Knowledge that Transforms

Goldberg).Goldberg reported on the feasibility of increasing the frequency of the AER to 11 monthly issues plus the May Papers and Proceedings starting in 2014.A higher frequency would reduce backlog, improve readability, and allow for the possibility of expanding the journal.Goldberg noted that the Budget and Finance Committee and the Standing Committee on Oversight of Operations and Publications had reviewed the report and approved of the increase and

Manuscripts submitted to The American Economic Review are handled by an editor, several coeditors, and a staff located in Pittsburgh using an internet-based manuscript management software system. Papers are submitted online, processed by the Pittsburgh office staff, and then distributed by the editor to one of the coeditors or to herself for refereeing and a publication decision. Papers are assigned on the basis of field of expertise of the coeditor, combined with a variety of other considerations including equalization of workload and conflict-of-interest rules. Once assigned, papers are handled by the designated coeditor throughout the decision process, without review by the editor. Beginning in 2017, before giving a revise and resubmit decision to any paper (or in case of doubt), the coeditor in charge will consult a second coeditor of his/her choosing. He/she remains the coeditor in charge, and is free to decide however he/she wants, but can use the input of the second coeditor to reach a decision or provide input to a potential revision letter. If the paper is accepted, the coeditor in charge will be identified in the acknowledgements note in the published article. Since 2011, the journal has followed the single-blind review model wherein referees remain anonymous as they provide feedback to authors whose identity is fully disclosed. There are several conflict rules that affect assignment of manuscripts, which are listed on the AER Editorial Policy webpage. The conflict of interest rules were updated early in 2017 and appear as follows: