Demography

Editorial Policy

The editors welcome submissions that contribute to the scientific literature and that are of general interest to population scientists. Demography publishes research drawing on several disciplines including the social sciences, geography, history, biology, statistics, epidemiology, and public health. The journal gives priority to the publication of articles reporting on original research, including theoretical developments, improvements in models or methods, policy evaluations, applications of demographic principles or techniques, assessments of demographic data, comparative studies, and historical studies; the editors will also consider review articles on appropriate topics. Studies of developed and developing countries are welcome. Such research papers should not exceed 8,000 words, excluding references; tables and figures should not exceed a combined total of 10. The editors will also consider the following types of submissions, not to exceed 2,000 words: research notes, and brief commentaries on articles previously published in Demography, presenting reanalyses that generate new substantive conclusions. Revisions of papers published in proceedings not under copyright will also be considered; the volume of the proceedings should be noted in the submission letter.

Manuscripts submitted to Demography will be judged, in part, by whether they have reconciled their results with already-published research on the same topic. Authors of accepted manuscripts will be asked to preserve the data used in their analyses and to make the data available to others at reasonable cost from a date six months after the publication date for the paper and for a period of three years thereafter. Authors wishing to request an exemption from this requirement (e.g., because the analysis is based on a proprietary data set) should notify the editors at the time of manuscript submission or after receiving this notice; otherwise, authors will be assumed to accept the requirement.

Demography is a peer-reviewed journal. All manuscripts considered appropriate for the journal are reviewed externally. To preserve anonymity, authors and referees should avoid self-identifying references. Submission of a manuscript to Demography is taken to indicate the author’s commitment to publish in the journal. A paper submitted to Demography while it is under review by another journal will not be accepted for review.

Preparation of Manuscripts

For detailed information regarding the preparation of manuscripts for Demography, including information on matters of style, visit the P.A.A.’s Web site (http://www.popassoc.org) and select the Publications link. The following are basic guidelines for the preparation of manuscripts for review.

1. Format the manuscript for 8½ × 11-inch paper. All text (including indented material, references, footnotes, and acknowledgments) must be in 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. Organize the manuscript file as follows: (1) title page with no information that identifies the authors, to ensure anonymity; (2) separate page for the abstract (no more than 200 words); (3) text with footnotes (no tables or figures); (4) appendices; (5) references; (6) tables; and (7) figures and figure titles. Place each table and figure on a separate page. Cite each table and figure in the text.
3. Prepare a separate title page with the title of the manuscript; the names and institutional affiliations for all authors as they should appear in the published journal; the corresponding author’s name, affiliation, address, E-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers. Include any acknowledgments on this page.

Submission of Manuscripts

Authors are encouraged to submit articles in pdf format electronically using Editorial Express, a Web-based system. The $25 submission fee, paid by credit card, is also handled online. The URL for online submissions is http://editorialexpress.com/demography. Contact the Editorial Offi ce of Demography ( demography@soc.duke.edu) if you have questions or experience problems with your online submission.

Authors who are unable to submit their manuscripts electronically may submit them in the traditional way. For instructions on the more traditional submission of manuscripts, refer to the document “Preparing Manuscripts for Demography,” which is available online at the P.A.A.’s Web site (http://www.popassoc.org/files/public/Styleguide.pdf). Again, contact the Editorial Office of Demography if you have questions about the process.