CASID / ACÉDI

The Canadian Journal of Development Studies is a refereed journal.

Submissions to the Canadian Journal of Development Studies are invited in English or in French. We welcome theoretical papers, particularly if they offer thought-provoking interdisciplinary analysis; preference is given, however, to articles based on empirical research, case studies, or field work having significant implications for development planning and policy. We welcome contributions from all areas of development studies but require that papers are written in a way that is accessible to a multi-disciplinary audience. Use of disciplinary jargon is discouraged. Papers which use econometric evidence should do so sparingly and ensure that the results are explained. We also welcome short, incisive articles concerning current development practice, policies or teaching, or which open a dialogue on questions raised in earlier issues of the CJDS.

Instructions for Authors

Articles submitted to the Canadian Journal of Development Studies should be original contributions and should not be under consideration for any other publication at the same time. Articles also may not be submitted if they have been, or will be, published elsewhere.

All submissions should be made online at the Canadian Journal of Development Studies ScholarOne Manuscripts site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.

Authors should prepare and upload in Word two files, the first being a version of their manuscript which has all information identifying the author(s) removed from the file – including from the document ‘properties’ – to allow it to be sent anonymously to referees. Upload the anonymised version as a “Main document”. The second file should contain details of the author(s)’ institutional affiliation, full address and other contact information. Any acknowledgements should also be included. This file should be named “Title page (not for review)”. There is a place during the online submission process for authors to provide their name, institutional affiliation, full address and other contact details (e-mail, telephone and fax). Authors must also the exact length of the article (word count).

Articles should be between 6,000 and 8,750 words in length, including abstract, notes, and references. Book reviews should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length; review essays covering two or more works can be up to 3,000 words.

Detailed stylistic guidelines are provided on the ScholarOne website for CJDS. The main points follow.

• Article text, notes, references, and appendix materials must be double-spaced and set in Times New Roman font, 12-point type, on 8½ × 11 inch paper with 1-inch margins.
• Articles should begin with an indented and italicised abstract of no more than 100 words, which should describe the main arguments and conclusions of the article. Articles should also include a complete list of sources cited; references must be listed alphabetically with full publication information and without any abbreviations. Notes should be kept to a minimum.
• All diagrams, charts and graphs should be referred to as figures and consecutively numbered. Tables should be kept to a minimum and contain only essential data; they may be single-spaced. Each figure and table must be given an Arabic numeral, followed by a heading, and be referred to in the text.
• It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that where copyright materials are included within an article the permission of the copyright holder has been obtained. Confirmation of this should be attached in a separate file. (this last sentence may change)

Instructions Specific to Book Reviews

The journal will consider reviews in English and French of academic and policy works that are thought-provoking, scholarly in nature, and relevant to an interdisciplinary and international readership in international development. Of particular interest are comparative assessments of several works with a similar theme or objective (review essays).

The work(s) must be approved by the Review Editor prior to submission of the review. Suggestions for works to be reviewed are welcome. Reviewers cannot review their own works or those with which they have a conflict of interest. The current complete list of works the Editors would like to have reviewed is available here. 

More detailed guidelines on thematic scope for book reviews, as well as desired structure and content, may be viewed here. 

Reviews must be completed within six weeks of receipt of the book/document by reviewers. Earlier receipt of the review will permit faster publication in upcoming journal issues.

Style and reference guidelines for book reviews are the same as for article manuscripts submitted to CJDS. In addition, the header of the review should include: First and last name of the author(s) or editor(s) (indicate if it is an edited book); book or document title(s); year of publication; place of publication; publisher; number of pages; price (indicate paperback or hard cover) if available; ISBN. If the work is an electronic document, provide permanent URL and retrieval date.

Detailed stylistic guidelines are provided on the ScholarOne website for CJDS.