Instructions for Manuscript Submission

Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.

  • Since the PDR operates a double-blind (double-anonymised) peer review process, every submission must consist of two separate files: a Title Page and an Anonymised Manuscript. A clear checklist is given on the Submission Checklist page and in the submission system.

1. Language and format

  • Manuscripts must be written in clear English (British English, applied consistently).
  • Submit the manuscript as an editable Microsoft Word (.docx)
  • Non-native English speakers are encouraged to have the manuscript professionally proofread, or at a minimum run through spelling- and grammar-check software, before submission.
  • Use 1.5 line spacing, a single column, and continuous line and page numbering.

2. The two files you must upload

2.1 Title Page (separate file — not sent to reviewers)

Upload as a separate file labelled “Title Page.” It must contain:

  • The full article title (and a short running title of ≤ 50 characters, if used).
  • The full name of every author, in the intended order of publication.
  • Each author’s affiliation: department, institution, city, (state/province), and country.
  • The corresponding author’s full contact details: active email address, postal address, and telephone number.
  • The ORCID iD of each author is preferable for the corresponding author; encouraged for all.
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  • Funding statement — each funder named with grant/award numbers, or an explicit “no funding” statement.
  • Competing-interests (conflict-of-interest) declaration, or “The authors declare no competing interests.”
  • Author-contribution statement using the CRediT taxonomy.
  • Data Availability Statement.
  • Ethics-approval and informed-consent statement, where human subjects are involved.
  • A declaration of any generative-AI use (pending approval of the institutional AI policy, as discussed at the PDR meeting held on 23 June 2026)
  • Word count and the number of tables and figures.

2.2 Anonymised Manuscript (main file — sent to reviewers)

Upload as a separate file labelled “Anonymised Manuscript.” It must contain no information that could identify the authors:

  • Remove all authors’ names, affiliations, and contact details from the text and the running head.
  • Remove acknowledgements, funding details, grant numbers, and ORCID iDs (these belong to the Title Page).
  • Refer to your own previous work in the third person — e.g., “Khan (2020) shows…,” not “we show in our earlier paper.” Do not delete self-citations; reviewers need the full reference list.
  • Mask identifying details in competing-interest, data-availability, and ethics statements, e.g., “details removed for double-anonymised review”.
  • Ensure figures, tables, captions, and supplementary files contain no author names, institution logos, or identifying file names.
  • Remove personal information from the file’s document properties (File ▸ Info ▸ Inspect Document).
  • If you share data or code at submission, use a repository link that preserves anonymity.

The Anonymised Manuscript should contain, in order: title; abstract; JEL codes and keywords; main text; tables and figures; and the reference list.

3. ORCID

An ORCID iD is preferable for the corresponding author and strongly encouraged for all co-authors. Authenticate it through your account in the submission system so it is linked to the published article and registered with Crossref.

4. Manuscript structure

Abstract, JEL codes, and Keywords

  • An abstract of up to 150–200 words, stating the contribution, methods (if relevant), and key findings, in the third person and without citations.
  • Four to six keywords and the relevant JEL classification codes.

Main text

  • A logical structure with descriptive headings, typically: Introduction; Data and Methodology; Results and Discussion; and Conclusion and Policy Implications. Use the decimal numbering system (1, 1.1, 1.1.1) for section headings, with no more than three levels.

Tables and figures

  • Number, figures, and tables in two separate sequences (Figure 1, Figure 2, …; Table 1, Table 2, …); give each a self-explanatory title and state the source beneath it; and submit them as editable content, not as pasted images.
  • Supply figures in editable form. Colour is welcome for the online version of record; ensure figures remain legible in greyscale.

5. References

  • Use APA style; reference-management software (Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero) may be used, with field codes removed from the final file.
  • Include a DOI for every reference that has one, and cite datasets like any other source, including their DOI.

6. Declarations (on the Title Page)

Provide funding, competing interests, author contributions (CRediT), and generative AI declarations on the Title Page; templates are on the Author Disclosures page. These declarations are published with the article in a standardised “Declarations” section placed immediately after the References, comprising Funding, Conflict of Interest, Author Contributions, and (where applicable) Generative-AI Use statements as per the journal’s policy (under process)

  1. Originality and similarity screening
    The following requirements apply to all submissions:
  • Concurrent submission. Manuscripts must not be under consideration, accepted, or published elsewhere, either in whole or in substantial part; simultaneous submission to another journal will result in immediate rejection or retraction.
  • Similarity (Turnitin). The overall similarity index must be below 15% (excluding the reference list and correctly quoted, attributed material). Manuscripts above 15%, or with a high overlap concentrated in a single source, are returned for revision or rejected.
  • AI-generated text (Turnitin). Turnitin's AI writing indicator is also reviewed. As a guide, undisclosed AI-generated text should be negligible; a manuscript flagged with roughly 20% or more AI-generated content that the authors have not disclosed and substantively revised may be returned or rejected.

8. Data availability and replication

Every empirical paper must include a Data Availability Statement at submission. On acceptance, authors of empirical or computational papers must deposit a complete replication package — data, code, and a README file. Econometric and mathematical results should be reproducible from the data and code supplied; authors should be prepared to make these available to reviewers or the editorial office on request during the review process.

  1. All data used, or precise instructions and code to obtain or construct them from named sources.
  2. All code for data cleaning, analysis, tables, and figures, with software and version stated.
  3. A README describing every file, the computing environment, and the steps to reproduce each table and figure.

9. Fees

PDR charges no submission, processing, or publication fees.

10. How to submit

Online submission through the journal’s system (OJS) is the only route for research articles. Email is reserved for queries only.

11. What happens after you submit

  1. Editorial desk review for scope, completeness, and similarity (Turnitin; under 15%).
  2. Double-blind peer review by one national and two international reviewers.
  3. Decision — accept, minor or major revision, or reject — with reviewer reports.
  4. Revision, with data-availability and replication checks.
  5. Copy-editing, DOI assignment, Online First publication, then inclusion in a dated issue.

12. Revisions and resubmission

Authors invited to revise their manuscript should submit the revised version, together with a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments, within 15 days of the decision letter. Authors who need more time due to other commitments may request an extension from the editorial office.

13. After acceptance

On acceptance, the manuscript is assigned a DOI. Page proofs (PDF) are sent to the corresponding author, who is asked to return all corrections within 48 hours in a single communication; proofreading and provision of all references is the corresponding author’s responsibility.

Submission Checklist

Use this checklist before you submit. You will upload two separate files.

File 1 — Title Page (with author details; not sent to reviewers)

☐  Full article title (and short running title, if used).

☐  Every author’s full name, in publication order.

☐  Each author’s affiliation: department, institution, city, country.

☐  Corresponding author’s email, postal address, and telephone.

☐  ORCID iD for the corresponding author (and, ideally, all authors).

☐  Acknowledgements.

☐  Funding statement with grant numbers (or “no funding”).

☐  Competing-interests declaration (or “none”).

☐  Author contributions (CRediT).

☐  Data Availability Statement.

☐  Ethics approval and consent (if human subjects are involved).

☐  Generative-AI declaration (or “none used”).

File 2 — Anonymised Manuscript (no author details; sent to reviewers)

☐  All author names, affiliations, and contact details removed from the text and running head.

☐ Confirm the manuscript is original, not under consideration elsewhere, and approved by all authors.

☐  Acknowledgements, funding, grant numbers, and ORCID iDs removed.

☐  Own prior work cited in the third person (self-citations kept, not deleted).

☐  Identifying details in competing interests, data, and ethics statements masked.

☐  Figures, tables, captions, and supplementary files contain no identifying information.

☐  Personal data removed from the file’s document properties.

☐  Contains: title, abstract (≤ 150–200 words), JEL codes, 4–6 keywords, main text, tables/figures, references (APA, with DOIs).

In the submission system, you will also

☐  Authenticate the corresponding author’s ORCID iD.

☐  Enter the funding, competing-interest, CRediT, and AI declarations.

☐  Upload or paste a cover letter.

☐  Names, institutional affiliations, and institutional email addresses of two potential peer reviewers who are independent of the authors (ideally from different countries and institutions).

☐  Confirm the manuscript is original, not under consideration elsewhere, and approved by all authors.

☐  Confirm similarity (Turnitin ) is below 15%, excluding references and quoted material.