Checklist for Preparing Your Paper for Publication in RFS, RAPS, or RCFS
[Updated October 23, 2023]
Please read the following instructions carefully.
1. Upload your replication code to the dataverse (RFS | RAPS | RCFS) per the code sharing policy (RFS | RAPS | RCFS). Authors are responsible for ensuring that their files are usable.
-If your files need to be uploaded in a method that retains the original structure, please follow these instructions: You can either compress the files as a .gz or .7zip archive, or place the zip file within another zip file before uploading. Either method will bypass extraction of the files within, and leave the archive as a single file, with the structure inside preserved.
-If you received an exception to the policy, you must forward a written confirmation to manager@sfs.org. The exception must have been approved by the editor immediately after initial submission.
2. Please perform a final read of your paper before you send the files to us for copyediting. This is an important step. You should not be making significant changes after copyediting. Please make sure of the following:
-You have included alt text underneath each figure legend. For guidance on preparing alt text, see here.
-Internet appendices do not go through copyediting so you should extract them into a separate file.
-If you’d like to format your paper before copyediting, see our guide.
-Oxford University Press has provided LaTeX style files (RFS | RAPS | RCFS). Please note that we are not able to assist with LaTeX.
-If the disclosure is too long for the acknowledgments, please provide it as a supplementary file, labeled clearly, example: “Paper Title Supplementary Disclosure.pdf”
3. Choose the appropriate Code Availability statement and add it to your paper directly before the References. (This requirement is new for all papers accepted from November 1, 2023, on. Papers accepted prior to November 1 may choose to add the statement.)
- Papers that have uploaded code to the dataverse. Add one of the following to your paper:
- Code Availability: The replication code is available in the Harvard Dataverse at <insert link to code/doi>
- Code Availability: The replication code and data are available in the Harvard Dataverse at <insert link to code/doi>
- Papers that can’t share code and have received a waiver from the editor. Add the following to your paper:
- Code Availability: The replication code could not be shared because <enter reason>. Permission was provided by the editor.
- No code (theory papers). Add the following to your paper:
- Code Availability: No new code was generated in support of this research.
4. Send your files to manager@sfs.org. We ask that you do this within 2 weeks of acceptance. If you need more time, please let us know. If your source file is Word, send Word. If your source file is LaTeX, send a PDF. Some copyeditors also work with Overleaf files. Your paper will be placed in the copyediting queue and you will receive an email once it has been assigned to a copyeditor.
5. The copyeditor will mark changes on your paper and email the marked-up files to you. The copyeditor will mark journal style, grammar, and formatting. Please aim to return corrections to the copyeditor within a week for the first round and within 2 days for any subsequent rounds; if you need more time, please let the copyeditor know.
-If your source file is Word, you’ll be able to make changes directly in Word.
-If the source file is LaTeX, the copyeditor will mark the changes on the PDF for you to implement in your source files.
-If copyeditors have other options, such as Overleaf, they will inform you.
-It is important to note that once the paper reaches OUP, the typesetter will only be formatting the paper, not providing editing, so you should finalize corrections at this step to reduce the chance of errors being introduced during typesetting.
-The copyeditor will review your changes and may return an additional round or more of corrections if necessary.
6. Once the copyeditor approves your paper, please send the following to manager@sfs.org:
-All source files clearly labeled (Word, Latex, figures, tables, etc.)
-The publisher is able to use the figures in the PDF, but the print quality will be better if you are able to provide the original files; details on OUP’s website.
-The publisher is able to use the tables from the source file if they are editable. If the table is an image, please send the original editable file (Excel, etc.).
-A clean PDF of the full paper, clearly labeled. OUP will post this file on Advance Access as the Accepted Paper. It will be replaced by the published paper, which OUP labels as Corrected Proof.
-If applicable, a clean PDF of the Internet Appendix, clearly labeled. OUP will upload this file as is online alongside your published paper. We recommend including the paper title and author names on the file. OUP does not allow supplementary files to be changed or added after publication.
-If you have other supplementary materials (videos, slides, etc.), please make sure the files are clearly labeled as “Supplementary” and note these files in your email. OUP will upload these files as is alongside your published paper.
-We will send your files to Oxford University Press for typesetting and publication. OUP takes over the process at this point, but you should feel free to reach back out to manager@sfs.org if you need assistance. Please note that we will not send your paper to OUP until you have uploaded your replication code to the dataverse. Please do this quickly to avoid delay in publication.
7. OUP will post your Accepted Manuscript on Advance Access and guide you through the final publication steps.
-OUP will send the license to publish to the corresponding author to sign. They will also send you information about color figures, Open Access, and ordering print copies; details on OUP’s website. You will receive an email from no-reply@scipris.com with your invitation to sign up for an account with SciPris, the Oxford University Press author portal, if you do not already hold one. Please register, or log into your account, and follow the online instructions, which will guide you through signing your license and arranging any payment due. The email and the portal have clearly signposted support options if you need any help during this process. Please note that SciPris is a completely different system from the Editorial Express submission system, so your credentials to submit your manuscript here will not work there. Once you’ve created a SciPris account, you will be able to use it whenever you publish with our journal or any OUP journal. Please note that OUP will only ever request payment for applicable fees be made via SciPris or to an OUP bank account. If you have concerns about the legitimacy of a request, please contact a customer services agent via the SciPris portal or directly via oupsupport@scipris.com.
8. OUP will typeset your paper and send the proofs to the corresponding author to check.
–It is very important to note that the typesetter is only typesetting at this stage; they do not use a copyeditor. If you need any changes at this point, please ensure you’re following journal style and staying consistent within your paper.
-Please check your paper thoroughly to ensure it is in its final publishable state. OUP does not allow changes to Corrected Proofs regardless of the paper’s status in print. This includes changing affiliations. Once a Corrected Proof is posted, the paper is published and final. Because you have already completed your final read of the paper, at this point any changes you have should be minor, such as typos or correcting how the typesetter has formatted something.
9. OUP will post the Corrected Proof online. Congratulations – your paper is published!
-The issue order is set by the Executive Editor and is not necessarily based on how long a paper has been ready for print. Once your paper is assigned to an issue by the Executive Editor, it will appear in a print issue.
-OUP will not allow affiliation changes on Corrected Proofs, even if the paper is not yet in print.
-Authors are not allowed to post accepted or published versions of their papers to institutional repositories at any time after publication. Authors may link to the published paper. OUP’s website explains rights and permissions.
-Corrections: The bar for an erratum is high. Please see the policy.