PSQ History

Political Science Quarterly was launched in 1886 by Columbia University Professor John W. Burgess, the Academy’s first president, with the active involvement of New York publisher George A. Plimpton. Published continuously since that year, PSQ has been the most widely read and accessible scholarly journal on government, politics, and public policy.

Broad in its subject matter and dedicated to objective analysis based on evidence, PSQ examines both domestic and international issues. It has no ideological or methodological slant and is edited to be accessible not only to scholars but also to general readers who have a serious interest in public and foreign affairs.

Although most of PSQ’s authors are drawn from the top ranks of professional political scientists, its pages are also open to talented younger scholars whose work meets the Quarterly’s high standards. PSQ’s articles are frequently cited in related academic literature and reprints are often used in classrooms. The thirty to forty book reviews in each issue are timely and thorough to ensure that readers are kept up to date on new literature in the field.

The Quarterly’s editorial advisory board is distinguished by the caliber of its membership. Once limited to Columbia University professors, it has included world-class political science and other social science scholars from pre-eminent universities and think tanks from across the nation. The members of the editorial board have areas of expertise ranging from international relations and foreign policy to American politics, policy, and institutions. All of our members are working scholars who donate their services because they believe in PSQ and support us with their exceptional knowledge, effort, and energy.