The Review of Regional Studies
 The Official Journal of the Southern Regional Science Association  
 Style Guidelines

Format Requirements for Manuscripts Accepted for Publication 

Electronic Preparation of Manuscripts:  Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word or Portable Document (PDF) format.  Place the main body of the entire paper in one file with all figures and tables close to where they are cited. A title page with authors' names and affiliations should be a separate file.  Label each file with the last name of the first author and year of initial submission.  Electronic copies of the files must be submitted to the co-editors, Michael Lahr and Mark Burkey, through the journal submission URL.   

Title Page and Abstract: On a separate title page, list the title of the paper, the name(s), affiliation(s), professional position(s) and postal and e-mail address(es) of the author(s).  On this page, also include other identifying statements, acknowledgements, and a single-spaced abstract not to exceed 100 words. Keywords and up to three JEL codes also should be included below the abstract.

Text Preparation: The final copy of the manuscript should be formatted for printing on 8 ˝” x 11” paper, in Times Roman 11 point font, double-spaced, and using margins of 1.5” all around.  As a general rule, the paper, including tables and figures, should not exceed 35 pages in length.

Section Style: Use Arabic numerals for section headings and subheadings and place them flush left.  Use bold font and capitalize all letters in the section heading.  For subheadings, use both upper and lower cases in bold font and number with decimals one place to the right.  Regarding headings for additional nested subsections, use both upper and lower cases in italic font, and additional decimal delineation.

Example:

1.  SECTION HEADING

1.1. Subsection Heading

1.1.1. Additional Subsection Heading

Tables: Tables should be created with table editors, and should be single-spaced.  Number each Table consecutively, beginning with TABLE 1.  Refer to issues of The Review of Regional Studies in Volume 38 or later for table formatting style.

Figures:  Figures must have been created in, or pasted into, IBM compatible Microsoft Word or WordPerfect.  Number each Figure consecutively, beginning with FIGURE 1.  Refer to issues of The Review of Regional Studies in Volume 38 or later for formatting of figure titles.

Equations:  Only use equations that are necessary.  Use of equation editors is preferred for complicated expressions, but only use the editors contained within Word or WordPerfect.  Number each equation in parentheses placed to the left, and place the expression flush left. 

Example:   (1) ln(Yi) = a + b(Xi) + ei

Also distinguish among variables that are scalar, vector, and matrices by using italics, lower-case bold, and upper-case bold notation, respectively, to help avoid any confusion by the referees and readers. Only known scalars should lack any special font style.

Example: (2) x=Ax+f=(I-A)-1f=Lf

Footnotes:  Use the software’s automatic footnote function, with footnotes single-spaced and in Times Roman 9 point font.  Use footnotes sparingly.  Generally, footnotes should be used for secondary facts and discussion that would disrupt the flow of the main body of the paper, and not used for primary information. 

List of References: List references alphabetically on a separate page or pages at the end of the manuscript with the heading “REFERENCES.”  Be sure to double-check that your list of references only includes items actually cited in your text.  Note that the first author’s name is in order last, first.  For additional authors the order is first, last.  The following is a sample that contains examples of common references: a journal article, a book, a chapter in an edited volume, an internet-based information source, a U.S. government publication, and an unpublished manuscript.

REFERENCES

Carlino, Gerald A. and Richard Voith. (1992)  “Accounting for Differences in Aggregate State Productivity,” Regional Science and Urban Economics, 22, 597-617.

Kennedy, Peter A. (2008)  A Guide to Econometrics, 6th ed.  MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

Currie, Janet. (2009)  “Poverty among Inner-City Children," in Robert P. Inman, ed, Making Cities Work: Prospects and Policies for Urban America. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, pp. 226-268.

Meng, Bo and Chao Qu. (2007) “Application of the Input-Output Decomposition Technique to China’s Regional Economies,” IDE Discussion Paper No.102, last accessed March 2010 at http://ir.ide.go.jp/dspace/bitstream/2344/552/1/ARRIDE_Discussion_No.102_meng.pdf

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. (1987)  Statistical Abstract of the United States. General Printing Office: Washington, DC. 

Jensen, Christa. (2010) "Who Generates Hazardous Wastes? Attribution of Producer and Consumer Responsibility within the US," unpublished paper presented at the 49th Southern Regional Science Association Annual Meeting, Arlington, VA, March 25.

Reference Citations in the Text: Be sure to double-check that each reference cited in the text is included in your list of references.  In the text, citations are by the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of the publication, e.g.,  Carlino and Voith (1992).  For citations completely enclosed within parentheses, include a comma between the name and publication year, while page references, if used, are denoted with a “p.” or “pp.” for multiple pages. Typically page referencing is reserved for citations of quoted references (Kennedy, 2008, pp. 240-241).  For articles that have more than three authors use “et al.” (e.g., Greenwood et al., 1991).  If there is more than one reference by the same authors in a given year, then use, for example, 1998a, and 1998b.  For multiple references within parentheses, order by year of publication, then by last name of the first author.

Last Edited: April 24, 2012