Steps to Submit a Journal Manuscript

  1. Submission
    Instructions

  2. Style
    Guidelines

  3. Disclosure &
    Data Policies

  4. Submit

Manuscript Submission Instructions for Authors

Economic Inquiry and Contemporary Economic Policy maintain a long-standing policy that articles published must be readable and of broad interest.  EI and CEP continue their commitment to the highest-quality of writing as indicated by their strong endorsement of Deirdre McCloskey’s advice as published in “Economical Writing,” the lead article in the April 1985 issue of Economic Inquiry, Vol. 23(2), pp. 187-222.

Please review the following before submitting your paper:

  • Any paper submitted to Economic Inquiry or Contemporary Economic Policy should not be under consideration at another journal and must represent original work.
  • Shorter manuscripts reduce the cost to the reader, increasing the chances that your article will be read. In general, manuscripts should not exceed 35 pages (including references, footnotes, tables, and figures, as necessary), but longer papers will be considered if warranted by the subject or contribution. For format use one-inch margins, double-spacing, and Times Roman or similar 12 point typeface. Include an abstract of no more than 100 words.  
  • Authors who wish to direct their submission to a symposium, must indicate as such during the submission process in the fill-in box provided.  We encourage you to also indicate this in your cover letter as well.
  • Authors are strongly encouraged to use appendices that can be placed in an online annex for the journal. These files must be identified at the time of submission and submitted as supporting files. Appendices of three or fewer pages may be typeset into the final article.  Longer appendices will be available online as Supporting Information. Publication will be at the editor's discretion. 
  • Economic Inquiry and Contemporary Economic Policy maintain strong desk rejection policies. Editors or co-editors will screen all submissions before sending them to referees for further evaluation. Referee reports will not be solicited when, in the judgment of the editors or co-editors, no reports are needed to conclude that a manuscript is not suitable for publication in Economic Inquiry or Contemporary Economic Policy. Submission fees will not be refunded in such cases. 
  • Economic Inquiry and Contemporary Economic Policy retain the policy of double blind reviewing. All manuscripts should be submitted with author identiy masked.
  • Submission fees must be paid at the time of submission or the manuscript will not be considered (make payment now). Economic Inquiry submission is $120 for members and $180 for nonmembers. Contemporary Economic Policy submission is $90 for members and $100 for nonmembers. Submission fees are not refundable. Fees are waived for members who submit revised conference papers within six months after WEAI conferences (non-members are invited to join at the time of submission to take advantage of the waiver). Waiver code is emailed to presenter after the conference. If you have any questions, contact [email protected]
  • Open Access: If you prefer or if your employer or funding source requires your research to be published under a Creative Commons license, the fee to do so is US$2970 for Contemporary Economic Policy and US$3400 for Economic Inquiry. If your article is accepted for publication, the Article Publication Charge for publishing Open Access is due before it enters the production process.
  • Source Information: Source information for tables, figures, maps, photos, and other artwork should be mentioned in the captions. For material that is copyrighted, you must obtain a letter of permission from the copyright holder.
  • Co-editor Preference:  Authors may request that a particular co-editor or specialized co-editor should handle the manuscript.  Please add “I suggest ________ handle my manuscript” to the letter accompanying your submission. This is not a guarantee that the paper will be handled by that editor, but assures due consideration. Visit the journal page for a list of co-editors: Economic Inquiry / Contemporary Economic Policy.
  • Previous Submission Results: If you have an editorial decision letter from another journal and the editor’s decision, referee reports, and your response to those reports that you would like to submit along with your manuscript, please reference these in your cover letter and upload the documents during the submission process under the category “Supporting Information NOT for Review”.  
  • No Revisions Option (for EI only):  Economic Inquiry has a “No Revisions” option for submissions, which means exactly what it says—if you submit under No Revisions, the editor or the co-editor will either accept or reject.  What will not happen is a request for a revision. If the authors intend to have the paper considered under this option, please read the No Revisions Policy carefully.  The EI manuscript submission website has a selection for No Revisions, but authors should also state in their cover letter that they seek the No Revisions option.