Who Contributes to Public Administration Review? Examining the Characteristics of Authors Who Submit Manuscripts to the Journal*

• Author: J. Edward Kellough,David W. Pitts
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2005.00425.x
• Published date: 01 January 2005
• Date: 01 January 2005

Special Report 3

J. Edward Kellough

David W. Pitts

University of Georgia

Special Report

Who Contributes to

Public Administration Review

?

Examining the Characteristics of Authors Who

Submit Manuscripts to the Journal*

This study examines data collected through a survey of authors who submitted manuscripts to

Public Administration Review

. Information on the authors’ level of education, career path, longev-

ity in the profession, race/ethnicity, gender, and ASPA affiliation is reviewed. Results show that

PAR

submission rates from both practitioners and individuals of color are far lower than submis-

sions from academicians and white authors. In fact, minority submissions are lower than their

presence on the faculties of NASPAA-affiliated public affairs programs would lead one to expect.

In addition, manuscripts from white authors are more likely to be accepted than those from minor-

ity authors, even when controlling for academic rank. Manuscripts from women, however, were

accepted at a higher rate than those from men.

*Authors who submitted manuscripts to PAR were sent a questionnaire

and asked to voluntarily submit information to Professor Kellough.

Authors were identified only by an assigned number. Authors’ names,

affiliations, and other identifying information were not shared between

the PAR editorial office and Professor Kellough.

J. Edward Kellough is an associate professor in the Department of Public

Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia, where he teaches

public administration graduate courses and directs the master’s and doctoral

programs. His main academic interest is public personnel administration

and human resources management, and his research has addressed repre-

sentative bureaucracy, reinventing government, and civil service reform. He

is the author of numerous articles in scholarly journals and several book

chapters. E-mail: kellough@uga.edu.

David W. Pitts is a doctoral student in public administration at the University

of Georgia. His research focuses on public management broadly, with spe-

cific interests in diversity management initiatives and the impact of diversity

on organizational outcomes. His work has appeared in the

Journal of Public

Affairs Education

and is forthcoming in the

Journal of Public Administration

Research and Theory

and

Review of Public Personnel Administration

. E-mail:

pitts@cviog.uga.edu.

Public Administration Review (PA R) is widely recog-

nized as a leading journal in the field of public administra-

tion and has been so recognized since its inception in 1940.

It is the premier outlet for research and information on

every conceivable aspect of public administration and

management. As such, the journal occupies a prominent

position in the field and serves as a recorder of trends, de-

velopments, and insights that have emerged over the past

seven decades as the study and practice of public adminis-

tration have evolved. Given PA R’s significance, it is im-

portant to have some understanding of the types of people

who typically contribute to the body of knowledge con-

tained within its pages. What are their backgrounds, in

terms of education, profession, age, race, and gender? Are

those who submit manuscripts to the journal representa-

tive of the those who practice or study administration in

the public sector? What, if anything, do the characteristics

of those who submit papers to PAR tell us about the pro-

cess by which knowledge in the field is generated?

To begin to find answers to these questions, the edito-

rial team at PAR decided in the summer of 2000 to collect

information from individuals who contribute manuscripts

for review. Beginning July 24 of that year, a brief survey

was sent to the lead author of every manuscript submitted

to the journal and distributed by the editor to referees. The

surveys were sent with letters to the authors acknowledg-

ing receipt of their manuscripts and indicating they had

been sent out for review.1 The survey asked for informa-

tion on the authors’ demographic characteristics, includ-

ing level of education, whether they were practitioners or

academicians, the length of time they had been in their