AUTHORS GUIDE

Preparatory Notes

Submit your article in a single MSWord file, Tahoma font, 1.15 line spacing, number all the pages (other than the cover page) with A4 paper size and normal margins. Ensure before and after line spacing is zero (0). Number all the sentences in the manuscript.

ONLY soft copy manuscripts will be accepted.

On the first page of the manuscript, supply the names, affiliations and contact details (including full postal address and e-mail address) of all authors. Identify the corresponding author with an asterisk. There must be no other reference elsewhere in the manuscript that would identify the authors.

Articles should be no longer than 6500 words in length. The word length is for the complete submission, including abstract, footnotes, tables, references and appendices.

Please have the final version of your manuscript language edited before submitting it. AfJARE does not have the resources to see to the professional editing of articles, it remains the authors’ responsibility. If this is not done, articles will be rejected.

Please ensure that you are sending us the final and complete version of your article.

The Editors reserve the right to adjust style to certain standards for uniformity. After your article has been accepted it will be copy edited and any queries the copy editor may have will be e-mailed to the author. Please reply to these promptly (within days). Be clear and specific in your responses and eliminate guesswork.

Specific Guidelines

  1. Title: The title should be precise and communicate the purpose of the study. Ensure the title mentions the country in which the study is carried out. An abridged title should be used as the subject of the submission email e.g., Effect of fertilizer application on maize yield.
  2. Abstract: Provide an abstract of no more than 150 words, outlining in a single paragraph the aims, scope, methodology, conclusions and recommendations of the article (in that order).
  3. Key words: Provide no more than five keywords that can be used in electronic searches for your article. Organize the key words alphabetically.
  4. Introduction: The introduction should contextualize the study and include the problem being studied, objective(s), hypothesis tested and a justification why the study is important and to who. The contribution of the article should be explained clearly and the relevant literature that the article builds upon should be mentioned. A results preview is helpful.
  5. Literature review (optional): This section may be a standalone or incorporated in the introduction section. It should highlight other research on the same subject and existing gaps in knowledge. The author should decide how to present as long it is adequately covered.
  6. Conceptual framework (optional): this section is useful if your paper adds something new conceptually as a contribution. It should be based on economic theory and fit with the empirical section of the paper. If there is nothing new theoretically in the paper than a conceptual framework is not necessary, and you can focus on the empirical section.
  7. Empirical framework: The methodology section should be detailed to enhance clarity and enable replication if need be. It should include empirical models and relevant diagnostics for model fit, data sources, measurement of variables, study area each presented as a sub-section in this chapter. If you are using observational data to measure the effect of X on Y then you need to clearly explain the identification strategy. For example, if you are estimating the impact of a new agricultural technology on yields, consideration needs to be given to the endogeneity/selection bias that can affect your estimates because the technology adoption is likely not to be random.
  8. Equations: Please ensure that equations are editable.
  9. Results reporting: Report your significant results in ways that are appropriate depending on the nature of results e.g., tables, figures and maps. Tables and Figures should be included in the article in the correct place and not in a separate file. Number the Tables and Figures consecutively and give each a caption – above for a Table and below for a Figure. Figures should in black and white. Type any notes below the Tables and Figures, and refer to these by superscript lowercase letters. Tables and Figures must be original and not cut and pasted. No tables, figures or maps from any other publication will be accepted without the publisher’s permission attached at first submission of the article.
  10. Tables: Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text. Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text. Please supply editable files. Tables should have full gridlines and the contents should be in Times New Roman 10-point font. All measurements should be in SI units.
  11. Results Discussion: Discuss your significant results in depth. Results discussion should include bringing out their deeper meaning and implications for policy and practice. Cite literature to enhance credibility of your results. Explain discrepancies of your results with those reported in literature.
  12. Conclusions and Recommendations: In a brief, draw conclusions of your study from the significant results only. Each conclusion should lead to a logical and actionable recommendation(s). Recommendations should precise, actionable and targeted to a particular audience including policy makers and practitioners. Recommendations should be based on the significant results only. Any significant study limitation should be mentioned here.
  13. References: Try to limit number of citations to a maximum of 25. Cite peer-reviewed journal articles and books from reputable authors and publishers. Avoid citing grey literature (e.g. working papers, policy reports, dissertations and other documents that have not been peer-reviewed). Most of the citations should be from economics or agricultural economics journals, although a few citations from other disciplines is fine. DO NOT cite articles in predatory journals.
  14. Publication Charges: There are no submission fees, publication fees or page charges for this journal. However, authors of papers that have been accepted for publication will be required to become members of the African Association of Agricultural Economists by paying the requisite membership fee.
  15. Funding details: Please acknowledge funders of your study by stating; This work was funded by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number xxxx] where applicable. If the authors did not receive financial support, state ‘This study was funded by the Authors’.
  16. Conflict of interest declaration: Declare any conflict of interest with regard to your study. If no conflict of interest exists, indicate ‘None’.

EXAMPLES OF STYLES TO USE IN THE LIST OF REFERENCES

Journal article

Mapule R, 2000. The environment in Lesotho. Journal of Green Economies 2(3): 470–98.

Book

Greene WH, 2003. Econometric analysis. Fifth edition. New Jersey, Prentice Hall.

Monograph

ILO, 2012. ILO Global estimate of forced labour: results and methodology. Geneva, International Labour Office Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour.

Chapter in book or article in edited work

Anselin L, 2001. Spatial econometrics. In Baltagi B (ed.), A Companion to Theoretical Econometrics. Oxford: Blackwell.

Unpublished report, departmental working paper, thesis etc.

Vermeulen H, Jordaan D, Korsten L& Kirsten J, 2006. Private standards, handling and hygiene in fruit export supply chains: A preliminary evaluation of the economic impact of parallel standards. Working paper No. 2, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Conference paper

Delgado, CL & Siamwalla, A, 1997. Diversification in developing countries. Paper read at the 23rd International Conference of Agricultural Economists, 10–16 August, Sacramento, California, USA.

Electronic text

Shoprite, 2012. Available at http://www.shopriteholdings.co.za/pages/1019812640/about-our-company/Geographical-spread.asp (Accessed 15 October 2012).

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