Japan Journal of Geopolitical Research
Author Submission Guidelines
The journal welcomes original scholarly research that falls within its stated aims and scope. Submissions should make a meaningful contribution to academic knowledge, demonstrate intellectual rigour, and engage appropriately with relevant scholarship.
The journal is committed to open-access publishing and charges no submission fees or article processing charges (APCs).
Manuscripts are evaluated on their academic merit, originality, analytical quality, and relevance to the journal's scope.
1. Manuscript Length and Formatting
Authors should prepare their manuscripts according to the following requirements:
Maximum length: 7,000 words, excluding the reference list. Footnotes, endnotes, tables, and figure captions are included in the word count.
File format: Microsoft Word (.docx).
Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Line spacing: Double-spaced throughout, including references.
Margins: 2.54 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
Page numbering: Consecutive page numbers throughout the manuscript.
Referencing style: American Psychological Association (APA), 7th edition.
Headings and subheadings: Authors may use headings and subheadings in accordance with APA conventions.
Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, academically appropriate English.
Tables and figures should be numbered, clearly labelled, and referenced in the text. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material where necessary.
2. Article Structure
The journal recognizes that different academic disciplines, research questions, and methodological approaches require different forms of presentation. No prescribed manuscript structure is imposed. Authors are not required to include particular sections such as a literature review, theoretical framework, methodology, results, or discussion unless these are appropriate to their research. Authors are encouraged to organize their manuscripts in the manner they consider most effective for presenting their arguments, evidence, analysis, and conclusions. Regardless of structure, submissions should clearly communicate their research purpose, scholarly contribution, supporting evidence, and principal conclusions.
3. Required Submission Documents
All submissions must consist of two separate Microsoft Word documents.
Document 1: Title Page and Abstract
This document must contain:
Full title of the manuscript.
Total manuscript word count, excluding references.
Full name of each author.
Institutional affiliation of each author.
Institutional email address of each author.
Identification of the corresponding author, where there is more than one author.
An abstract of 200–300 words summarising the article's purpose, principal arguments or findings, and contribution.
Four to six keywords describing the principal subjects of the article.
Authors without a current institutional affiliation may provide their status as independent researchers and an appropriate professional contact email address.
Document 2: Anonymized Manuscript
This document must contain:
Full title of the manuscript.
Complete article text.
In-text citations.
Full reference list.
Any tables, figures, appendices, or supplementary information necessary for evaluation.
The anonymized manuscript must not contain information that could identify the author(s).
Authors should:
Remove names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and biographical information.
Remove identifying information from document headers and footers.
Remove personal identifying information from Word document properties and metadata.
Avoid references to their own work that directly reveal their identity.
Anonymize references to research projects, institutions, or funding where these would clearly identify the author.
Relevant self-citations should be retained in the reference list and presented in the third person wherever possible. Authors should not compromise the scholarly accuracy or completeness of their references to achieve anonymity. Acknowledgements and other identifying details may be restored following acceptance.
4. Originality and Publication Ethics
Submitted manuscripts must constitute original scholarly work and must not have been previously published as a journal article or be under consideration by another journal. Authors are responsible for ensuring that:
The manuscript is their own original work and appropriately acknowledges the contributions of others.
All sources, quotations, data, and borrowed materials are accurately attributed.
The submission does not contain plagiarism, fabricated or falsified evidence, or misleading representations of research findings.
All listed authors have made appropriate scholarly contributions and approved the submission.
Relevant financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest are disclosed.
Research involving human participants has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical and institutional requirements, including informed consent and ethical approval where necessary.
Any use of generative artificial intelligence in producing substantive manuscript content is appropriately disclosed. AI tools must not be listed as authors, and authors remain fully responsible for all submitted material.
The journal may consider manuscripts previously circulated as conference papers, working papers, or preprints, provided that authors disclose their earlier dissemination and confirm that no conflicting publication or copyright restrictions apply. Substantial overlap with an author's previously published work must be disclosed at submission. The journal reserves the right to investigate concerns relating to research integrity or publication ethics and to reject, correct, or retract articles where appropriate.
5. Submission Procedure
Initially, all manuscripts should be submitted by email.
Submission email: submissions@jagr.jp
Authors should attach both required Word documents:
Title Page and Abstract.
Anonymized Manuscript.
The email subject line should read: Manuscript Submission – [Short Article Title]
The accompanying email should briefly confirm that the manuscript is original, is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal, and has been approved for submission by all listed authors. Submissions that do not meet the journal's basic formatting or documentation requirements may be returned for correction before editorial assessment.
6. Editorial Screening
All submissions undergo an initial editorial assessment before being considered for external peer review. Authors will receive an email acknowledgement confirming receipt of their manuscript.
The editorial team will then assess the submission's:
Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
Originality and potential academic contribution.
General scholarly quality and clarity.
Suitability for external peer review.
Compliance with submission and ethical requirements.
Authors will normally be notified within 2–4 weeks whether their manuscript has been selected for external peer review. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements or editorial expectations may be declined at this stage without external review.
7. Peer Review Process
Manuscripts selected for peer review will normally undergo double-anonymous peer review, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are not disclosed to one another. The journal will ordinarily seek evaluations from at least two independent reviewers with relevant academic expertise. Reviewers will be asked to consider the manuscript's originality, scholarly significance, analytical rigour, use of evidence, clarity, and contribution to existing research.
The peer-review process is expected to take approximately eight weeks from the commencement of external review. This is an indicative timeframe rather than a guarantee, as reviewer availability and manuscript complexity may affect the duration. Following peer review, the editorial decision will normally fall into one of three categories:
Accept: The manuscript is accepted for publication, subject to any necessary minor editorial or formatting corrections.
Revise and Resubmit: The manuscript requires revisions before a final publication decision can be made. Authors will receive reviewer comments and guidance on the required changes. A revised manuscript may undergo further peer review.
Reject: The manuscript is not accepted for publication.
The final decision on publication rests with the journal's editorial leadership. Invitation to revise does not guarantee eventual acceptance.
8. Revision and Final Acceptance
Authors invited to revise their manuscripts should submit:
A revised, anonymized manuscript in Microsoft Word format.
A separate response document explaining how reviewer and editor comments have been addressed.
Authors should clearly identify substantive changes and explain any recommendations they have chosen not to adopt. The deadline for revisions will be communicated with the editorial decision and may vary according to the extent of changes requested. Following final acceptance, authors may be asked to provide a publication-ready manuscript, complete author information, any necessary permissions, and final versions of tables or figures. Accepted articles will undergo editorial preparation and proofreading before publication. Authors may be asked to review page proofs for factual or typographical errors.
9. Open Access and Copyright
The journal operates on a fully open-access basis. There are no fees for submission, peer review, publication, or access to published articles.
Authors retain copyright in their work. Published articles are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, permitting reading, downloading, sharing, adaptation, and republication, including commercial reuse, subject to the licence conditions. Reuse must provide appropriate credit to the author(s), identify the journal as the original publication venue, include the article's DOI or a direct link to the original publication, link to the CC BY 4.0 licence, and indicate whether changes have been made.
10. Editorial Correspondence and Enquiries
Manuscript submissions: submissions@jagr.jp
General enquiries: info@jagr.jp
Questions concerning the journal's scope, submission requirements, editorial policies, or publication procedures should be directed to the general enquiries address. Authors enquiring about an existing submission should include their manuscript title and the name of the corresponding author. The journal aims to provide clear and timely communication throughout the submission and review process.