Style Guidelines

Manuscripts will be accepted in any format, including Microsoft Word, PDF, Scientific Word or LaTeX. All accepted manuscripts should be text editable. 

The length of manuscripts should not normally exceed 12,000 words and should contain a short abstract of approximately 200 words.

Author(s) contact details and acknowledgement (author’s discretion) to be placed at bottom of title page.

Please also include Key Words and EconLit Subject Descriptors http://www.aeaweb.org/jel/guide/jel.php on title page.

Tables and figures should be included at the back of the paper with a note in the text where they should be inserted.

An additional file of figures should be supplied containing the original form of the figure (excel preferably) plus relevant associated data.

Notes should be numbered in sequence and placed at the bottom of each relevant page.

All references cited in the body of the paper must be cited in the reference list. Only references cited in the body of the paper can be listed in the reference list. 

Authors' Duties

Publication Ethics - Authors should observe high standards with respect to publication ethics as set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Falsification or fabrication of data, plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the authors' own work without proper citation, and misappropriation of the work are all unacceptable practices. Any cases of ethical misconduct are treated very seriously and will be dealt with in accordance with the COPE guidelines.

Reporting standards - Authors of original research reports should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Data access and retention - Authors could be asked to provide the raw data of their study together with the paper for editorial review and should be prepared to make the data publicly available if practicable. In any event, authors should ensure accessibility of such data to other competent professionals for at least ten years after publication (preferably via an institutional or subject-based data repository or other data centre), provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and legal rights concerning proprietary data do not preclude their release.

Originality, plagiarism and acknowledgement of sources - Authors will submit only entirely original works, and will appropriately cite or quote the work and/or words of others. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited.

By submitting your manuscript to the journal it is understood that this it is an original manuscript and is unpublished work and is not under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the author's own work, in whole or in part without proper citation is not tolerated by the journal. Manuscripts submitted to the journal may be checked for originality using anti-plagiarism software.

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication - In general, papers describing essentially the same research should not be published in more than one journal. Submitting the same paper to more than one journal constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Authorship of the paper - Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author will verify that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest - All authors should include a statement disclosing any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that may be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works - When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and to cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper in form of an erratum.

Peer Review Policy

This journal uses a double-blind peer review process whereby the identities of both reviewers and authors are concealed from one another throughout the review. Unless stated otherwise, manuscripts are peer reviewed by at least two external referees and one of the editors. Papers will only be sent to review if the Managing Editor determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.

In-house submissions, i.e. papers authored by Editors or Editorial Board members of the title, will be sent to Editors unaffiliated with the author or institution and monitored carefully to ensure there is no peer review bias.