Get your Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 30 July, 2026
Submitting to Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through the journal (invitation-only).
| Element | Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | 150 words or fewer, unstructured |
| Main text | Approximately 9,500 words (including references and endnotes) for standard 12-article volumes; ~7,000 words if article includes 7 tables/figures. Exact length varies by volume composition and is determined by Special Editor |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 4-7 |
| References | Author-date-page number system (Chicago Manual of Style with modifications) |
| Peer review | Blind peer review (editorial discretion; likely single-blind based on language in guidelines) |
| Submission | Volume proposal-based (send 2-3 page proposal to Executive Editor at thomask@upenn.edu). Individual articles are by invitation from Special Editors. |
Read the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal (invitation-only).