Format your manuscript to the National Tax Journal requirements — abstract, Chicago author–date references, and required declarations — and submit through Editorial Manager without a formatting rejection.
4.6
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Getting past the desk at National Tax Journal is usually less about the research and more about matching the journal’s exact submission rules. This template is built around NTJ’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, Chicago author–date references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the NTJ author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to NTJ’s specifications for taxation, public finance, and fiscal policy. National Tax Journal is published by the University of Chicago Press (National Tax Association). The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in Chicago author–date style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an unstructured abstract within the journal's limit. The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses Chicago author–date. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: an abstract outside the stated word limit, references not in the journal's required format, and missing declarations (ethics, competing interests, funding). Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep Chicago author–date formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through Editorial Manager — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what NTJ’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, Chicago author–date reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the NTJ journal home page. NTJ offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through Editorial Manager, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | NTJ requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an unstructured abstract within the journal's limit |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | Editorial Manager |
Read the NTJ author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set Chicago author–date as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent NTJ papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the NTJ author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, Chicago author–date references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — an abstract outside the stated word limit, references not in the journal's required format, and missing declarations (ethics, competing interests, funding). Then submit through Editorial Manager.