Research Ethics in Political Science: The Role of Journal Editors

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

What role should editors play in advancing research ethics in the discipline? New guidelines for political scientists whose research directly engages with human participants create new obligations for researchers, presenting an opportunity for a discussion of current and potential policies and practices on the part of political science journals. Are we doing enough to protect research participants and meet our obligations as researchers to promote the public good? What requirements can journal editors reasonably place on authors? APSA’s 2020 Principles and Guidance in Human Subjects Research calls for increased discussion of research ethics in scholarly presentations and publications. In particular, the Principles state that if scholars claim an exception to the 2020 Principles, they should include a reasoned justification for that exception. Focusing on research that directly engages with human participants, this panel discussion brings together editors of leading journals and scholars who played a role in writing the 2020 Principles to discuss their implementation. It is organized by the APSR editorial team, which has developed new submission guidelines and a new interface to promote the discipline’s new norms.

Sub Unit

• APSA Panels and All Meetings and Receptions

Chair

• Denise Marie Walsh University of Virginia

Presenters

• Deborah Yashar Princeton University

• David J. Samuels University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

• Jacob T. Levy McGill University

• Alexandra Filindra University of Illinois at Chicago

• Susan Franceschet University of Calgary

• Kathleen Dolan University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

• Michael Bernhard University of Florida

• Scott W. Desposato UCSD

• Trisha Phillips West Virginia University

• Elisabeth Jean Wood Yale University