Get your Comparative Political Studies 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 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Comparative Political Studies goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Comparative Political Studies 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 Comparative Political Studies. 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 Comparative Political Studies 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 Comparative Political Studies 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 Comparative Political Studies 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 ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Comparative Polit Studies requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured format, 150-word limit. Must include the purpose of research, major findings, and conclusions. For clinical trials, the trial registry name, URL, and registration number must be included at the end |
| Main text | Original research articles: Maximum of 11,000 words (excludes references, tables, and figures). Manuscripts must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and 12-point font (Times New Roman preferred) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum of 2 keywords required. Must be listed after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic |
| References | APA style. Every in-text citation must have a corresponding entry in the reference list. Authors should update preprint references to the peer-reviewed version when available |
| Peer review | Double-anonymized (double-blind). Identities of both reviewers and authors are concealed. Three independent reviews are required for a Revise or Accept decision |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/comppolstud |
Read the Comparative Political Studies 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 Comparative Political Studies in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Comparative Polit Studies 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 Comparative Political Studies journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Comparative Political Studies guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).