Public record
Letter to MPSA leadership.
In April 2018, the caucus executive board wrote to MPSA leadership about an investigation involving the editor of the American Journal of Political Science and about the association's procedures for harassment allegations.
This page summarizes the public letter. It does not reproduce the letter text.
What the letter asked for
- A clear answer on whether the evidence justified removing the editor.
- A public account of what the inquiry found, given that members paid for it.
- A public plan for the journal's next chapter, with a clear process for choosing an editor and managing conflicts of interest.
- Written procedures for harassment allegations that involve officers, council members, section heads, and journal editors.
Why the board wrote
The board argued that ambiguity had left many scholars, women in particular, without a clear basis for judgment. It also pressed for standing procedures so that future allegations would not be handled without a clear process.
The requests focused on disclosure, process, and prevention.
The signers
Tiffany D. Barnes
President
Diana Z. O'Brien
President elect
Related organizations
These organizations publish news, research, and policy material that bears on the issues in the letter.