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European Journal of International Relations


The Loop: ECPR's political science blog

Call for Editors of the European Journal of International Relations

The Joint Management Committee (JMC) of the ECPR Standing Group on International Relations (SGIR) and the European International Studies Association (EISA) are looking for a new editorial team to take over the running of the European Journal of International Relations (EJIR) from 1 January 2027.

SGIR-ECPR logo in black
Sage logo in navy
EISA Logo Acronym

The EJIR was launched in 1995, and it is published in association with Sage. As one of the leading international journals in the field, it currently holds a five-year Impact Factor of 4 and ranks 22 in the field of International Relations according to the 2024 Clarivate Journal Rankings.

The present editorial team is led by Oliver Kessler at the University of Erfurt, and includes Zeynep Gulsah Capan (Erfurt), Sofia Hoffmann (Erfurt), Jorg Kustermans (Antwerp) and Halvard Leira (NUPI).

The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026.

Download call (PDF)

About the EJIR

European Journal of International Relations Logo

The European Journal of International Relations (EJIR) publishes peer-reviewed scholarly contributions across the full breadth of the field of international relations, from cuttingedge theoretical debates to topics of contemporary and historical interest to scholars and practitioners in the IR community. The journal eschews adherence to any particular school or approach, nor is it predisposed or restricted to any particular methodology.

Theoretically aware empirical analysis and conceptual innovation forms the core of the journal’s dissemination of international relations scholarship throughout the global academic community. In keeping with its European roots, this includes a commitment to underlying philosophical and normative issues relevant to the field, as well as interaction with related disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. This theoretical and methodological openness aims to produce a European journal with global impact, fostering broad awareness and innovation in a dynamic discipline.

Adherence to this broad mandate has underpinned the journal’s emergence as a major and independent worldwide voice across the subfields of International Relations scholarship. The Editors embrace and are committed to further developing this inheritance.

Above all, the journal aims to achieve a representative balance across the diversity of the field and to promote deeper understanding of the rapidly changing world around us. This includes an active and ongoing commitment to facilitating dialogue with the study of global politics in the social sciences and beyond, among others international history, international law, international and development economics, and political/economic geography.

The EJIR warmly embraces genuinely interdisciplinary scholarship that engages with the broad debates taking place across the contemporary field of international relations.

The editorial team

The SGIR and the EISA wish to maintain the broad remit of EJIR and its high international standing as a world-class journal.

The key priorities for the journal over the next term include growth via further internationalisation, the enhancement of its Impact Factor, adaptation to journal publishing landscape changes, and commitment to equality and diversity. They are, therefore, looking for an editorial team with the strength and institutional support to sustain the tradition and position established by the previous editors. More specifically:

  • The successful team will consist of excellent scholars with an internationally recognised track record and editorial experience capable of sustaining the current success of the journal and developing its strong international profile. The team will also demonstrate diversity of scholarship, coverage of a wide range of subfields in the area of international relations, and an overall balance between theoretical and applied work. The successful team will also be balanced in terms of gender, and sensitive to diversity.
  • A majority of the editorial team will be members of the ECPR SGIR and/or the EISA. While the team can be multi‑institutional, applicants need to provide a clear view of how they will collaborate, and establish clear lines of communication. The lines of responsibility must be clearly outlined in the final appointment contract.
  • The editorial team will work collaboratively with the JMC and Sage on the overall editorial strategy. A senior member of the editorial team is expected to attend the JMC’s spring meeting (online) to present the EJIR Annual Report and discuss the journal’s development.
  • Any changes to the composition of the editorial team must be explicitly justified and agreed in consultation with the JMC.
  • The successful team needs to demonstrate awareness and flexibility to collaborate with the JMC in light of the evolving publishing landscape. Sage, ECPR, and the JMC will provide advice and information about new open-access regulations and other related issues.
  • The length of tenure is four years (with the possibility of extension to a fifth year).

Your proposal

Proposals should not exceed 5,000 words (excluding CVs) and should include the following components:

1. Statement of strategic editorial vision on how to maintain and enhance the EJIR’s profile and impact, including for example:

  1. New initiatives.
  2. Web presence, social media strategy, and outreach.
  3. Commitment to growing EJIR, particularly in underrepresented areas via outreach (e.g. special issues, content commissioning, board membership, etc).

2. Statement of editorial management

  1. Peer-review strategy.
  2. Role of the editorial board.
  3. Statement of commitment to Equality and Diversity with regard to the composition of the editorial team and the editorial board, as well as the content of the journal itself.

3. Description of the editorial team

  1. Structure of the editorial team (e.g. Editor-in-Chief + Associate Editors; Co-Editors; Rotating Editor-in-Chief).
  2. Role of key members of editorial team (e.g. Editor-in-Chief; Associate Editors).
  3. Role of Editorial Board / Editorial Committee / International Advisory Board.

4. Journal budget

  1. An editorial stipend and editorial administrative support is available for editorial teams. Please contact Amy Appleyard at Sage for more details on this. On the basis of that conversation, please outline how your team will use the stipend to support their editorial work.
  2. Please indicate whether host departments or universities are providing any additional resources or support to the editorial team to help in the running of the journal.

5. CVs (max 5 pages) of all members of the editorial team.

Schedule, process and queries

Please address queries about the editorial responsibilities and the application procedure to the Chair of the Search Committee, Debbie Lisle.

Other members of the JMC Search Committee include:

  • Raphael Oidtmann University of Mannheim
  • Osman Sabri Kiratli Waseda University
  • Polly Pallister-Wilkins University of Amsterdam.

You can obtain further information about the journal from the current Editor-in-Chief, Oliver Kessler or from Amy Appleyard at Sage.

Please submit applications by email to the Chair of the Search Committee, Debbie Lisle. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026.

Shortlisted teams will be interviewed in April–May 2026. The decision will be communicated by the end of June, and the official appointment made by early August, upon which the handover process will commence. We envisage that the handover process will be complete by the end of November, and the new team will be able to take on full editorial responsibilities by 1 January 2027.