Increasing the credibility of political science research: A proposal for journal reforms

In this white paper, I propose a series of reforms intended to improve the rigor, timeliness, and replicability of published political science research. These changes could be proposed as part of the next solic-itation for editors of the American Political Science Review or other disciplinary journals. If implemented, they would make our discipline a leader in publishing practices intended to minimize publication bias, encourage rapid and high-quality reviews, and maximize replicability and fairness to authors. In this way, they could help to enhance the quality and pace of the profession’s scholarly output and improve per-ceptions of its rigor both within and outside of academia over time, increasing trust in political science findings and building the credibility that is necessary for successful public engagement