibility for production and distribution in the late 20th century, paralleling changes at journals like American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and Comparative Political Studies.

The journal solicits submissions across research on legislative behavior exemplified by studies of the United States Senate and British Parliament, electoral studies addressing contests like the United States presidential election, 2000 and the Brexit referendum, comparative politics involving cases such as India and Brazil, and international relations topics tied to the Treaty of Versailles legacy and contemporary diplomacy at the United Nations Security Council. Methodological contributions engage debates referenced in works from scholars at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and University of Michigan. The peer-review process employs double-blind review with editorial oversight from an editor-in-chief and associate editors who coordinate reviewers drawn from networks including faculty at Princeton University, research fellows from Brookings Institution, and analysts from RAND Corporation. Manuscript decisions often reflect standards comparable to those used by journals like International Organization and World Politics.

The journal is abstracted and indexed in major services that also include titles such as Web of Science, Scopus, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, and ProQuest. Indexing facilitates discoverability alongside other prominent outlets including Annual Review of Political Science and Political Theory, and integration into library catalogs at institutions like New York University, University of Toronto, and University of Melbourne. Citation tracking ties contributions to citation databases maintained by entities comparable to Clarivate Analytics and bibliometric tools associated with Google Scholar, enabling measurement of reach alongside journals such as Public Opinion Quarterly and Electoral Studies.

Scholarly reception situates the journal among outlets that influence debates in subfields studied at departments including Cornell University and Duke University, and in policy circles connected to Congressional Research Service and think tanks such as Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation. Impact metrics often compare the journal to peers like American Political Science Review and British Journal of Political Science, and individual articles have been cited in works by scholars at Princeton University, University of Chicago, and London School of Economics. Reviews in outlets such as Times Higher Education and assessments from professional associations including the American Political Science Association acknowledge the journal's role in methodological innovation and empirical rigor.

Notable contributions have addressed topics connected to events and institutions such as the Watergate scandal, the Iraq War, and policy responses to crises involving the World Health Organization and International Monetary Fund. Special issues have focused on themes tying to the European Union enlargement, democratization after the Arab Spring, and the politics of migration involving cases like Mexico and Germany. Landmark methodological pieces have influenced research agendas at centers such as the Institute for Advanced Study and citation networks including works by scholars affiliated with Columbia University and Stanford University.

Editors and board members have included scholars with appointments at universities like University of California, Los Angeles, Georgetown University, Ohio State University, and University of Wisconsin–Madison, as well as researchers from policy institutions such as Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Center for Strategic and International Studies. The editorial board typically comprises section editors specializing in subfields mirrored by departments at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Texas at Austin, and advisory members drawn from international centers including Sciences Po and Australian National University.

Category:Political science journals