About the Journal

Since becoming a fully online publication in 2011, the eJournal of Public Affairs (EJOPA) is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary, open-access journal published by Missouri State University. We publish scholarly articles, research studies, best practices, reviews of the literature, book reviews, and more. We will also consider publishing scholarly and creative endeavors in alternate forms of media (e.g., videos, photo-essays, written essays).

See the editorial board and exec committee
Review instructions for authors and editors

Mission

EJOPA seeks to advance the status of scholarship focused on public affairs and civic engagement topics by providing an academic, nationally refereed venue for such work.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content. Content is freely available and charges no cost to users or institutions. Submissions are free to all and readership is free to all. 

Aims and Scope

EJOPA is focused on scholarship related to civic engagement in the public arena and, in particular, to the following themes:

  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, problem solving, and leadership related to citizenship and civic engagement
  • Considerations of citizenship and what it means to be a citizen, including global citizenship and eCitizenship
  • The relationship between social media and civic engagement
  • Assessment of civic-engagement projects

Manuscript Submissions

We primarily welcome manuscript submissions for themed issues. We also welcome manuscript submissions on a rolling basis as long as the subject matter aligns with the aims and scope stated above.

Authors should upload submissions to our internal editing website:

Submit manuscript

Final manuscripts will be subject to copy-editing and proofing prior to publication.

Editorial Process

Manuscripts that are intended to be published as research are double-blind, peer-reviewed. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the manuscript in question’s field of study. 

  1. An editor will read each submission to determine which ones will go forward for review.
  2. Reviewers will read and comment on the submission.
  3. Reviewers will recommend whether or not they believe that a given submission should be accepted in EJOPA with minor or major revisions or, alternatively, rejected.
  4. Editors, informed by reviews, will determine whether or not to publish a given submission.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their work. Articles published in the eJournal of Public Affairs are distributed with a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license and authors hold the copyright to their work. 

Users have the right to share or adapt the article for non-compensatory purposes, as long as the author(s) and source are cited. Permission is not needed for these uses. For permission for other uses or questions about use, please contact the author(s).

Archiving and Repository

EJOPA uses Crossref’s DOI-based archival system, prioritizing LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe) processes. The journal also used a Digital Commons-based repository through Missouri State University called “BearWorks.”

Self-Archiving

The copyright of each article belongs to the author(s). Each author the right to deposit the article in their institutional repository or any suitable subject repository, provided they do not breach the CC license.

Privacy

Names and email addresses used for EJOPA purposes will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Partnerships

The eJournal of Public Affairs is a partnership between Missouri State University and the American Democracy Project. The American Democracy Project is an initiative by the American Association of State Colleges & Universities in partnership with The New York Times. Read more about ADP and AASCU: American Democracy Project | AASCU

History

The roots of the eJournal of Public Affairs trace back to 2009 at Missouri State University. A Graduate Assistant in the Public Affairs office researched the history of the dormant Journal of Public Affairs as part of a practicum project.

After that, the idea of reviving a journal at Missouri State gained traction. In 2010, when Associate Provost Dr. Rachelle Darabi met with Dr. Cecilia Orphan of the American Democracy Project (ADP) at the annual ADP conference, a partnership was proposed. A survey distributed to more than 100 member organizations showed strong support and led to the formation of a volunteer planning committee.

The committee met at the 2011 ADP annual conference to finalize plans. They decided the new iteration of the journal would be electronic and appointed an Editor from Missouri State along with an Editorial Board. The journal secured an ISSN number and a trademark, which is owned by Missouri State’s Board of Governors. A logo was designed through the Art and Design program, and a website was developed with Web and New Media. Editor in Chief Andrew Lokie and Managing Editor Dr. Marc Cooper were also appointed.

To support production, additional staff were brought on, including a Copy Editor, Graduate Assistant, Web Specialist, two student interns, and contributors for photos and media. Once the organizational work was complete, the website went live and the first call for submissions was issued. In February 2012, the first issue—Volume 1, Issue 1—was published with the theme “The Civil Citizen.”

Since then, the eJournal has published 13 volumes and 29 issues. Content remains focused on the intersection of civic engagement and education.