thedixitjain Submission Preflight (respol-submission)
When to trigger
- "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before uploading to the Elsevier submission system
- Choosing between a full article and a Research Note, and what each requires
- Confirming length, abstract, anonymization, and declaration rules are RP-compliant
- Making sure the paper will not trip the out-of-scope desk screen
Process facts (source map refreshed 2026-06，editor/fee 项再核实于 2026-06-22；以官网为准)
- RP is Elsevier's flagship innovation-studies journal (Print ISSN 0048-7333); manuscripts go through the Elsevier online submission system (Editorial Manager), which assembles a single PDF for review; editable source files (Word/LaTeX) are required at acceptance for typesetting.
- Review model: double-blind — the manuscript must be anonymized; author identities are concealed from referees and vice versa (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).
- Article types & length: full articles ~8,000–10,000 words including footnotes, references, and text in tables; Research Notes ~3,000–5,000 words (not a faster, lighter article — a Note requires a cover letter explaining its rationale, contribution, and why the Note format) (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).
- Scope desk-screen: a paper whose literature is "almost entirely economics or management journals" is likely desk-rejected as out of scope; the cover letter and references must show innovation-studies (SPRU-tradition) grounding (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).
- Data & code: include a data (and, where relevant, code) availability statement; verify the exact policy and any mandatory statement wording on the guide for authors (待核实).
- Editorial routing: RP runs a distributed editorial team (no single Editor-in-Chief); Maria Savona (SPRU / Luiss) is the Coordinating Editor (verified 2026-06-22). Address the cover letter to the journal and name the innovation-studies area so it routes to the right handling editor, rather than to one person by name.
- Fees: publishing via the subscription route carries no APC and no submission fee; the optional gold open-access APC is reported around USD 3,700 for 2026 (verified 2026-06-22; Elsevier shows a personalized APC by country/affiliation, so confirm the exact figure live). There is no society-style per-submission fee.
- Exact current abstract word limit and keyword/JEL requirements: 待核实 — confirm on the live guide for authors before submitting.
Preflight checklist
Scope & article type
- References and cover letter visibly anchor the paper in innovation studies (not econ/management-only)
- Article type chosen deliberately: full article vs. Research Note (with the Note rationale cover letter if applicable)
- The cover letter names the innovation-studies contribution and the suggested handling-editor area
Format & anonymization
- Length within the article-type limit (full ~8–10k incl. notes/refs/tables; Note ~3–5k) — 待核实 exact figure on the guide
- Manuscript fully anonymized for double-blind review (no author names, acknowledgements, self-citations that reveal identity, or identifying file metadata)
- Abstract within the journal's limit; keywords (and JEL if requested) present — 待核实
- Tables and figures legible, numbered, with self-contained notes; reference style per the Elsevier guide
- Editable source files (Word/LaTeX) ready for the acceptance stage
Declarations
- Data (and code) availability statement included and consistent with the analysis
- Funding, competing-interest, and authorship statements prepared per Elsevier policy
- Confirmed the paper is not under review elsewhere; AI not listed as an author
Full article vs. Research Note (decide before you format)
| Full article | Research Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Length (待核实 exact) | ~8,000–10,000 words incl. notes/refs/tables | ~3,000–5,000 words |
| Best for | a developed mechanism + full evidence and robustness | a focused, complete contribution (a finding, a measurement, a replication-with-twist) |
| Cover letter | states the innovation-studies contribution | must additionally justify the Note format — RP stresses a Note is not a faster/lighter article |
| Common mistake | padding a Note-sized idea into a thin full article | submitting an underdeveloped full article as a "Note" to dodge rigor |
Anti-patterns
- Submitting a paper whose lit base is "all econ/management" — the canonical out-of-scope desk reject
- Treating a Research Note as a quick, lighter article (it needs its own justifying cover letter)
- Leaving author-identifying traces in a double-blind submission (acknowledgements, file metadata, "as we showed in [own work]")
- Omitting or mismatching the data/code availability statement
- Asserting an exact word/abstract limit or fee as fixed when it is volatile — mark 待核实 and check live
Output format
【Journal】Research Policy
【Skill】respol-submission
【Scope】lit base + cover letter anchored in innovation studies? [Y/N]
【Article type】full / Research Note (+ Note rationale letter if Note)
【Length & abstract】within limits (or 待核实)? [Y/N]
【Anonymization】double-blind clean (text + metadata)? [Y/N]
【Data/code statement】included and consistent? [Y/N]
【Declarations】funding / competing interest / authorship ready? [Y/N]
【Next step】submit via Elsevier system → respol-review-process for what to expect
Supplementary resources
templates/checklist.md— submission self-checktemplates/manuscript_template.md— lightweight manuscript scaffold../../resources/official-source-map.md— official URLs and volatile facts
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Research-Policy-Skills/skills/respol-submission/SKILL.md