Good Governance (GG) publishes scholarly manuscripts that contribute to the development of administrative sciences, public administration, public policy, governance, public service innovation, e-government, public sector management, bureaucracy, decentralization, sustainable development, economic development, community empowerment, and related social science fields. The journal accepts the following manuscript types: Research Articles and Literature Review Articles. All submissions must fall within the journal's scope and comply with its author guidelines, publication ethics policies, and peer review procedures.

The journal expects all submissions to present a clear scholarly contribution, use appropriate academic methods, cite sources accurately, and comply with ethical publication standards. These expectations are consistent with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, which address ethical aspects of publication, including misconduct, authorship, competing interests, data and reproducibility, peer review, and post-publication corrections.

Research Articles report original empirical research that advances knowledge and understanding in administrative sciences, public administration, governance, public policy, and related fields. A research article should address a clearly defined research problem, explain its relevance to existing scholarship, employ an appropriate research design, and present findings supported by sufficient evidence.

Research Articles may use quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches. Relevant methods may include surveys, interviews, case studies, document analysis, field research, experiments, comparative analysis, policy evaluation, statistical analysis, and other appropriate approaches. The chosen method must be suitable for the research questions and clearly explained so that readers can assess the credibility of the findings.

A Research Article should normally include the following components: title, author names and affiliations, abstract, keywords, introduction, theoretical framework or literature review, research methods, results and discussion, conclusion, acknowledgements where applicable, and references. Authors should follow the journal's current Author Guidelines for the required structure, formatting, word count, and submission requirements.

The manuscript must clearly identify the research objectives or questions, explain the methodological procedures, present findings accurately, and discuss the implications of the results in relation to relevant literature. Authors must distinguish evidence-based findings from interpretation and speculation, acknowledge research limitations, and avoid conclusions that go beyond the data presented.

Research involving human participants, personal information, or confidential records must comply with applicable ethical requirements and relevant institutional regulations. Authors should disclose required ethical approval, informed consent procedures, data availability restrictions, funding sources, and competing interests where applicable. These expectations are consistent with COPE's ethical oversight guidance and guidance on data and reproducibility.

Research Articles must represent original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal, unless an exception has been disclosed to and expressly accepted by the editor. Authors must ensure that all sources are properly cited and that the manuscript does not contain plagiarism, fabricated data, falsified findings, or other forms of publication misconduct. These requirements are consistent with COPE's Core Practices on publication ethics and guidance on intellectual property.

Literature Review Articles provide a critical, analytical, and well-structured examination of existing scholarly literature on a topic relevant to administrative sciences, public administration, governance, public policy, or related fields. Their purpose is to synthesize existing knowledge, evaluate theoretical and empirical developments, identify patterns and disagreements, reveal research gaps, and propose directions for future research or policy development.

A Literature Review Article must go beyond a descriptive summary of previously published studies. It should establish a clear review objective or research question, explain the rationale for selecting the literature, organize the evidence in a logical manner, critically assess the strengths and limitations of existing research, and develop a coherent synthesis that contributes new insight to the field.

Literature Review Articles may take the form of a narrative review, critical review, integrative review, scoping review, or systematic literature review, provided that the approach is appropriate to the review objective and clearly explained. Authors must identify the review approach and describe the relevant search strategy, sources or databases consulted, selection criteria, and synthesis or analytical procedures to a level appropriate for the chosen review type.

For systematic or other structured reviews, authors should report the methods transparently, including the search period, search terms where relevant, inclusion and exclusion criteria, screening procedures, and approach to assessing or synthesizing the selected evidence. Where applicable, authors are encouraged to follow recognized reporting guidance suitable for the review design, such as the PRISMA reporting guideline for systematic reviews. PRISMA is a reporting guideline and should not be treated as a COPE policy.

A Literature Review Article should normally include the following components: title, author names and affiliations, abstract, keywords, introduction, review methodology or literature selection approach, thematic or analytical synthesis, discussion, conclusion, implications, limitations where applicable, and references. Authors should follow the journal's current Author Guidelines for formatting and submission requirements.

Authors must represent the literature accurately, cite the original sources of ideas and evidence, and avoid selective reporting that could mislead readers. References must not be fabricated, and the review must not reproduce substantial portions of other publications without proper attribution and permission where required. These principles are consistent with COPE's guidance on intellectual property and guidance on publication misconduct.

Literature Review Articles must provide a meaningful contribution through critical synthesis, conceptual clarification, theoretical development, evaluation of research trends, or identification of gaps in existing knowledge. A manuscript that merely lists or summarizes studies without critical analysis, a clear organizing framework, or a substantive conclusion may be considered insufficient for publication.

Originality and Exclusive Submission. All manuscripts must be original scholarly works and must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Authors must disclose any related publications, manuscripts, or overlapping content that could affect the editor's assessment. This requirement is consistent with COPE's intellectual property guidance and Core Practices.

Authorship and Contributions. All listed authors must have made a genuine scholarly contribution, approved the final manuscript, and agreed to take responsibility for their contributions. The corresponding author must ensure that author details and contribution statements are accurate and that all authors approve the submission. These expectations are informed by COPE's authorship and contributorship guidance.

Peer Review. Manuscripts are subject to editorial screening and, where considered suitable, peer review according to the journal's declared procedures. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly quality, relevance, methodological appropriateness, originality, and compliance with publication ethics requirements. These principles are consistent with COPE's peer review guidance.

Research Integrity and Ethical Compliance. Authors must report methods, findings, and conclusions accurately and must not fabricate data, falsify evidence, plagiarize, or manipulate citations. Research must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements. Concerns about potential misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures and COPE's guidance on misconduct allegations.

Funding and Competing Interests. Authors must disclose relevant funding sources and any actual, potential, or perceived competing interests that could influence the research or its interpretation. These disclosures support transparency and allow editors and readers to assess the context of the work, consistent with COPE's guidance on competing interests.

Data Transparency. Authors should describe their data sources and analytical procedures clearly and provide access to supporting data or materials when appropriate and ethically permissible. Any restrictions arising from confidentiality, privacy, consent, or legal requirements should be explained. These principles are informed by COPE's guidance on data and reproducibility.

The editorial team first assesses whether a submission fits the scope of Good Governance and complies with the journal's basic requirements. Manuscripts may be returned for technical corrections or rejected before peer review if they do not meet the journal's scope, originality, structural, or ethical requirements.

Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment may be sent to qualified reviewers. Reviewers provide scholarly assessments and recommendations, while the editor retains responsibility for the final publication decision. The journal may request revisions, additional information, or clarification before making a decision. These procedures should be implemented transparently and consistently with COPE's peer review guidance.

Acceptance depends on the manuscript's scholarly contribution, relevance, methodological or analytical rigor, clarity, and compliance with the journal's publication policies. Submission as a Research Article or Literature Review Article does not guarantee acceptance or publication.