Submitting Text for Publication

Please read the guidelines carefully and follow them closely to ensure your manuscript is formatted properly and the review process will be as quick and efficient as possible. The manuscript may be returned to the author if it is not prepared following these instructions. Manuscripts submitted to Modern Finance (MF) must NOT be considered simultaneously for publication in other journals. Moreover, the manuscript must not have been published in the past.

Manuscripts should be submitted using the MF online submission system available here:

To assure anonymity, information on the authors (including names, addresses, employment, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses) cannot be submitted together with the text but should be sent separately on the title page. The mailing address of the author should be clearly specified. In the case of several authors, one address should be indicated.

The journal does not charge any article processing fees or article submission fees. The submission and publication of the article are free of charge.

 

Submission Composition

The submission should be well-organized technically and include the following mandatory separate files:

1. Cover letter.
2. Title page.
3. Main manuscript.

In the cover letter, the authors should indicate at least three potential reviewers of the submitted manuscript. Please include names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses.

The title page of an article should contain only the following elements:

• the title of the paper (the title should be short, specific, and informative);
• the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s);
• name and full contact address of the corresponding author (preferably, this should include a telephone number, fax, and e-mail details, as it improves the processing of the submission);
• at least three keywords describing the areas and subject of the submission;
• at least 1 JEL code (authors may provide several, depending on the number of the subject area of the submission). For further information on the JEL codes, please see http://www.aeaweb.org/jel/guide/jel.php.

The main manuscript should be structured in the following way: abstract; main text introduction, data, methods, results, discussion; acknowledgments; declaration of interest statement; references (as appropriate).

The abstract, which must have about 80-150 words, should be comprehensive and concise to the readers before they have read the manuscript. References and citations should be avoided. The abstract may cover the justification of the undertaken topic, the aim of the study, the methodology, and the main results, conclusions, and implications.

The articles can also include supplementary online material. Supplementary online material can be an appendix, video, dataset, sound file, or anything which supports (and is pertinent to) your paper. The supplementary material can be published online on the journal's website. Please refer clearly to the supplementary material in the manuscript's text and provide it in a separate file(s).

To maintain the integrity, transparency, and reproducibility of research records, MF encourages authors to make their research data openly available by publishing the data and files as supplementary information in this journal or depositing them into data repositories. For work where novel computer code was developed, authors are also encouraged to release the code similarly. The name and version of all software used should be clearly indicated.

 

Article Types

MF accepts several distinct submission types, which should be indicated during the submission process.

Article: A research article presents original findings resulting from substantial scientific investigation. Null or negative findings, as well as replication or refutation findings, are also welcome. It includes a clear methodology, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Authors should provide context for their findings within the existing literature and articulate their academic significance. The structure typically includes an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.

Review: A review article synthesizes and critically evaluates research on a particular topic, often identifying trends, gaps, and future directions. Instead of presenting new primary research data, it provides a comprehensive summary of current knowledge, often including well-established facts and recent advancements. Reviews are helpful for readers seeking an overview or update on a specific field.

Short Communication: A short communication is a concise report of significant research findings, often preliminary or time-sensitive. It reports important preliminary results, typically very original, of high interest, and likely to significantly impact finance. A Short Communication needs only to demonstrate a ‘proof of principle’. The focus is on a specific aspect or result without extensive background or discussion. There is no strict length limit for a Short Communication; however, we advise a length of not more than 2500 words, plus 2-3 figures and/or tables and 15-20 key references.

 

Technical Requirements

A) Initial submissions

Authors may submit their paper in any scholarly layout or format during the initial submission. Manuscripts may be supplied in Word, rich text format (RTF), open document format (ODT), or PDF files. Figures and tables can be placed within the text or submitted as separate documents. Figures should be of sufficient resolution to enable refereeing.

Although there are no strict formatting requirements, all submissions must contain the essential elements, including abstract, author affiliation, figures, tables, funder information, and references, as outlined in the previous section.

References can be in any style or format as long as a consistent scholarly citation is applied. Author name(s), journal or book title, article or chapter title, year of publication, volume and issue (where appropriate), and page numbers are essential. All bibliographic entries must contain a corresponding in-text citation. Adding DOI (Digital Object Identifier) numbers is recommended but not essential.

To facilitate proper peer-reviewing of your manuscript, it is essential that it is submitted in grammatically correct English. The authors should ensure that their papers are free of language errors. Spelling can be US or UK English so long as it is used consistently.

There is no page or word limit for the submissions.

Regardless of the initial submission format, the revised and post-acceptance submissions need to be formatted according to the journal's standard and provided in editable files.

B) Revised submissions

The revised manuscripts must be submitted following the journal standard. There is a template available for this journal: download template.

The revised submissions should be prepared based on the template. However, the authors' data should be included only after the final acceptance of the manuscript. During the revision stage, the paper must remain blinded, i.e., no author data can be disclosed.

Submissions that are not formatted in accordance with the journal requirement will be returned to the authors.

Please ensure the figures and the tables included in the single file are placed next to the relevant text in the manuscript rather than at the bottom or the top of the file. The corresponding caption should be placed directly below the figure or table.

Subsections: Divide your article into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ...), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included in section numbering). Use this numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text.' Any subsection may be given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its separate line.

Equations: Present simple formulae in the line of standard text where possible. Whenever possible, use standard word letters, symbols, and formatting rather than Microsoft Equation Editor or the MathType add-on. Number consecutively any equations that must be displayed separately from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text). Equations should be editable by the editorial office and not appear in a picture format.

Footnotes: Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article.

Figures and tables captions: Ensure that each exhibit has a caption. A caption should include a brief title (not the figure itself). The tables and figures should be self-contained; each exhibit should contain a note below that allows a full understanding of the illustration. The exhibits should be self-explanatory. In particular, the authors should explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Tables: Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Tables should be placed either next to the article's relevant text, not on separate page(s) at the end. Number tables consecutively following their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body.  The authors should avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells. Each object should be numbered in sequence using Arabic numerals. They should also have a title above and an explanatory footnote below (source).

The manuscripts have to be 'spell-checked' and 'grammar-checked.' The manuscripts cannot include language, spelling, or grammar errors. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

References: The references in the revised submissions should be formatted according to the American Psychological Association (APA) style. Please refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

The APA citation and referencing guidelines can also be found here: APA guidelines.

The reference examples are also available in the journal template: download template.

Please, avoid the footnotes in the main text - use only the Harvard style (author-date) for references.

Please include DOI numbers if possible. Use of DOI is highly encouraged

C) Before the Publication

Before the final publication, the authors will receive the proofs of a manuscript for the final examination. 

 

Preprints and Conference Papers

MR accepts papers previously made available as preprints (e.g., SSRN) provided they have not undergone peer review. A preprint is a draft version of a paper made available online before submission to a journal.

High-quality and expanded conference papers that have been previously published in proceedings can be submitted to MR if they fulfill the following three requirements: (a) the article should be expanded to the size of a research paper; (b) the conference paper should be cited and noted that the article had been previously published in proceedings; (c) if the authors hold the copyright of the published conference paper or obtained the appropriate permission from the copyright holder.