Get your Journal of Economic Literature paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.2
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to Journal of Economic Literature goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Economic Literature guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Journal of Economic Literature. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Journal of Economic Literature journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Journal of Economic Literature guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Journal of Economic Literature guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | J Econ Literature requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Required for all articles. Word limit: 150 words for general articles, 100 words for review articles. No specific structure or mandatory headings mentioned. Unstructured abstract |
| Main text | Proposals should be roughly ten pages (not counting references). No specific word or page limit stated for full articles in the official guidelines |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | Chicago Manual of Style author-date style. Text citations with 1-4 authors list all names; 5+ authors use 'et al.' Reference list entries with 1-10 authors list all names; 11+ authors list first seven followed by 'et al.' Data sources and registered studies must be included in reference list |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review (outlines and full articles are sent to referees who are experts in the field; author identity is known to referees, consistent with standard AEA practice noted in other AEA journals' policies) |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jeconlit |
Read the Journal of Economic Literature guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Journal of Economic Literature in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Econ Literature papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Journal of Economic Literature journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Economic Literature guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).