1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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.

6. 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!

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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic  Top 10 Journals – 2005 - 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 1980-2000 except QJE and Econometrica improved.

11. Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic Receiving reviewers comments  Stare at the envelop or email 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.

12. 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!

13. 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!

14. Experiences and Advice on Choosing and Preparing a Publishable Topic References: http://www.econlit.org/journal_list.html http://jcr1.isiknowledge.com/JCR/JCR?RQ=LIST_Marked Barrett, C.B., A. Olia and D Von Bailey. 2000. “Subdiscipline-specific journal rankings” whither Applied Economics,” Applied Economics, 32, pp. 239-252. Liner G.H. and M. Amin. 2004. “Methods of Ranking Economics Journals,” Atlantic Economic Journal, 32, pp 140-149. P.C.C.Vieira. 2006. “Statistical variability of top ranking economics journals impact,” Applied Economics Letters,11, pp. 945-948