Author Guidelines

Submission Guidelines

Submission of a manuscript to POLIGOV: Malaysian Journal of Policy, Leadership, International & Government Affairs implies that the work is original, has not been published previously, is not currently under consideration by another journal or publisher, and will not be submitted elsewhere until a final editorial decision has been communicated by POLIGOV.

Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's submission requirements may be returned to authors before editorial review. All research articles submitted to POLIGOV are subject to double-anonymised peer review. All accepted articles are published on an open-access basis.

 

Title Page

Authors must submit a separate title page containing the following information:

• full name of each author;
• ORCID iD, where available;
• institutional affiliation;
• email address;
• brief biographical note of approximately 70 words for each author; and
• identification of the corresponding author.

For manuscripts with multiple authors, the corresponding author must be clearly identified. All listed authors must have made an appropriate contribution to the work, reviewed and approved the final manuscript, and consented to its submission.

Any research funding, grants, institutional support, or other financial assistance associated with the research must be acknowledged. Authors should also disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgements, where applicable, should appear only on the title page and not in the anonymised manuscript.

 

Blinded Manuscript

Authors must submit a separate anonymised version of the manuscript for peer review.

The blinded manuscript must not contain:

• author names;
• institutional affiliations;
• email addresses;
• acknowledgements;
• biographical information; or
• other information that may directly reveal the identity of the author(s).

Authors should also ensure that document properties and file metadata do not contain identifying information.

Self-citations should be written in a manner that preserves anonymity without unnecessarily removing relevant references.

 

Abstract and Keywords

Each research article must include an abstract of no more than 150 words. The abstract should provide a concise account of the:

• research problem or issue;
• objective or research question;
• methodological approach, where applicable;
• principal findings or argument; and
• significance or implications of the study.

The abstract should be followed by three to five keywords.

 

Types and Length of Submissions

POLIGOV welcomes original scholarly contributions in areas relevant to public policy, political science, public administration, governance, public management, leadership, international relations, government affairs, and related interdisciplinary fields. The journal accepts the following types of submissions:

• Research Articles: 6,000–8,000 words
• Policy Briefs or Commentaries: approximately 2,000–4,000 words
• Book Reviews: approximately 1,000–1,500 words

Unless otherwise specified, the word count includes the main text, tables, figures, notes, and references.

Books considered for review should normally have been published within the preceding three years.

Book reviews should provide complete bibliographic information in accordance with APA 7th edition.

 

Text Formatting

Manuscripts should be prepared using:

• Times New Roman, 12-point font;
• single-line spacing;
• standard page margins; and
• consecutively numbered pages.

Submissions must be made in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

Authors should use a clear and consistent heading structure throughout the manuscript.

 

Language and Style

Manuscripts must be written in British English. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions are grammatically accurate, clearly written, and professionally presented.

Writing should be academically rigorous while remaining clear and accessible to an interdisciplinary readership comprising academics, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and students.

Authors should avoid unnecessary jargon and define specialised terminology when first introduced.

Short quotations should appear within quotation marks as part of the main text. Quotations of 40 words or more should follow APA 7th edition block quotation format: they should begin on a new line, be indented, and appear without quotation marks.

Authors are responsible for obtaining any necessary permission to reproduce copyrighted material.

 

Use of Non-English Text

Non-English words and expressions that have not entered common English usage should normally be italicised. Names of institutions, government agencies, organisations, political parties, movements, programmes, currencies, and other proper nouns should not normally be italicised.

Quotations in languages other than English should be accompanied by an English translation where necessary. Where the translation has been prepared by the author, this should be indicated appropriately.

 

Numbers and Dates

General presentation of numbers should follow APA 7th edition conventions. As a general rule, numerals should be used for numbers 10 and above, while numbers below 10 are normally written in words, subject to APA exceptions. Numerals should always be used for:

• statistical and mathematical values;
• measurements;
• ages;
• dates and times;
• percentages;
• scores and points on a scale; and
• numbers representing specific quantities.

Use the percentage symbol (%) with numerals in accordance with APA 7th edition, for example:

• 25%
• 4.5%
• 60% of respondents

Dates in the main text should normally follow British usage, for example:

1 January 2026

Decades should be written without apostrophes, for example:

1990s

Number ranges should be written clearly and consistently, for example:

245–246
1999–2012

 

Headings

Authors should use headings and subheadings consistently to organise the manuscript. POLIGOV recommends avoiding an excessive number of heading levels. Headings should clearly reflect the structure and hierarchy of the argument.

Authors should generally follow the principles of APA 7th edition heading hierarchy, subject to any additional formatting instructions provided by the journal during production.

 

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be used only where they contribute meaningfully to the presentation or analysis of the research. All tables and figures must:

• be numbered consecutively;
• have a clear and descriptive title;
• be referred to in the main text;
• identify the source where applicable; and
• comply with APA 7th edition conventions.

Tables should be identified as Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, and so forth. Graphs, charts, diagrams, photographs, and maps should be identified as Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, and so forth.

Tables and figures should normally be placed close to the relevant discussion in the manuscript. Where material has been reproduced or adapted from another source, the appropriate attribution must be provided. Authors are responsible for obtaining copyright permission where required.

 

Referencing Style

POLIGOV uses the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (APA 7).

All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and all works appearing in the reference list must be cited in the manuscript. References should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author.

The reference list should use a hanging indent. DOIs should be presented as hyperlinks in the following format:

https://doi.org/xxxxx

URLs and DOIs should not normally be preceded by “Retrieved from” unless a retrieval date is required under APA 7th edition. Footnotes should not be used for bibliographic referencing. They should be kept to a minimum and used only for brief supplementary explanations.

 

In-Text Citations

One Author

Narrative citation:

Kingdon (1995)

 

Parenthetical citation:

(Kingdon, 1995)

 

Direct quotation:

(Kingdon, 1995, p. 18)

 

Two Authors

Narrative citation:

Schneider and Ingram (1997)

 

Parenthetical citation:

(Schneider & Ingram, 1997)

When citing two authors in narrative form, use “and.”

When citing two authors parenthetically, use “&.”

 

Three or More Authors

Under APA 7th edition, use the surname of the first author followed by et al. from the first citation onward.

Narrative citation:

Howlett et al. (2020)

 

Parenthetical citation:

(Howlett et al., 2020)

 

Authored Book

In-text citation:

Kingdon (1995)

or

(Kingdon, 1995, p. 18)

 

Reference:

Kingdon, J. W. (1995). Agendas, alternatives, and public policies (2nd ed.). HarperCollins College Publishers.

Kingdon's second edition was published in 1995 by HarperCollins College Publishers.

Another acceptable example is:

Schneider, A. L., & Ingram, H. M. (1997). Policy design for democracy. University Press of Kansas.

 

Edited Book

In-text citation:

Weible and Sabatier (2018)

or

(Weible & Sabatier, 2018)

 

Reference:

Weible, C. M., & Sabatier, P. A. (Eds.). (2018). Theories of the policy process (4th ed.). Westview Press.

The fourth edition was published by Westview Press in 2018.

 

Chapter in an Edited Book

In-text citation:

Lasswell (1951)

or

(Lasswell, 1951, p. 3)

 

Reference:

Lasswell, H. D. (1951). The policy orientation. In D. Lerner & H. D. Lasswell (Eds.), The policy sciences: Recent developments in scope and method (pp. 3–15). Stanford University Press.

 

Journal Article

In-text citation:

Lindblom (1959)

or

(Lindblom, 1959, p. 81)

 

Reference:

Lindblom, C. E. (1959). The science of “muddling through.” Public Administration Review, 19(2), 79–88. DOI: 10.2307/973677.

Another public policy example is:

Sabatier, P. A. (1988). An advocacy coalition framework of policy change and the role of policy-oriented learning therein. Policy Sciences, 21(2–3), 129–168.

 

Governance and Institutional Analysis

In-text citation:

Ostrom (2010)

or

(Ostrom, 2010, p. 646)

 

Reference:

Ostrom, E. (2010). Beyond markets and states: Polycentric governance of complex economic systems. American Economic Review, 100(3), 641–672. DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.3.641.

 

Contemporary Public Policy Book

In-text citation:

Peters (2021)

or

(Peters, 2021, p. 25)

 

Reference:

Peters, B. G. (2021). Advanced introduction to public policy (2nd ed.). Edward Elgar Publishing.

 

Organisational or Institutional Report

Where an organisation is the author, the organisation's name should be treated as the author.

In-text citation:

OECD (2020)

or

(OECD, 2020)

 

Reference:

OECD. (2020). Policy framework on sound public governance: Baseline features of governments that work well. OECD Publishing.

If the author and publisher are the same organisation, APA 7th edition generally does not require the publisher to be repeated.

 

International Organisation Report

In-text citation:

World Bank (2017)

or

(World Bank, 2017)

 

Reference:

World Bank. (2017). World development report 2017: Governance and the law. World Bank.

 

Government Publication

In-text citation:

Malaysia's Ministry of Economy (2021)

or

(Malaysia's Ministry of Economy, 2021)

 

Reference:

Malaysia's Ministry of Economy. (2025). Thirteenth Malaysia Plan, 2025–2030.

The official Thirteenth Malaysia Plan documentation was published by Malaysia's Ministry of Economy in 2025.

 

Newspaper or Magazine Article

In-text citation:

Author (Year)

or

(Author, Year)

 

Reference format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Name of Newspaper or Magazine.

Where the article is available online, include the URL in accordance with APA 7th edition.

 

Newspaper or News Article Without an Individual Author

Where no individual author is identified, the title or responsible news organisation should be used in accordance with APA 7th edition.

In-text citation:

("Shortened Article Title," Year)

Where the news organisation itself is clearly responsible for the content, it may be treated as a corporate author.

 

Online Article or Webpage

In-text citation:

Author (Year)

or

(Author, Year)

 

Reference format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name.

Where the author and website name are identical, the website name should not be repeated.

 

Thesis or Dissertation

In-text citation:

Author (Year)

or

(Author, Year, p. X)

 

Reference format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation [Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis, Name of Institution]. Database or Repository Name.

Where the thesis or dissertation is available online, the relevant URL should be included.

 

Conference Paper

In-text citation:

Author (Year)

or

(Author, Year)

 

Reference format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day–Day). Title of paper [Paper presentation]. Name of Conference, Location.

 

Personal Communication and Interviews

Personal communications that cannot be retrieved by readers, including private emails, personal correspondence, telephone conversations, and non-archived interviews, should be cited in the text only and should not be included in the reference list.

 

Parenthetical citation:

(A. Noh, personal communication, April 22, 2026)

Narrative citation:

A. Noh (personal communication, April 22, 2026) stated that ...

Research interviews included in a study's primary dataset may require different reporting and citation practices depending on the research methodology, ethics approval, anonymity arrangements, and the availability of the research data.

 

Multiple Works in the Same Citation

Multiple works appearing in the same parenthetical citation should be arranged alphabetically by first-author surname and separated by semicolons.

For example:

(Kingdon, 1995; Lindblom, 1959; Ostrom, 2010; Sabatier, 1988)

 

Multiple Works by the Same Author

Works by the same author should normally be arranged chronologically.

For example:

(Peters, 1996, 2015, 2021)

Where an author has more than one work published in the same year, use lowercase letters:

(Peters, 2021a, 2021b)

 

Direct Quotations

Direct quotations must include the author, year, and page number where available.

For example:

(Kingdon, 1995, p. 18)

For sources without page numbers, authors should use another appropriate locator, such as a paragraph number or section heading, where necessary.

 

Secondary Citations

Authors are encouraged to consult and cite original sources wherever possible.

Secondary citations should be used only when the original work is unavailable.

APA 7th edition conventions should be followed when citing a source discussed in another source.

 

Reference List

The reference list must:

• appear at the end of the manuscript;
• be arranged alphabetically;
• use a hanging indent;
• include only works cited in the manuscript;
• include DOI information where available;
• include URLs where required by APA 7th edition; and
• be checked carefully for accuracy and completeness.

Authors should verify all references against the original publications before submission.

 

Research Ethics and Publication Integrity

POLIGOV is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity, publication ethics, transparency, and responsible scholarly practice. Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original work and comply with recognised principles of responsible research conduct.

The following practices are unacceptable:

• plagiarism;
• fabrication or falsification of data;
• manipulation or misrepresentation of research findings;
• duplicate or redundant publication;
• inappropriate or honorary authorship;
• undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• citation manipulation;
• deliberate submission of fabricated or unverifiable references; and
• other forms of research or publication misconduct.

Where research involves human participants, interviews, surveys, personal information, vulnerable populations, or other ethically sensitive data, authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate institutional ethics approval and, where required, informed consent.

The Editors reserve the right to request evidence of ethical approval, informed consent, research permits, or other relevant documentation.

 

Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a substantive intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript. All authors must:

• approve the final manuscript;
• consent to its submission;
• accept responsibility for their contribution; and
• agree to cooperate with the journal regarding questions concerning the integrity of the work.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have consented to submission and that authorship information is accurate. Changes to authorship following submission may require written agreement from all authors and approval from the Editors.

 

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, political, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, interpretation of findings, or publication of the manuscript.

Where no conflict exists, authors may state:

Conflict of Interest: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

 

Funding

All sources of research funding and financial support must be disclosed.

Where applicable, authors should provide the name of the funding organisation and grant number.

For example:

Funding: This research was supported by [Funding Agency] under Grant No. [XXXX].

Where no external funding was received:

Funding: This research received no external funding.

 

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, or ethical accountability of scholarly work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted to POLIGOV, including:

• arguments;
• interpretations;
• factual claims;
• data;
• analysis;
• citations;
• references;
• originality; and
• conclusions.

Where generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used substantively in the preparation of a manuscript, authors should disclose their use in accordance with the journal's editorial requirements.

Authors must independently verify all AI-assisted content. The submission of fabricated, inaccurate, non-existent, misleading, or unverifiable references generated through artificial intelligence tools may constitute grounds for rejection, correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action.

 

Corrections and Retractions

Authors must inform the Editors promptly if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in a submitted or published manuscript.

Authors are expected to cooperate with POLIGOV in issuing corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions where appropriate.

POLIGOV reserves the right to undertake appropriate editorial action where there is evidence of research misconduct, publication misconduct, serious factual error, or other circumstances affecting the integrity of the published scholarly record.

 

Copyright and Open Access

POLIGOV publishes accepted scholarly content on an open-access basis.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions do not infringe the copyright, intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or other legal rights of third parties. Authors must obtain the necessary permissions to reproduce or adapt copyrighted materials, including:

• figures;
• tables;
• photographs;
• maps;
• datasets;
• illustrations; and
• substantial extracts from previously published works.

The copyright and licensing arrangements applicable to accepted manuscripts shall be governed by POLIGOV's prevailing copyright and open-access policies.

 

Submissions and Enquiries

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the POLIGOV online submission portal. Authors should ensure that the following are uploaded separately, where applicable:

1. Title Page
2. Blinded Manuscript
3. Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials
4. Ethics Approval Information
5. Funding and Conflict-of-Interest Declarations

Authors must complete all required OJS metadata accurately during submission, including:

• author names;
• institutional affiliations;
• ORCID iDs;
• article title;
• abstract;
• keywords;
• corresponding author information; and
• funding information where applicable.

 

All editorial enquiries should be directed to:

Editorial Office
POLIGOV: Malaysian Journal of Policy, Leadership, International & Government Affairs
International Institute of Public Policy & Management (INPUMA) Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia