PEACEWORKS: An Interdisciplinary Journal is envisioned as a space where knowledge, critique, and imagination converge to rethink peace and development in an increasingly complex world. The journal engages with peace not as a static ideal, but as a dynamic and contested process shaped by politics, culture, economy, and power. It encourages scholarship that interrogates existing assumptions while offering new pathways for understanding conflict, cooperation, and social transformation.
Publishing Ethics & Standards
PEACEWORKS: An Interdisciplinary Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, ethical publishing, and scholarly transparency. The journal follows internationally recognized best practices in academic publishing to ensure credibility, fairness, and trust in the dissemination of knowledge on peace and development.
We are grounded in a strong tradition of interdisciplinary scholarship and critical inquiry. The journal promotes theoretically informed, empirically grounded, and methodologically sound research that advances knowledge in peace, conflict, and development studies. By encouraging diverse perspectives and innovative approaches, it seeks to contribute meaningfully to contemporary academic debates and to strengthen the intellectual foundations of peace research.
The journal provides a platform for interdisciplinary scholarship across fields such as:
• Peace and Conflict Resolution
• Development Studies
• International Relations
• Gender, Peace, and Security
• Human Rights and Justice
• Political Economy of Conflict
Peaceworks Welcomes
Our inclusive and interdisciplinary platform welcomes a broad spectrum of contributors, from leading academics and experienced practitioners to early-career scholars and independent researchers engaged in peace, development, and international affairs.
- Original research articles.
- Empirical studies.
- Theoretical and conceptual papers.
- Policy-oriented analyses.
Ethical Framework
PEACEWORKS adheres to the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all stakeholders, authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers to uphold these standards.
Author Responsibilities
- Manuscripts are original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere
- All sources are properly cited and acknowledged
- Data presented is accurate, verifiable, and ethically obtained
- Research involving human subjects complies with relevant ethical and institutional guidelines
- Any conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, is fully disclosed
Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation, is strictly prohibited and will result in rejection or retraction.
Peer Review Integrity
PEACEWORKS follows a double-blind peer review process, ensuring anonymity of both authors and reviewers. Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise and are expected to:
- Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations
- Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
- Declare any potential conflicts of interest
Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, relevance, and methodological rigor, without discrimination on the basis of nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, or political orientation.
Editorial Responsibilities
- Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and transparent review process
- Upholding academic freedom while maintaining ethical standards
- Addressing allegations of misconduct promptly and responsibly
- Issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions where necessary
Editorial Policy, Ethics, and Intellectual Orientation
Copyright and Access
Authors retain responsibility and copyrights of their work. Copyright and licensing terms are clearly communicated at the time of acceptance, ensuring compliance with open-access and fair-use policies where applicable.
Editorial Vision
The editorial vision of PEACEWORKS is grounded in the belief that peace is both a normative aspiration and a practical process, requiring interdisciplinary inquiry, critical reflection, and engagement with lived realities.
Intellectual Orientation
PEACEWORKS seeks to advance innovative, inclusive, and globally grounded scholarship that interrogates the structural, cultural, and political dimensions of peace and development. The journal prioritizes research that:
- Bridges theory, empirical analysis, and policy relevance
- Engages with local, regional, and global perspectives
- Challenges dominant paradigms through critical and decolonial approaches
Interdisciplinarity and Inclusivity
The journal actively promotes interdisciplinary dialogue, welcoming contributions from peace studies, political science, sociology, economics, anthropology, gender studies, law, environmental studies, and related fields.
Research-to-Practice Engagement
A central editorial goal is to narrow the gap between academic knowledge and practical peacebuilding. The journal encourages submissions that:
- Translate research findings into policy insights
- Engage practitioners, civil society actors, and policymakers
- Address real-world challenges in conflict transformation and development
Ethics, Responsibility, and Impact
PEACEWORKS upholds the content that is ethically responsible, socially engaged, and oriented toward positive peace and human security. The editorial team values work that contributes not only to academic debates but also to societal transformation and the pursuit of sustainable peace.
Message from the Editorial Board
PEACEWORKS: An Interdisciplinary Journal is dedicated to advancing critical, innovative, and globally grounded scholarship on peace, conflict, development, and international affairs. The journal responds to the growing need for research that engages with complex global realities, including violence, inequality, political transitions, environmental crises, and struggles for justice. Drawing upon diverse disciplinary traditions ranging from political science, sociology, and economics to anthropology, gender studies, law, and international relations, PEACEWORKS encourages contributions that combine theoretical depth with empirical insight and policy relevance. The journal values scholarship that engages with lived experiences, challenges dominant paradigms, and contributes to constructive dialogue across regions and perspectives. Through original and interdisciplinary contributions that reflect both academic excellence and social responsibility, PEACEWORKS seeks to serve as a trusted platform for scholarly exchange and an intellectually vibrant space that rewards the engagement, trust, and participation of its authors and readers.
Editors-in-Chief
Prof. Priyankar Upadhyaya
UNESCO Chair Professor of Peace,
Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India
Global Fellow, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
Senior Advisor, MIT World Peace University, Pune
Olof Palme Professor (Designate), 2027
Prof. Anjoo Sharan Upadhyaya
Distinguished Professor, MIT World Peace University, Pune & Global Fellow at Peace Research Institute Oslo
Former Dean & Senior Professor, Head of the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Adjunct Professor, Malaviya Centre for Peace Research, Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
Author Benefits
Wide Academic Visibility
Articles published in PEACEWORKS receive strong visibility within academic, policy, and practitioner communities through institutional networks, conferences, and digital dissemination.
Rapid Publication
All manuscripts submitted to PEACEWORKS undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. An initial editorial decision is typically communicated to authors within approximately 3–4 weeks of submission. Once a manuscript is accepted, the publication process is completed within a short turnaround period, ensuring that high-quality and timely research is made available to the scholarly community without undue delay. This efficient editorial workflow reflects the journal’s commitment to balancing academic rigor with the timely dissemination of research.