Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. Before Submission

   • Confirm that the manuscript fits the Aims & Scope and is not under consideration elsewhere.
   • Obtain the agreement of every author on authorship, order, content, declarations and corresponding-author responsibility.
   • Disclose preprints, theses, reports, conference versions, related manuscripts and translations.
   • Secure ethics approval, consent, permissions and data rights where applicable.
   • Prepare one anonymous manuscript and one separate title page.

2. Article types and indicative length

   Article type	Indicative main-text length	Core expectation
   Original research	6,000-10,000 words	Original question, transparent method, results and contribution.
   Review article	6,000-10,000 words	Explicit review approach and critical synthesis.
   Conceptual/theoretical	5,000-9,000 words	Clear conceptual problem and defensible theoretical contribution.
   Case study	4,000-8,000 words	Methodological grounding and wider analytical relevance.
   Policy/practice analysis	3,500-7,000 words	Evidence-based analysis with scholarly framing.
   Book review/review essay	1,000-3,000 words	Normally commissioned or approved before submission.

   Lengths are guidance rather than automatic rejection rules. Authors should justify materially longer submissions in the cover letter. Word counts normally exclude the abstract, references, tables, figures and appendices.

3. Manuscript structure

   • Title: Accurate, specific and normally no more than 18 words; avoid unexplained abbreviations.
   • Abstract: 150-250 words stating purpose, approach, principal findings and contribution; no citations unless essential.
   • Keywords: Four to six searchable terms not merely repeating title words.
   • Classification: Add JEL codes for economics and related work where relevant.
   • Main text: Use a structure appropriate to the article; empirical studies commonly include introduction, literature/theory, methods, results, discussion and conclusion.
   • Declarations: Funding, conflicts, author contributions, data availability, ethics/consent and AI use as applicable.
   • References: Include only works cited and verify every author, year, title, source, page and identifier.

4. Language, style and citations

   Submissions must be written in clear academic English. Use inclusive, precise language and define specialised terms. APA 7 is the preferred house style for economics, business, international relations and social-science submissions. A consistently applied Harvard or Chicago system may be accepted at initial submission where disciplinary practice requires it. International-law manuscripts may use a recognised footnote-based legal style. Accepted papers must be conformed to the style assigned by the responsible editor.

5. Tables, figures and supplementary files

   • Number tables and figures in the order first cited and provide a concise, self-contained title or caption.
   • Do not duplicate the same result in narrative, table and figure form without a clear reason.
   • State sources and permissions for adapted or reproduced material.
   • Supply editable tables and high-resolution figure files when requested for production.
   • Explain supplementary files in the manuscript and remove personal or confidential information not intended for publication.

6. Anonymous review files

   The anonymous manuscript must not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, grant details that directly identify the team, or obvious self-references such as “in our previous study”. Cite relevant earlier work in the third person. Remove names from document properties and file names.

7. Separate title page

   • Full manuscript title and short running title.
   • Each author’s full name, affiliation, country, email and ORCID.
   • Corresponding author’s postal address and telephone number.
   • Contributor roles, funding, conflicts and acknowledgements.
   • Ethics approval, consent, data availability and AI-use statements where applicable.
   • Preprint, prior dissemination and related-manuscript disclosure.

8. File formats

   • Anonymous manuscript: DOCX or LaTeX source plus a readable PDF.
   • Title page: DOCX or PDF.
   • Figures: PNG, TIFF, JPEG, EPS, SVG or editable source as requested.
   • Tables: editable, not only embedded as images.
   • Supplementary data/code: repository link or files in a non-proprietary format where practicable.
   • Cover letter and response to reviewers: DOCX or PDF.

9. Submission and screening

   The corresponding author completes the submission, confirms all declarations and remains responsible for communication. The editorial office checks completeness, scope, anonymisation, ethics and baseline quality. A manuscript may be returned for correction or declined without external review when it does not meet these requirements.

10. Revisions

    A revised submission must include a clean manuscript, a marked or tracked version if requested, and a point-by-point response. Quote or summarise each comment, explain the change and give the page or section location. Where a suggestion is not followed, provide a respectful, evidence-based reason.

11. Acceptance and production

    Acceptance remains conditional on final authorship, ethics, data, reference, permissions, language and production checks. Authors must review proofs promptly and restrict proof corrections to errors or essential clarification. Substantive post-acceptance changes require editorial approval.