[ENG] Feature Partner Journals - PolisReflects

What topics do you care about as a journal?  

We care about topics sometimes neglected in the discipline of International Relations, for instance in our first edition, "Unheard Crises". Everything international and political directly affecting our lives and the lives of other young people is of interest to us, such as digitalisation, the crises of modern democracies and feminist perspectives on international politics. By featuring these topics, we hope to fill gaps and make student perspectives on these issues heard. 

Why is student research important to you?  

Student research is often primarily a means to an end - an academic degree. That is why many promising student papers end up collecting dust instead of being published. These papers, however, can be extremely valuable, since young academics can compensate a lack of experience with intellectual openness,  fresh ideas and a strong connection to contemporary questions. Early publishing experience helps students to gain confidence in their research and makes it easier for them to forge an academic career. 

How does peer review work in your field/ your journal?  

We have gathered a varied and multifaceted pool of reviewers with different specialisations, which helps us to match the right texts with the right reviewers. They review the submission, determining whether the paper's content, methodology, or line of argumentation needs to be improved. We send the commented text back to the author who sends us an improved version, which then again is assessed by the reviewer. Our Editorial Board makes sure that any criticism maintains a constructive and positive tone, acting as the mediator between author and reviewer, considering motivation, time, and energy of both parties. 

Why interdisciplinary publishing?  

Interdisciplinarity is intrinsic to the subject of International Relations, and perspectives from areas such as sociology, history or psychology can enlighten our understanding of international politics. Globalisation does not only connect societies but also fields of research, as different academic disciplines can influence each other positively in their endeavour. In the end, important questions as to how we want to organise societies impacted by globalisation and cooperate internationally in the present and future are not only interesting for political scientists, but to academics of various backgrounds and geographical contexts. 

Your key take-away from 1,5 years Berlin Exchange? 

The joint organisation and participation in workshops has been a great way to gather knowledge as a group, apply the other journals’ input in our journal, and engage in dialogue afterwards. Sharing knowledge, resources, and goals as a network is a great way to increase the impact and outreach of our journal and to develop strategies as a collective at the same time. 

[written by the Editorial Board of PolisReflects]

Find out more: https://polis180.org/highlights/polisreflects/