Journal defended

The Political Studies Association decided the editorship of its new journal after consultation and competitive tendering (including a bid from the London School of Economics), not by holding a "sweepstake" as Alex Danchev suggests (Books, THES, October 6).

To clarify further: all submissions to the new British Journal of Politics and International Relations are subject to anonymous review by four readers. In addition to the largely Birmingham-based editorial team, we have American and Asian editors and an international advisory board.

Our aim is to broaden the focus of scholarship on Britain through comparison, contextualisation and reflections on theory and method. If, as a new journal, we have yet to secure the international relations coverage as we hope, this is not by design.

Danchev is relatively impressed with the parts of the Journal in which we routinely commission work: the state of the discipline and review sections. We therefore draw his attention to an article on international relations by Steve Smith as an example of high-quality work we publish.

We are always pleased to receive constructive criticism. We wish, however, to correct the false impression given by your reviewer.

The editors

c/o Department of political science and international studies

University of Birmingham