Author guidelines

Manuscript categories

Word limits exclude references, tables and figure captions.
Type	Length	Target first decision
Research article	6,000–9,000 words	4–6 weeks
Review article	8,000–12,000 words	5–7 weeks
Short communication	up to 3,000 words	3–4 weeks
Case study	4,000–6,000 words	4–5 weeks

Downloads & forms

The author declaration and copyright form must be signed by every co-author and uploaded with the manuscript. A submission without it is returned before editorial screening.

Author declaration & copyright formSigned by all authors. Required with every submission. Manuscript templateHouse formatting, headings and reference style. Conflict of interest formOne per author where interests exist.

Preparing your manuscript

Submit in English, as an editable .docx or LaTeX source. PDF-only submissions are returned.
Include a structured abstract of 250 words or fewer, and 4–6 keywords.
Use IEEE-style in-text citations with a numbered reference list.
Number figures and tables sequentially, and reference each one in the text.
Strip all author-identifying information from the manuscript body for double-blind review — including self-citations phrased as "in our previous work".
Supply a separate title page carrying full author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs and the corresponding author's contact details.
State funding sources, data availability and any conflicts of interest in a declarations section.

Data and code Where results depend on a dataset or model, deposit it in a public repository and cite the DOI, or state plainly why you cannot. We do not require open data, but we do require an honest availability statement.

Editorial workflow

Twelve stages from submission to indexing. Order matters here, so it is numbered.

Register

Create an author account and link your ORCID iD.

Submit

Upload the anonymised manuscript and separate title page.

Editorial screening

Scope, formatting and completeness check.

Similarity check

Automated screening; threshold under 15%.

Reviewer assignment

Minimum two independent double-blind reviewers.

First decision

Accept, revise or reject, with full reviewer reports.

Revision

Point-by-point author response required.

Copy editing

Language and house style pass.

Typesetting

Layout and proof generation.

Author proof

Final check; corrections limited to errors.

DOI & publication

Registered with Crossref once membership activates.

Indexing

Metadata pushed to indexing services.

Article processing charges

There is no submission fee. A charge applies only if your manuscript is accepted, and it is quoted to you in writing before you commit to publication.

Confirm before you commit The rate that applies to your manuscript is quoted to you in writing on acceptance, before you commit to publication.

Category	Proposed APC	Notes
Research or review article	USD 100	Waivers available — see below
Short communication	USD 50	—
Special issue article	Varies	Set by guest editors on appointment

Waivers

Full waivers are intended for corresponding authors based in World Bank low-income economies. Partial waivers are considered case by case for early-career researchers and unfunded work. Request a waiver before submitting: waiver decisions are made by the editorial office and are kept entirely separate from the review process, so asking cannot affect whether your manuscript is accepted.

For reviewers

Reviewers assess originality, methodological soundness and fit to scope, and are asked to return reports within 21 days. Under double-blind review your identity is not disclosed to authors. You must decline any manuscript where you have a competing interest, per the conflict of interest policy, and you must not upload a manuscript under review to any third-party AI tool.