Doing Economics

4.3.3 General-Science Journals
Publishing in general-science journals is not easy. Though some economists
often imply that it is easier to publish in general-science than in economics
journals, this is misleading.
Most general-science journals are much more punctilious about
formatting, the length of your paper, its structure, and so on than economics
journals. Often at general-science journals, before an editor even looks at
your paper, it has to satisfy the journal’s formatting guidelines. This is not a
cause for rejection, but it will slow down the entire process. A colleague
recently submitted a paper to PNAS as a brief report, which allows no more

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than three pages in typeset format. He exceeded that limit by one line, and
the journal sent the manuscript back to him asking that he fix the problem
before assigning it to an editor.
It is common to send pre-submission inquiries to general-science
journals. In other words, unlike at economics journals, it is often acceptable
to write an email to an editor to ask whether they would be interested in
seeing your paper. Keep those brief and polite.
At general-science journals, cover letters actually matter. In economics, it
is often the case that you will not have to submit a cover letter unless you
want to. For general-science journals, however, the cover letter is not just a
formality. In most instances, an editor’s decision of whether to send a paper
out for review or not is made on the basis of reading the cover letter. Make
that letter at most two pages long. In addition to briefly summarizing the
paper, explain its contribution and why the paper is timely and of broad
interest to the scientific community, and not just to economists.
At many general-science journals, you will be able to suggest (if not
select) who you would like as editor. Select your editors carefully. Most
general-science journals have large editorial boards, which means picking
your section (e.g., behavioral science, sustainability science) is important,
as is selecting an editor within that section. A mismatch here likely means
your paper will get desk rejected.