The Journal on Policy and Complex Systems (JPCS) is a journal of the Policy Studies Organization – an international and interdisciplinary group associated with the American Political Science Association (APSA). The JPCS publishes international academic research of distinction and excellence pertinent to the field of complexity in public policy.

Papers are considered for publication with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere, and are not under consideration by any other publication. Initially, the JPCS will be published twice a year. Papers that are published or held by the JPCS may not be published elsewhere without a written permission from the JPCS. The JPCS reserves the right to edit all papers for style, syntax, grammar, and clarity. The authors of published papers are required to transfer copyright ownership of the paper to the JPCS. All authors are required to obtain written copyright permission to include material in their paper for which they do not own copyright.

Types of Submissions

The JPCS accepts Research Articles and Letters to the Editor. Article submission length should be between 5,000 to 7,000 words and include simulations (if applicable), while Letters to the Editor should be 300 words or less. Submissions should be submitted electronically, via email, to the Editor, Mirsad Hadzikadic, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Manuscript Formatting

Font size must be 12 point Times New Roman for all parts of the submission and submitted on standard 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper with one inch margins on all four sides. All submissions should be in either MS Word or PDF formats. Authors who prefer different programs for submission should contact the Managing Editor, Liz Johnson, prior to submission at email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Text, abstract, footnotes, citations, appendix materials, and references should be double-spaced. Tables and graphs should be single spaced while all other text should be double-spaced. An abstract of no more that 150 words must be accompanied by a list of key words below the abstract on a separate page.

A separate title page should list the paper title, names of the authors, and contact information for each corresponding author, including email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses. For all authors, order names, as they should appear, along with each author's academic rank and academic affiliation. Acknowledgments and additional author notes can be listed at the bottom of the separate title page. Corresponding authors may also include a cover letter on a separate page. Authors should ensure that the main manuscript is anonymous so that there is no information that could identify them or collaborators. For review purposes, authors may place an in-text locator of figures and tables approximately where they fit in the text - example: [Table 1 about here]. Each figure and table must be on a single page and be submitted after references.

An added feature of the journal is the inclusion of live simulations from accepted research on the journal website. Authors should include the name of the software program and computer code for simulations with their submission.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) is the prescribed style guide for references, endnotes, footnotes, and tables. References must be in alphabetical order based on first author's surname. Footnotes should be used for substantive comments, not citations, and must be identified by consecutive numbers in the text. Submissions that are not in the correct format will be returned for correction. For additional questions and clarifications, authors should call (704) 293-1482.