Guide for authors (2013-2014)
Discussion papers – Centre for Development Studies (Catholic University of Louvain)
Objective of the discussion papers:
The objective of the discussion paper is to present new ideas and researches at a advanced enough level for them to circulate and be commented.
Protocol:
The author may, at any moment, send a paper to the discussion papers’ editing committee. The paper must be sent to the two members of the editing committee.
E-mail: Alice Jandrain - alice.jandrain@uclouvain.be
The discussion papers of the centre of development studies are submitted to a peer-reviewing process. The submitted paper will be reviewed both by a reviewer internal to the Centre for Development Studies and by an external one.
When sending his/her paper to the editing committee, the author has to propose two names of people he/she would like to comment on the paper’s form and content. One of these names has to be of a member of the Centre for Development Studies (professor, invited professor, professor Emeritus, PhD candidate with a minimum of one year experience, or post-doctoral fellow), and one of a person external to the centre.
The author should motivate the choice of the two reviewers (for example, this person because he/she has good knowledge of the field, or because he/she works with relevant NGOs, or because he/she has a good knowledge of the literature on the subject of matter, etc.) according to the author’s objectives (being published in an important journal, deepen the analysis of his/her subject, submit his/her analysis to an actor from the field, etc.)
Evidently, the chosen reviewers have to remain objective in judging the academic quality of the paper. It is not in the author’s best interest to ask for a reviewer who is unlikely to be objective (no complacent reviewing).
The author has to follow the recommendations concerning word count and format. As the Centre for Development Studies does not dispose of sufficient budget to revise and edit the discussion papers, it is the responsibility of the author to review the spelling and grammar of his/her paper. The editing committee reserves the right to delay or refuse the publication of a discussion paper if the spelling and grammar are not considered adequate.
Within two months after the initial proposal has been sent to the editing committee, the author will receive feedback from the two reviewers. The reviewers may give one of 4 recommendations: (1) the paper may be published without modifications; (2) the paper may be published after taking into account the given feedback; (3) The paper must be subject to major modifications and may not be published immediately; (4) The paper does not have the qualifications to be published, even after modifications. In case of option (1) or (2), the author will have 6 weeks to incorporate the given feedback and send back a modified version of the paper to the two members of the editing committee. If the paper then meets the criteria of academic quality, it will be submitted for publication on the website of the Centre for Development Studies. In case of option (3), the author may reintroduce his paper at another time but it will have to go through the whole reviewing process again.
Copyright:
The author retains copyright of the discussion paper and may, at any time, ask it to be removed from the website of the Centre for Development Studies (for example, if his/her paper is published in a journal that requires exclusivity).
Cover sheet:
The author may submit a photo, free of copyright, in accordance with the theme of the publication and which will be displayed on the cover sheet of the discussion paper.
Format:
The paper should be between 8000 and 12000 words. Exceptionally, the paper may exceed the number of words. In this case, the author should contact the editing committee and justify the length of the paper. The editing committee reserves the right to refuse the extension of the maximum limit if the justification is not deemed sufficient.
Template:
Line spacing 1,5
Title, Calibri, 14
Author’s name and surname: Calibri, 12
Biographical record, Calibri 12 (max. 100 words)
Abstract (in English), Calibri 12 (max. 200 words)
Abstract (in French or Spanish (to choose from)), Calibri 12 (max. 200 words)
Key words, Calibri, 12 (max. 6 words)
Main text, Calibri 12
Bibliography, Calibri 10 (Harvard system, instructions: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm)