The following checklist is designed to help writers focus their submissions on the important characteristics of RAE articles.

The article focuses more on results and implications than methodology.
The Review of Agricultural Economics (RAE) is problem-focused, with the emphasis on rigorous application of agricultural economics to real-world issues. Implications and analysis of results for decision-making must be a major component (at least 3-5 pages) of any article reporting research findings. Formal analysis and quantification should play a supportive role in addressing the issue or problem. The RAE is not a repository for articles with a primary focus on novel quantitative techniques and illustrative applications.

The article communicates to a broad audience.
The RAE seeks manuscripts that will be widely read, discussed, and cited by agricultural and other economists. Therefore, the review process places heavy emphasis on material of practical significance to applied economists working in the diverse areas of agricultural, food, and resource economics broadly defined. Because communication to a diverse audience is critical, emphasis will be placed on clear writing rather than on extensive use of mathematics and econometrics to communicate ideas.

The RAE places great emphasis on high-quality scholarly writing. Authors are encouraged to seek assistance from colleagues and professional editors to improve the quality of the manuscripts.

The excessive use of technical jargon in manuscripts works against the goal of broadening the readership. Writers are especially discouraged from using specialized jargon relating to a specific quantitative method. If a writer must use a technical term unfamiliar to the broad base of readers, a definition of the term should be included.

The article follows the requirements outlined in "Submitting Manuscripts to the Review of Agricultural Economics" and the guidelines for the specific category.

"Submitting Manuscripts to the Review of Agricultural Economics" provides important general information about how and where to submit your article, preparing the text, the appearance and location of tables and figures in the manuscript, and formatting the references.

The article is concise.
A good target length for manuscripts is less than 20-25 pages, double-spaced in 12-point font. Commentary manuscript may not exceed 20 pages, including footnotes, tables, figures, references, and supplementary exhibits. No manuscript may exceed 30 pages, including footnotes, tables, figures, references, and supplementary exhibits.

Also see "Submitting an Article for the RAE: Section Guidelines" for more details on each of the categories of the Review of Agricultural Economics (RAE): Applied Analysis, Teaching/Learning, and Commentaries.

• Applied Analysis articles should be on problems of broad interest and should focus on an issue or problem, empirical findings relevant to the issue or problem, and their implications. Manuscripts should emphasize clear explanation of the impacts and the usefulness of the results and their policy implications.
• Teaching and Learning articles include both teaching tools and analyses of their effectiveness at achieving learning outcomes. Teaching tools emphasize economic problems may take various forms, such as teaching case studies, learning games, and on-line resources.
• Commentaries are short (1,200 words or less) articles commenting on articles previously published in the RAE.

All manuscripts accepted for publication will be edited to improve the clarity of the writing. A marked-up electronic file will be returned to the author. The author will be asked to return a corrected hard copy and a copy of the manuscript on disk using Word. As a final check, a galley proof will be supplied to the author. Authors or their host institutions are required to pay a $95 charge per page of published text. Individual authors will be billed by the AAEA.

Applied Analyses
Applied Analyses articles should focus on a real-world issue or problem of broad interest, the relevant empirical findings, and their implications. The intent is to publish articles that will be widely read, that are methodologically sound, and provide new empirical knowledge to address economic problems and policy questions. Contributions can be based on quantitative or qualitative approaches. Applied analyses based on case studies are acceptable and should rely on rigorous use of qualitative research methods. Both approaches should set forth a conceptual framework and then seeks to test behavior against expectations, using either quantitative or qualitative methods to fill a gap in the research literature. The RAE occasionally publishes survey articles distilling important advances in applied knowledge on persisting real-world issues. The survey should clearly identify the advances and progress, and remaining puzzles.

As you are preparing your manuscript, consider the following:

1. The intended readership of the RAE is broader than for most other scholarly journals in agricultural economics. Part of the review process attempts to identify articles on topics that will be widely read and cited, not articles that interest only a small subset of readers.
2. The RAE places great emphasis on high-quality scholarly writing. As a result, the outcome of the review process depends, in part, on the clarity of the writing. Prior to submission, authors are encouraged to get assistance from colleagues and others who might be helpful in improving the quality of the manuscript to ensure that the writing is clear. Reviewers also will attempt to provide constructive criticism for improving the quality of the manuscript.

Teaching and Learning
The RAE publishes articles to enhance the teaching of economics and management applied to agriculture and natural resources. Both teaching tools and analyses of teaching effectiveness are welcomed. Like other articles in the RAE, Teaching and Learning studies should be about important and timely issues in agricultural and resource economics and management. The Review focuses on contributions grounded in economic theory. Economic ideas need not be explicit, but if not, they should be apparent in the accompanying teaching note (see below).

The objective of a good teaching case is not to reveal all to the reader, but rather to elicit from students certain learning patterns. An excellent teaching case should leave the reader either planning to use it in class or wishing that such a case had been used when the reader studied that subject. Decision cases are one popular type of teaching case that places the reader in the shoes of a decision maker. After introducing the setting and actors, the case typically culminates with the need to make a decision. These cases generally include both a narrative and supporting data exhibits. Only cases researched from real situations or experiences will be considered (although names may be changed to protect confidential sources). Cases may come from the public or private sectors.

As some veiled elements are to be elicited in class discussion, the learning objectives should be stated clearly in a required teaching note, which is part of the review process. The note should clarify the pedagogic contribution and provide a framework to judge the success of the case at meeting its objectives. The note should also summarize the case, specify its audience, propose a teaching approach, identify pertinent literature and background data, and summarize how the case was received by students when taught. Teaching notes may be supplemented by multimedia elements, such as video or audio clips. Following publication of the case, authors will make teaching notes and any multimedia elements available to interested instructors.

The RAE welcomes other innovative teaching tools to encourage active learning, including games and on-line resources. Authors should consider carefully what information should be published in the Review and whether some should be withheld for inclusion in a teaching note or other resource available specifically to teachers. Evidence of effectiveness at meeting learning goals is expected in contributions offering new teaching tools.

A good analysis of teaching method effectiveness introduces a teaching method or strategy, explains how it is used, and evaluates its performance. An analysis of teaching effectiveness should present the pedagogical conceptual framework, the economic or management learning goals, the analytical method, and results. Like all RAE articles, the article should be of broad interest to teachers in the field.

Teaching and learning contributions should be written clearly and succinctly, relying on good writing and charts to communicate effectively. A good target length for manuscripts is fewer than 20 pages, double-spaced in 12-point font. No manuscript may exceed 30 pages, including footnotes, tables, figures, references, and supplementary exhibits.

Commentaries
Commentaries are short articles (1,200 words or less) that comment on a controversial aspect or finding found in articles previously published in the RAE. The primary purpose of this section is to advance knowledge on these controversial aspects and findings and their robustness.

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