Editorial and Ethical Policy

About Us

Ramjas Political Review [ISSN (O): 3048-5886], established in 2023, is the biannual, peer-reviewed academic research journal run by the undergraduate students of the Department of Political Science, Ramjas College, University of Delhi. We aim to provide students and researchers with a platform to publish original scholarly work in the form of academic essays, featured essays, op-eds, and book reviews relevant to the field of political science and allied disciplines. The purpose is to promote rigour in academic writing and contribute to academic discourse via meaningful discussions.

Objectives:

To encourage original and well-researched academic content
To promote healthy and respectful academic discussions
To provide students and researchers with a platform to publish their original work
To connect academic knowledge to issues relevant to the discipline of political science and allied fields

Editorial Process and Peer Review Policy

All submissions are carefully assessed by the Editorial Board through an internal double-blind peer-review process, conducted by the members of the Editorial Board, wherein the identities of both reviewers and authors are kept confidential. The pieces go through a three-tiered blind peer review editing process where the articles are assessed for originality, clarity, relevance, argumentation, and quality of writing.

The Editorial Board has the right to accept, reject, or request modifications for a piece. The authors can expect a decision within thirty to forty working days. Submissions must be original, free from plagiarism, and in strict compliance with RPR’s submission and general guidelines.

The editorial process must:

Remain transparent and fair
Keep authors’ personal information confidential
Be free of any bias or prejudice
Assess the quality of the piece irrespective of the authors’ gender, religion, caste, ethnicity, nationality, disability, political opinion, and the rest

The Editorial Board reserves the right to decline submissions at the preliminary screening stage in case the article falls outside the thematic scope of the journal, fails to meet basic scholarly standards, or does not adhere to our submission guidelines.

AI Policy

RPR follows a policy of ethical use of Artificial Intelligence. The authors may be required to submit an AI report. The arguments and facts used in the article must be original. The final responsibility rests with the author. AI-generated or AI-refined content submitted as original scholarship without disclosure is not permitted.

Similarly, artificially generated and fabricated visual data such as graphs, charts, images, or maps are not permitted.

Publication Ethics

For the authors:

Kindly submit original, unpublished pieces that are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Provide proper citations as per the APA 7th guidelines.
Strictly avoid plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification.
Ensure accuracy of all facts, data, and references.
Inform beforehand in case of a conflict of interest.
Co-authorship of up to two authors is permitted.
Kindly attach your name, designation, institutional affiliation, and relevant contact details in your submission email.

Editors must:

Remain unbiased in their work.
Adhere to the editorial timeline.
Provide constructive and objective feedback to the author.
Keep confidential the review process.
Ensure that the content of unpublished work is not used to supplement personal research.
Make certain that all editorial decisions shall be made solely on merit and not influenced by institutional affiliation, seniority, political leanings, or external pressure.

Conflict of Interest

Authors and editors should disclose any personal, academic, financial, or professional relationship that may influence their judgement. In case of a conflict, the concerned individual may be recused from the editorial decision-making process.

The authors retain copyright over their piece, granting the journal a non-exclusive licence to publish and archive the same. Any subsequent publication of the same work should acknowledge that it was first published in Ramjas Political Review.

In case the authors make use of copyrighted content from elsewhere, the responsibility for obtaining permission lies entirely on them.

Corrections and Retractions

In case an ethical issue is spotted after a piece has been published, the Editorial Board holds the right to rectify it or to remove it altogether. In cases of plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification, the Editorial Board shall proceed with retraction of the piece.

Open Access

All pieces published in the journal or on the website shall remain accessible without any paywall. The pieces can be read, shared, and cited for non-commercial purposes with due attribution.

Fee

No fee is applicable from the authors for publication.

Code of Conduct

We are committed to maintaining an inclusive, professional, and respectful environment for all contributors associated with the journal.

General Expectations:

All interactions shall be carried out with professionalism.
We do not tolerate discrimination, intimidation, or harassment of any kind.
Disagreements over opinions must never lead to ad hominem and shall remain in good faith.
Reviewers must provide feedback that is honest and constructive.
Any discourteous language used in review comments or any correspondence is unacceptable.

Authors may seek clarification regarding editorial decisions through RPR's official communication channels.

Reachable at ramjaspolreview@gmail.com and eic.ramjaspoliticalreview@gmail.com.