July 24, 2006 Jean Kinsey Professor, Dept. of Applied Economics Co-Director, The Food Industry Center University of Minnesota AAEA Graduate Student Section Guidelines on Writing and Submitting a Journal Article Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Motivation - Choose a topic about which you are really curious.  See if any of your colleagues care.  Gather all the information about the issue that you can.  Design a thorough research approach -ask all the questions.

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Execute the research and analysis thoroughly. * Compare to other data/studies. * Triangulate the information. * What do the numbers mean? * One more twist in a model is not enough! * What is the STORY?  Objective of publication: Diffusion of knowledge.

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Decide why you are writing - to build your professional reputation or to inform a wider audience?  For professional colleagues?  For educated lay people/general public?  For policy makers and influential leaders in society?

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Write up the results systematically.  Have two other people read it and tell you what they think you said. -What did they not understand?  Rewrite until you make the points clearly.

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  (Rewrite – edit – rewrite – edit) 2  After selecting the journal, put the manuscript in their format.  Know when to quite and submit!

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic Selecting the right journal?  Prestige? (Promotion/tenure)  Right audience?  Right journal for your topic?

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  1179 economics journals (EconLit Index)  Related topic journals i.e. Food distribution Logistics and Management Consumer behavior/affairs Science/Nature Environmental Policy/political economy  Popular Press – current issues welcome

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Journal Prestige- does it count? YES but…..numbers count too!  How is journal quality measured?  Impact Factor - # times an article from the past 2 yr. in the journal has been cited in J. Citation Report.

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Top 10 Journals – JCR  QJE, JEL, JEGeog, J Health Econ, J Econ Persp., Econometrica, J Econ Growth, J Fian. Econ., J Polit. Econ., Brookings Paper Eco Ac.,  AJAE: 49 th on impact  Ranking stable except QJE and Econometrica improved.

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic Receiving reviewers comments  Stare at the envelop or for a week – then open.  Read carefully – put away for a week – read again very, very carefully. If not outright rejected……  Don’t wait! Respond as suggested, one point at a time!  Thank reviewers for their help.

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic Responding to reviewers comments  If rejected: run, don’t walk to another journal.  Revise as suggested by the first reviewers if it makes sense for the next journal.  Remember: a misinterpreted sentence is the fault of the writer, not the reader!

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic General Advice:  Keep the pipeline full.  Select topics that are timely.  Water issues are coming to the fore.  Consumer behavior models are hot.  Energy production and conservation is hot.  Healthy food, healthy people are a concern.  Use joint authorship whenever you can.  Write every day!

Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic References: Barrett, C.B., A. Olia and D Von Bailey “Subdiscipline-specific journal rankings” whither Applied Economics,” Applied Economics, 32, pp Liner G.H. and M. Amin “Methods of Ranking Economics Journals,” Atlantic Economic Journal, 32, pp P.C.C.Vieira “Statistical variability of top ranking economics journals impact,” Applied Economics Letters,11, pp