Papers submitted to JCE should be in a standard format to promote effective editorial and review processes.

Article Types

JCE  accepts submissions of the following article types:

Original Paper

Original Articles may range in length from short communications through to more in-depth studies reporting original research. Regardless of the length, an Article must present results or analyses that are essentially new and that have not been published or are under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Articles can present theoretical, empirical, qualitative or quantitative research. Case studies, replication studies and policy perspectives can be categorized as Original Articles.

We do not impose strict word length limits, but the length of Original Articles should ideally not exceed approximately ten printed pages, which corresponds to 30-40 manuscript pages (Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced), including everything from the title page to the last figure, if applicable. Where a manuscript includes unusually long methodological descriptions and data or figures that are not core to the message of the publication, the use of Supplementary Material is encouraged.

Review Paper

A Review Paper is an authoritative, balanced and scholarly survey of the state of the art and recent developments in a clearly defined area of research. Reviews should be recognised as scholarly by specialists in the field and be accessible to those in allied disciplines. We do not impose strict word length limits, but the length of Review Papers should ideally not exceed approximately 40 manuscript pages (Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced), including everything from the title page to the last figure, if applicable.

Conceptual Paper

Focuses on developing hypotheses and is usually discursive. Covers philosophical discussions and comparative studies of other authors’ work and thinking. We do not impose strict word length limits, but the length Conceptual Paper should ideally not exceed approximately 30 manuscript pages (Times New Roman, size 12 font, double-spaced), including everything from the title page to the last figure, if applicable.


Criteria for publication

To be published in the journal, a paper must satisfy all of these criteria:

1. Report research that is within the journal’s scope;
2. Pose a clear and valid research question;
3. Be academically sound in methodology and analysis;
4. Provide appropriate evidence or reasoning for the conclusions;
5. Make a contribution to the literature, irrespective to magnitude or perceived degree of advance (i.e., a paper should report something specific and not simply repeat what is already known in the literature);
6. Be presented in an intelligible fashion and in standard English.

Reviewers and Editors are requested to scrutinise a paper on the basis of the above criteria alone. Judgements of perceived importance, significance or impact should not inform your recommendation; the research community makes such assessments after publication.
All submissions to the journal are first screened for adherence to standard research and publication ethics requirements. Those deemed suitable for further consideration are assigned to an academic handling editor who oversees a process of single-blind peer review involving assessment by independent academics.