About the Journal

Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration (SJPA) is an open access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal that publishes four issues per year, presenting articles on public administration with perspectives from political and management studies to economics and law studies.

Following the previous titles, “Kommunal ekonomi och politik” (1997-2009) and “Offentlig Förvaltning: Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration” (2010-2013), the Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration has, over the last three decades, established itself as a central hub for researchers and practitioners in the field of public administration across Scandinavia. 

Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration:

  • Welcomes interdisciplinary and innovative articles that highlight relevant and contemporary problems in public administration;
  • Targets scholars as well as practitioners with an interest in public administration at the European, national, regional or local level;
  • Encourages pioneering research in order to improve the understanding and deepen the knowledge of the public administration practice in Scandinavia and elsewhere;
  • Strengthens public administration networks in theoretical as well as practical knowledge;
  • Encourages pluralistic methodological approaches.

SJPA welcomes papers as well as book reviews. All articles are subject to a double-blind peer review process. Our aim is to give a first decision (i.e. Accept submission, Revision required, Resubmit for Review or Decline submission) within three months of receiving a manuscript. SJPA provides immediate open access to its content on the principle of making research freely available to the public and supporting a greater global exchange of knowledge. SJPA does not charge any publication fees.

Indexing and Ranking

The review process

  1. All submitted manuscripts are first assessed by the Editor-in-Chief, who decides whether the manuscript is suitable to be sent for peer review or should be rejected ("Desk Reject"). This assessment is based on the relevance of the submitted manuscript to the scope and interest of SJPA and its overall research quality.
  2. Manuscripts considered suitable for further review are sent to two or more experts tasked with highlighting the manuscript's general and specific merits and shortcomings. The review process is managed by the Editor-in-Chief in collaboration with one of SJPA's co-editors.
  3. In cases where a manuscript’s author is associated with the editorial team, they will be removed from all editorial tasks for that article. The Editor-in-Chief and an independent editor will organize the peer-review process. The author's affiliation with the Journal will also be indicated in the final publication of the article.
  4. The journal uses a double-blind review procedure before publication, which means that writers and reviewers are anonymous throughout the review process. The aim is for a first decision to be given within three months of receipt of the manuscript. However, the review time may vary beyond this approximate range, depending on the availability of suitable reviewers or other unforeseeable conditions. Reviewers are encouraged to provide constructive criticism, even if the article is not considered suitable for publication.
  5. Based on the reviews, as well as on the Co-Editor’s own assessment, the Co-Editor makes a recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief to a) accept the manuscript for publication, b) request minor revisions (Revision required), c) request major revisions (Resubmit for Review), or d) reject the manuscript (Decline).
  6. Based on this recommendation, the Editor-in-Chief makes the decision. The overall responsibility for the publication rests with the journal's Editor-in-Chief.

SJPA follows an exclusive submission process. This means that articles which are under consideration in other journals or have been published elsewhere cannot be considered for publication in this journal. SJPA does accept manuscripts that have previously been uploaded for review as preliminary versions, on personal websites, presented at conferences, or made available through other informal communication channels. However, authors must hold copyright for the text in question.

Peer-review policy

  • Reviewers and authors of manuscripts should not be close colleagues, family members, work on the same research project or otherwise work closely together.
  • Reviewers should only accept assignments to assess manuscripts that fall within subject areas appropriate to their expertise.
  • Reviewers should respond to invitations and submit comments within a reasonable period of time, as peer review is necessary for the academic process.
  • Reviewers' comments should not be influenced by nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender or any of the author's characteristics; or by commercial interests.
  • Comments from reviewers must be free from hostile or provocative language.
  • Review protocols shall not include personal attacks, libel or derogatory comments.
  • Reviewer selection can be based on either one member from the SJPA's editorial board and at least one external expert in the subject of the manuscript, or at least two external experts in the subject of the manuscript in question.

Reviewers are encouraged to provide constructive criticism and assess the manuscript in question in relation to the SJPA's guidelines below:

  • Is the paper interesting? Why or why not? How can it be made more interesting?
  • Is the paper well-grounded in the contemporary literature on the topic? Does it help the reader connect this paper to previous work in the field?
  • Does the paper clearly state the contribution it aims to make to that literature? In your view, is the contribution useful, important, and substantive?
  • Does the paper present a coherent argument for its position? Are the choice of material, methods, and analyses used appropriate and appropriately applied? Do the conclusions drawn from the inquiry follow from the argument and investigation reported? Does the paper succeed in making its contribution?
  • Are references accurate, timely, and consistent throughout?
  • Are heading levels appropriate and concise?
  • Is the written expression of the paper clear, concise, and accessible to academics with an interest in this field?

Learn more about the journal's editorial policies >> and ethics statement >>

Readership

The main target group is scholars as well as practitioners with an interest in public administration at the European, national, regional or local level.

Publication fees

There are no publication fees associated with this journal.

Publication frequency

SJPA publishes four issues per year.

Publisher

SJPA is published by the School of Public Administration, University of Gothenburg. Learn more about the journal's publisher >>