About Policy & Internet

Policy & Internet (P&I) is a leading interdisciplinary journal exploring the societal implications of digital technologies and responses from governments, industry, communities and individuals. 

We publish work that engages with long-standing concerns—such as digital divides, privacy, access to information and freedom of expression—and rapidly evolving issues including digital geopolitics, misinformation, algorithmic decision-making, online harms and oligarchies. 

We prioritise original research examining how the Internet and digital technologies reshape power, participation, governance and everyday life. This includes research on both emerging and established technologies alike, including social media, artificial intelligence, extended reality (AR/VR), the Internet of Things, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, as well as the infrastructures and institutions that sustain them.  

We value theoretical innovation, empirical rigour and methodological diversity. 

We invite interdisciplinary work that deepens understanding of digital futures and the social, ethical, and political choices that shape them, including political science, sociology, communication, science and technology studies and more.

The Policy & Internet conference will bring together a range of international voices to demonstrate how varying approaches towards internet policy are established, embodied and engaged with by a variety of stakeholders. Together, scholars and policymakers will discuss current practices, alternative designs and the ‘unknowns’ that are required for inclusive internet governance.

If you are interested in publishing your work with our journal, review our ‘Tips for publishing with Policy & Internet‘ below.

---

Editorial Team

Regional Editors

Academic Editors

Simon Burke, University of Sydney
Nelson Chen, University of Sydney 
Frances Di Lauro, University of Sydney
Ben Egliston, University of Sydney
Micah Goldwater, University of Sydney
Callum J. Harvey, Oxford Internet Institute
Tim Koskie, University of Sydney
Eugenia Lee, University of Sydney
Ruben Perez Hidalgo, University of Sydney
Wenjia Tang, University of Sydney
Xuanzi Xu, University of Sydney

Editorial Board

Olga Boichak, The University of Sydney
Christine Borgman, University of California, Los Angeles
Andreas Busch, University of Göttingen
Manuel Castells, Open University of Catalonia
Paul DiMaggio, Princeton University
Patrick Dunleavy, London School of Economics
Nicholas Economides, New York University
Terry Flew, The University of Sydney
Heather Ford, University of Technology Sydney
Gerard Goggin, Western Sydney University
Cristina Gonzalez Diaz, University of Alicante
Andrew Graham, University of Oxford
Robert Hahn, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Eszter Hargittai, Northwestern University
Paul Henman, University of Queensland
Matthew Hindman, Arizona State University
Jiagris Hodson, Royal Roads University
Miriam Lips, Victoria University of Wellington
Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics
Milton Mueller, Georgia Institute of Technology
Vicki Nash, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Hirokazu Okumura, University of Tokyo
Cornelius Puschmann, University of Bremen
Ang Pen Hwa, Nanyang Technological University
Angela Sasse, University College London
AnnaLee Saxenian, University of California, Berkeley
Philip Schlesinger, University of Glasgow
J.P. Singh, Georgetown University
Hal Varian, University of California, Berkeley
Thierry Vedel, Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po – IEP)
Kim Weatherall, The University of Sydney
Michael Xenos, University of Wisconsin-Madison

---

Tips for publishing with Policy & Internet

Topics within the journal’s scope

Our readers are interested in work that examines the interactions between policy and policymaking; regulation; governance; and Internet technologies and digitalisation. 

Policies are the rules, standards, directives, formal approaches, courses of action or principles adopted by an organisation, institution, or government. 

Policymaking is the process of identifying problems, designing responses, negotiating options, and implementing outcomes.

Regulation refers to binding rules or restrictions, typically enforced by governments or delegated authorities, aimed at directing or limiting behaviours.

Governance refers to the structures, processes, and norms through which decisions are made, authority is exercised, and accountability is maintained. This may involve both formal and informal institutions, including platforms, communities, governments, and international bodies.

We welcome contributions focused on emerging and established technologies alike, including (but not limited to):

• Social media platforms
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Immersive technologies (AR/VR/MR/XR)
• Blockchain and cryptocurrencies
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Robotics
• Digital platforms and infrastructures

We particularly encourage submissions that:

• Analyse how digitalisation challenges or transforms policy and governance systems (and vice versa)
• Examine how digital technologies are regulated or governed across local, national, transnational and global contexts
• Explore the political, institutional, and normative dimensions of digital policy
• Advance theoretical or conceptual tools for guiding digital governance

We prioritise theoretical innovation, empirical and methodological diversity. 

All contributions must deepen understanding of digital technologies, their impacts, and the social, economic, ethical and political choices that shape them.

Scholarship suitability check list ✅

Before you submit to us, please assess your work via the following check list.

This checklist is designed to help you evaluate your own work via the criteria that is likely to be assessed by the editorial team during the desk review process including the topic, how you frame your work, the significance of your contribution to the field and the strength of your methods.

Topic

I have reviewed recent issues of the journal and understand the types of articles and topics addressed by research published by Policy & Internet authors. 

My research engages with a specific digital technology or issue. 

It examines the governance, design, implementation, or consequences of a specific digital technology or process of digitisation. 

My work is positioned within relevant academic literature, especially in relation to policy studies, governance, digital society, or the impacts of digital technologies. 

Framing

My research directly informs a digital policy or policymaking processes. 

It engages with frameworks and/or actors shaping the governance and impact of digital systems.

It has relevance for policy design, implementation, evaluation, or critique.

My study is relevant to policymakers globally.

Contribution significance

My research contributes to an on-going conceptual or theoretical debate about a digital technology or technological process. 

It considers the implications of digital technologies for power, participation, equity, or accountability

Its insights apply beyond the immediate case, sector, or jurisdiction.

It considers the implications of digital technologies for power, participation, equity, or accountability.

Methodology

My methods will yield results that align directly with specific research questions. 

I have described my methods in detail to allow for a robust assessment by my peers. 

My results provide sufficient evidence to support my insights for digital technology governance and policy stakeholders. 

Finally, a note about some common pitfalls you should try to avoid:

• Do not present a case study without articulating the broader conceptual or analytical significance to the field globally. The case should illustrate a clearly defined research problem that is of broad significance. 
• Do not submit work that is overly localised without demonstrating how the findings offer insight into wider debates, mechanisms, or policy questions.
• Avoid vague claims such as “this research informs policy.” Clearly explain how, for whom, and in what context.
• Do not treat the literature review as a descriptive background section. Use existing literature analytically to frame your research questions and position your contribution.
• Avoid argumentative essays. We require evidence-based submissions grounded in scholarly analysis.
• Do not assume disciplinary familiarity. The journal’s readership is interdisciplinary; authors should write with clarity and provide context for field-specific assumptions or terminology.
• My manuscript (all materials, sans reference list) is within the word limit of 6,000 – 8,000 words.

For formal submission requirements, formatting instructions, and peer review policies, please consult Wiley’s Author Guidelines.