Journal of African Elections

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR AUTHORS##

Thank you for your interest in the Journal of African Elections! We appreciate your engagement.

Authors are asked to consult and follow our Writing Guidelines before submitting a paper to our journal. Please do not use our past issues as your style guide. Our house style has changed to APA 7 (but without hanging indents in reference lists), and recent JAE editions do not reflect that style.

Ensure that manuscripts are anonymised. Ethical permission statements should at this point not include references to universities or departments.

Copyright

Copyright for all articles published in the Journal of African Elections (JAE) remains with the authors. Authors whose work is accepted are understood to have granted the journal a perpetual, non‑exclusive licence to publish, archive, and distribute the submitted work.

Unless otherwise noted, all content in the JAE is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This licence permits any user to share and adapt the material for any purpose, including commercial, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author and publisher (JAE) and the terms of the licence are mentioned (CC BY 4.0).

Data collection and use

When you submit your paper, we will ask you for a limited amount of personal information. We do not ask for any information that is not directly relevant to your paper and our publishing purpose. Your details will be stored securely on Scholastica, our submission platform, and will not be shared anywhere else or used for any other purpose. The only people who can view your details are senior members of our editorial team. There are usually around five to seven editors active on our system at any time. Reviewers and other authors or organisations cannot view your details. The only EISA member who can view your full details on Scholastica is Melanie Meirotti.

Among the details we require at the submission stage are your affiliation (role), city and country of residence, your ORCID number, and your full name(s). We also require the email addresses of all authors. If your paper is published, we will publish the email address of the primary author on the front page of the paper. Provide an email address that is valid and current as well as safe for sharing in the public domain.

The JAE is not responsible for potential misuse of email addresses or names after a paper has been published. We publish these details for two reasons. First, it is a requirement set by external organisations, such as accrediting bodies. Second, it enables readers to contact you with queries or requests.

Article types

The JAE mainly publishes research papers on empirical studies, theoretical analyses, policy analyses, and comparative studies. The journal also publishes some scholarly commentaries (Debates and Election Notes) and book reviews, which must be relevant to African elections. We currently publish only English papers but hope to cater for French in the future.

All articles must focus on topics related to African elections, such as democratic transitions, electoral systems, political institutions, governance structures, and the role of civil society. Submissions that pass an initial screening for technical quality and scope enter the peer-review process. Articles must be original work that has not been published before and is not under consideration with another publishing outlet.

RESEARCH PAPERS
Research papers should contain at least 6,500 words and no more than 10,000 (total word count, including the abstract and reference list). An abstract between 180 and 200 words should be included, followed by about five keywords. In line with global best practices in academic publishing, we encourage authors to reflect on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in their research. This topic can be included in the keywords.

Research papers that pass the initial technical screening are rigorously peer-reviewed following the double-blind standard.

Research papers must bring novel insights to the field. We typically do not accept papers consisting of only a literature review, unless authors critically highlight underlying assumptions or gaps. JAE accepts papers with a limited case focus as long as in-depth insights are provided, such as a detailed analysis of the workings of a local election administration office, a voter education NGO, or a meeting bringing together local and international observers. Richness is preferred over shallow broadness. The journal accepts qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods papers.

We strongly encourage authors to adhere to the FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability). To support reproducibility and long-term scholarly value, we recommend that authors make the data underlying their findings openly available whenever possible. Data should be deposited in a trusted, domain-appropriate open-access repository prior to or immediately following publication. Authors are asked to clearly describe where and how their data can be accessed in a dedicated data availability statement in the cover letter and published manuscript.

In a research paper, aim for zero discrepancies between in-text citations and the reference list. Include no more than 60 references. There are further guidelines below. A paper will not be reviewed if it contains invalid references or unclickable hyperlinks. The JAE only considers papers that comply with standard academic rules and APA referencing style.

Conference papers may be submitted like any other paper and are subject to the JAE’s normal peer-review process. Most conference papers need substantial revision to meet the stringent standards for an academic journal. Authors should rewrite their papers accordingly, before submitting them.

DEBATES
Papers submitted under the Debate category should be between 1,500 and 3,500 words long. They should include an opening summary of up to 100 words. Cite no more than 15 sources; media and news sources can be cited. Include a final reference list in APA style.

Debates focus on interesting and important developments in the field of African elections and democracy. Current events and trends can be examined or topics for research proposed. Papers in this category may also respond to papers previously published in the JAE. Short analyses that do not meet the requirements for a full research paper can be submitted under Debates.

Debate papers may include original data as well as personal opinion, as long as the opinions are based on referenced facts or newspaper / media articles.

Debate articles are read by at least two JAE editorial board members. The process is similar to peer review, with authors receiving feedback and potential requests for revision. The review process may not be fully anonymised, depending on which editorial board members see the paper. Internal readings and reviews are focused entirely on the scholarly merits and contemporary-interest value of the work.

The aim of this category is to allow for the relatively speedy publication of certain items, given the changing landscape of political practices and studies in Africa. Nonetheless, we still require a high academic standard for papers in this category.

ELECTION NOTES
As of 2026, the JAE also publishes commissioned Election Notes. These Notes are short articles written by experts in the field, focused on a recent election on the African continent. Election Notes cover the background, electoral rules, main issues, and contenders; they provide relevant, accessible information to scholars and practitioners alike. These articles are editor-reviewed and are not indexed as research papers. Please do not provide more than ten citations, and use APA 7 style.

BOOK REVIEWS
We consider reviews of books in relevant fields whose subject matter falls within the scope of the JAE. Such books should be written in a language and style that is accessible and interesting for readers across a range of disciplines. Book reviews are often commissioned, but unsolicited submissions will be considered. Book reviews are usually no longer than 800 words. Include a title for the review and the following book information: title of book, author(s) or editor(s), publisher, city of publication, year of publication, ISBN number, and number of pages. Be sure the reader can tell when you are discussing the book’s content and when your opinion about it. Generally, it helps to present these aspects in separate paragraphs; start a paragraph with a suitable orienting statement.

ERRATA
– We publish only one erratum per author per paper.
– No retrospective changes can be made to papers that have been published online. Our technology does not allow for this.
– We cannot guarantee publishing an erratum for minor points, particularly if these would not bring the journal or author into disrepute. Politics is a changing field, and statistics, allegiances, and viewpoints are subject to change.
– An erratum should present only a small factual correction. It should not present a new discussion or tangential information. Authors are welcome to write a Debate paper instead.

Referencing

Use APA 7 referencing style in all regards except the addition of hanging indents in the reference list. Please do not insert hanging indents or tabs.

Authors should manually check that each citation in the text also appears in the reference list (and vice versa).

Cite the source of any third-party graphics copied in your paper and the licence terms or permission to reproduce them. Always add these sources to the reference list.

Ensure all hyperlinks are valid and clickable.

Please consult the APA website for the format of references. Do not leave out any details. See https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/webpage-website-references.

Referencing problems, including the lack of permission or inadequate attribution of third-party graphics, are a major reason for delay in our processing of papers. We urge all authors to check the technical quality of their papers. If a manuscript does not comply with our guidelines or APA style, the author will be asked only once to make corrections. This step will delay the paper being sent for review. If errors persist, the paper will be desk-rejected.

Artificial intelligence - JAE policy

The JAE requires all papers to be written by humans. Contributions by AI tools must be acknowledged and should not exceed the following tasks:
– data analysis and creation of graphics (state which software)
– spelling and grammar checks
– citation checking and formatting
– making text more fluent or polished.

The use of software or AI must be reported in the methods section or an acknowledgement as follows:
– name(s) of tool or software
– how and where you used it
– how you evaluated the validity of AI contributions, if relevant.

Authors who use AI to create graphics should attribute this in a Source note under the graphic. Name the tool; cite any relevant website or application and date of creation.

Authors must ensure that
– their own ideas are presented in all critical aspects, such as research questions, results, interpretations, and implications
– the content of the paper is valid and there is no AI fabrication.

The following example can be modified for an Acknowledgement:

During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF AI TOOL AND VERSION] to [REASON FOR USE, e.g., polish text for the introduction section, summarise data, etc.] on [DATE].

Non-compliance with any aspect of this AI policy constitutes a misrepresentation of research. If the JAE discovers any such concerns, we may notify the author’s institution and reject the paper or retract it if already published.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Manuscript format and writing style
Please submit all papers in Word format. The referencing style we use is APA (7th ed). Use APA style in both your reference list and in the text. Do not use footnotes for referencing.

We currently accept only English papers.

Do not submit papers that present bulleted lists or summaries. Use lists sparingly and only where needed; generally, write in full sentences and paragraphs. Avoid unnecessary repetition.

We like Times New Roman, font 12, with double spaces between the lines.

Subheadings can be written manually or with automated styles in Word. Paper title - Heading 1; main headings - Heading 2; minor subheadings - Heading 3. We allow Level 4 subheadings, but keep these to a minimum. Do not use numbered (sub)headings - we will remove the numbers.

The sections of your paper should generally follow the standard structure for academic works, namely an introduction followed by the methodology, then the findings and discussion, and finally a conclusion. However, we encourage the use of non-standardised or more descriptive headings. Continue to follow the underlying structure.

Do not write overly long subheadings. Put the details into the main text, and make sure your heading tells the reader what is discussed in the section. Occasional complex subheadings are acceptable, but avoid their repeated use. An example is Coming of Age: The Early Years of Democracy. Please do not use these habitually.

Check that all your major and minor headings follow a logical hierarchy and sequence. These are crucial signposts for the reader and reflect your ability to structure your argument clearly. Copy editing can be badly delayed when headings are all over the place and disjointed.

Anonymisation
The JAE uses a double-anonymised peer review system. All submissions that pass an initial technical screening (scope, references, grammar etc) are sent to expert reviewers, who assess the content. Please ensure your paper is anonymised, with no author names or affiliations visible. Make sure no references to prior works are given in the text in a way that could identify you, such as ‘In a previous paper (Smith 2023), we reported that…’. In this case, replace Smith with ‘Omitted’; it will be added back later. References to identifying institutions should be handled the same way.

ORCID
If your paper is accepted, we need an ORCID number for each author. All our editors and guest editors must also supply their ORCID numbers. If you are not yet a member of ORCID, please sign up. Make sure the link you give us opens to your page.

Abstract and keywords
For research papers, include an abstract of between 180 and 200 words. It should summarise all sections of the paper (e.g., topic, methodology, findings and/or discussion, and conclusion). List keywords after the abstract.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs)
All academic journals are encouraged to link their work to the SDGs set forth by the United Nations. See: https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world. Authors may explore relevant SDGs in their papers. Mention any SDG topics in the abstract or keywords. However, please do not ‘SDG-wash’ just for the sake of it.

Funding and conflicts
Any funding or potential conflict of interests must be declared on the first or last page of your paper. This information must be provided at the submission stage or during copy editing at the latest.

Graphics
We can reproduce colours in our online issue, but our printed issue is in black and white. This means that colours show up as shades of grey; a previously red tone may look identical to a previously green tone. For this reason, you must supply us with an additional black-and-white version of all graphics that contain colour. Patterns can be used instead, to distinguish between different areas. Sometimes this is clearer.

Graphics can be sent in a separate file if necessary (in uncompressed .tif or .jpg format).

All graphics must be of high resolution. The JAE must be allowed to alter graphics if necessary to create a clearer image. Please consider this point if you are obtaining permission to reproduce a copyrighted graphic that needs to be refined.

Avoid adding screenshots or photographs to your paper. Not only may these have copyright issues, but we are not a media publication.

Diagrams, maps, and graphs are called figures. By contrast, tables have rows and columns. Each figure and table must be numbered consecutively (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2; Table 1, Table 2). They should be introduced in the main text (e.g., ‘Table 1 shows the results of…’). Each graphic must have its own caption or title. Avoid captions such as ‘Table of comparisons’ (just say ‘Comparisons’) and ‘Bar chart of…’. Readers can see what type of chart it is, so just summarise the content. Maps should be labelled as such (e.g., ‘Map of Provinces in South Africa’). As per APA 7, use title case in your captions.

Permissions
Copyright and permissions are an essential aspect of submitting or reviewing a paper for an accredited journal. Authors must attend carefully to this aspect to minimise delays and rejections. Attribute any graphics or other elements that you borrow from another author or website. This means giving more than just a surname and year. A reader should be able to locate the source from your reference, without hunting.

Never simply copy and paste content from the internet, without checking for information about the copyright or licensing terms. If you need to contact an author or website owner for permission to cite, you can tell them that the JAE has a Creative Commons licence CC BY 4.0.

Substantial amendments to third-party graphics (including tables and charts) must be indicated. Examples are: ‘Based on…’, ‘Adapted from…’, and ‘Inspired by…’.

Failure to respect the need to attribute other people’s work properly may mean your paper is delayed for review or is outright rejected. Ensure any sources mentioned under graphics are actually in the reference list.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS - TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Writing style
Avoid writing long and complex sentences. Choose short and simple words in general. A good sentence length in academic writing is 25 to 30 words. Authors are allowed to use AI to polish their language and make it more reader-friendly. Papers that are not easy to read may be returned for language revision.

The JAE emphasises readability and quality of content. Our readers are diverse, and many are second-language English speakers, so a clear writing style is crucial. However, remember to acknowledge any AI use.

Spelling
The JAE uses British rather than American spelling. However, do not change the spelling in a quote or a name (proper noun). If your paper is accepted, the copy editor will implement the U.K. style.

Numbers
General guidelines for writing numbers are as follows:
– Do not start a sentence with a numeral. Either recast the sentence so the number appears later or write the opening number in words.
– Report statistics as numerals (e.g. 7 rather than ‘seven’).
– Use numerals for numbers that require hyphens (e.g. 23 rather than twenty-three).
– Use decimal points rather than commas:
* 2.5 rather than 2,5
* 3.1 million, not 3,1 million.
– In thousands, use a comma as per APA 7 (e.g., 5,134 - not 5134 or 5.134).
– Percentages: use the symbol (%) without a space (25%, not 25 % or 25 percent).
– Write currencies in the same formats:
* GBP and EUR and USD
* £ and € and $
* not £ and EUR and dollar
Whatever your preference, apply it consistently.

Capital letters
Use capital letters sparingly. There is a capital in titles (e.g. President Trump) but not the generic form (e.g. the U.S. president called on security forces).
Capitalise institutions and higher courts (Constitutional Court, High Court, Supreme Court), and Parliament.
Minister: capitalise a specific name (e.g., Minister Modise) but not the generic (e.g., the ministers discussed the terms).
Capitalise ‘Constitution’ if it refers to a specific country’s constitution (e.g. the Constitution of Tanzania). Do not capitalise the adjective (e.g., a constitutional mandate) or the constitution of a political party.
An Act (legal) is generally capitalised, even without a number.

Abbreviations
The first time a term is used, write it in full, followed by the abbreviation in brackets. On subsequent use, use the abbreviation only. For example: ‘The spokesperson of the African National Congress (ANC) stated that the ANC had not been present at the rally.’

Referencing
The JAE follows the name-date referencing system, specifically, APA 7. Guidelines for writing different types of sources are readily available on the APA website. Here are a few links, but you will find many more pages and examples on that website:

https://apastyle.apa.org/?utm_source=apa.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=/&utm_term=header

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/professional-annotated.pdf

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/webpage-website-references#1

For journal articles, you can also look for a citation panel on the front page of the paper you want to cite, usually labelled as ‘Cite this’ or ‘Citation’. Click on it and copy the citation and paste it into your list. Manually modify it to APA style if necessary.

Please do not insert hanging indents and tabs into your reference list. This formatting complicates our editing and typesetting. Rather copy and paste your list back into plain text format.

Website links and DOIs
Ensure that all hyperlinks and DOIs are clickable and valid. DOIs should be written in the following format: https://doi.org/number.

The entire link, whether a website address or DOI, must appear as a continuous line to be clickable. Do not manually add a hard return, tab, or any other space inside a link. Allow it to run over a line by itself. Do not insert any hanging indents in your list.

If a link is no longer valid, find one that is. In some cases, you can simply remove a dead hyperlink and leave the other details intact. At other times you may need to remove the entire reference. If a reader cannot locate your source, the information is unverifiable. It is essential to draw from reputable and established academic sources. DOIs are more stable than website pages.

Gender pronouns
Avoid using male pronouns (he, his, him) as a generic pronoun. Most sentences can be reworded to use neutral plural (they, their, them) or to exclude genders. If gender pronouns must be used, write ‘he or she’ rather than ‘he/she’. Naturally, you can state the gender of a specific person, such as ‘President Ramaphosa and his cabinet’.

REQUIRED FILES AT SUBMISSION

When submitting an article to the JAE, please include the following:

The anonymised manuscript file The primary author is responsible for ensuring the manuscript is fully anonymised and adheres to our style and referencing guidelines.
A cover letter This letter must provide the details of all author(s) names, institutional affiliations, ORCID codes, a physical and/or postal address, and phone number. The cover letter should also contain a conflict of interest statement and a funding statement, if applicable, and/or a data availability statement if applicable.
Copyright permissions The primary author is responsible for ensuring that if any copyrighted material is used in the paper, written permission has been obtained to do so. Please attach this permission as an extra file when you submit the paper.
Acknowledgements If there is an acknowledgement in your paper, it must appear on the first or last page. Anyone who helped create your paper should be acknowledged, even if they were not actual authors. The use of AI to create graphics, perform analyses, plan the sections of your paper, or improve the grammar should be noted in the manuscript.

EDITORIAL AND PEER REVIEW PROCESSES

Editorial screening
• The managing editor checks whether the submitted paper adheres to the requirements listed above. Particular focus is given to the reference list and graphics from other sources. If these aspects are problematic, the paper will not proceed to the review stage and the author will be asked to make corrections.
• The editor in chief or managing editor assigns an associate editor to take responsibility for the paper.

Assessment by the associate editor
• The associate editor assesses the paper, considering its scope, originality, and merits.
• The paper is accepted for review or rejected out of hand.
• If the paper is reviewed, the associate editor will coordinate the reviews and correspond with the author regarding any recommendations for revision. The associate editor can see who the author is and vice versa.
• The associate editor may decide to invite a third reviewer, refer the paper to the chief editor, seek assistance from another editor, or provide their own academic expertise to steer the process.
• Once the associate editor is satisfied that the paper may be suitable for publishing, the chief editor confirms or refutes this decision. (The chief editor may also have been consulted earlier.)
• Our approach is to widen the circle if there are vastly different assessments. If two reviewers disagree about the publishability of a paper, we would rather get a third expert involved than ‘weight’ the opinion of one reviewer over the other. This method counters possible bias associated with valuing some voices more than others. The associate and/or chief editor will decide whether further reviews are necesssary.

Review process
• Reviewers complete the online review questions on Scholastica.
• Reviewers give detailed feedback as well as an overall recommendation (i.e., accept with minor revision, accept with major revision, or reject / redirect).
• The associate and chief editors consider the reviews before making their decisions.
• The author receives written feedback. The associate editor shares the preliminary decision with the author and summarises any required revisions.
• The editor provides impartial input, without infringing on authors’ independent thinking. For example, an editor may suggest references or theory to include in a paper but may not make such an addition a precondition for publication. When it comes to empirical data, the editor can ask the author to substantiate a claim using authoritative sources if they have not done so.
• In other words, you do not have to implement everything the reviewers suggest. However, you must be willing to explain how you have considered the points they raised. As the author, you cannot be forced to take a specific position or cite a specific source; we value authors’ independence. The editorial suggestions are aimed at improving the academic standard of papers rather than removing academic freedom.
• Authors are typically allowed one or two rounds of revisions, guided by the reviews and editors. A third round of reviews may occur but is not guaranteed. Generally, the paper will go back to the original reviewers if they are still available, before possibly being sent to other reviewers.
• Authors must write a covering letter to reviewers to submit along with their revised papers. Address each point made in the reviews in turn. You can label the changes as Reviewer 1 and Reviewer 2.
• You may choose to colour-highlight revisions within your paper. This can help reviewers and editors to find the parts that have been changed or added. (Highlighting is not a requirement.)

Publishing decisions and communication
• Authors may object to or query editorial decisions at any stage, provided they reduce their complaints to writing so that their comments can be circulated to relevant members of the editorial team to consider. Write to the managing editor with complaints and queries at jae@eisa.org. If your complaint is about the managing editor or a member of the editorial board, still use this address, as your complaint will be forwarded to the chief editor. Please focus your complaint on matters of content and academic concerns where possible.
• The chief editor has final say over the publication list, schedule, and sequence of papers in each issue of the JAE.

Publication details
Articles that are accepted for publication will be copy edited by a professional. The editor corrects grammar and spelling errors and ensures the journal’s style is upheld. Editorial suggestions and queries are sent to authors, but final proof copies are not. Authors should respond promptly to the editor’s communications so as to not delay publication. Please make sure Scholastica always reflects your current contact details.

When you receive your edited paper, you will not be able to make any changes apart from writing in margin comments. The paper will be locked to prevent further changes.

Once the issue has been published, authors will be advised by EISA library staff and will be sent a link to the published issue and paper.