Secrets of Economics Editors

Editors of academic journals are often the top scholars in their fields. They arecharged with managing the flow of hundreds of manuscripts each year -- from submission to review torejection or acceptance -- all while continuing their own scholarly pursuits. Tenure decisions oftenturn on who has published what in which journals, but editors can accept only a fraction of thepapers submitted. In this book, past and present editors of economics journals discuss navigatingthe world of academic journals. Their contributions offer essential reading for anyone who has eversubmitted a paper, served as a referee or associate editor, edited a journal -- or read an articleand wondered why it was published.

The editors describe their experiences atjournals that range from the American Economic Review to the Journalof Sports Economics. The issues they examine include late referee reports, slowresubmission of manuscripts, and plagiarism -- as well as the difficulties of "herdingcats" and the benefits of husband-wife editorial partnerships. They consider the role of theeditor, as gatekeeper or developer of content; and they advise authors to write more carefully andclearly, to include citations that locate their articles in the context of the existing literature,and to update their work after it has been submitted and rejected elsewhere. The chapters also offera timely, insider's perspective on the general effectiveness of the system of academic journals ineconomics.

ContributorsRichard V. Adkisson, Richard G.Anderson, William A. Barnett, Suzanne R. Becker, William R. Becker, Daniel W. Bromley, William G.Dewald, Antony W. Dnes, Zvi Eckstein, Richard Friberg, Esther Gal-Or, Craufurd Goodwin, ThorvaldurGylfason, Campbell R. Harvey, Geoffrey M. Hodgson, Leo H. Kahane, R. Preston McAfee, John Pencavel,Gerald Pfann, Steven Pressman, Lall B. Ramrattan, J. Barkley Rosser Jr., Paul H. Rubin, William F.Shughart II, Robert M. Solow, Daniel F. Spulber, Michael Szenberg, Timothy Taylor, Abu N.M. Wahid,Michael Watts, Lawrence J. White, Jurgen von Hagen, Fabrizio Zilibotti

Michael Szenberg is Distinguished Professor of Economics and Chair, Business and Economics, Touro College and University System. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Lubin School of Business, Pace University. A recipient of many awards, including the 2013 John R. Commons Award, 2013 Homer and Charles Pace Award, 1983 Kenan Award for excellence in teaching, and the 1971 Irving Fisher Monograph Award. He was editor in chief of The American Economist from 1973 to 2011 and is now is editor in chief, emeritus. Szenberg is the author or coauthor with Lall B. Ramrattan of more than seventeen books. Lall Ramrattan is Instructor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley Extension.