Guidelines for George Perkins Marsh Institute Working Paper Submissions

The George Perkins Marsh Institute (GPMI) Working Paper Series is designed to provide an outlet for high quality research manuscripts written by Institute members. Working Papers will be posted in pdf format on a dedicated page of the Marsh Institute website, providing a mechanism whereby papers can be accessed by the public. For consistency and identification, all papers will be provided with a unique identification number and will have cover pages formatted according to a standard template. Working papers will also be cataloged by the Jeanne X. Kasperson Research Library.

Requirements: As a general guideline, we expect papers submitted to the George Perkins Marsh Institute Working Paper series to be of the same high quality that one would expect of submissions to an academic journal or chapters in a published book. All papers submitted for inclusion should be high quality, original scholarly manuscripts that make a substantive contribution to knowledge. All submissions should be examined carefully to eliminate grammatical and typographical errors. We do not impose a single format for bibliographic references, but insist that all papers include citations and references that follow a uniform, standard academic style. All included work must be original. By submitting a paper for the Working Paper Series, the author verifies that there are no copyright or other legal/ethical concerns which would prevent posting of the manuscript on the Marsh Institute website. Papers may be submitted by any Marsh Institute member (including faculty, staff and students), subject to qualifications listed below.

Submitted manuscripts must address topics within the general purview of the Institute. In addition, to avoid additional peer-review prior to acceptance, submissions must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

1. A version of the paper has been submitted for review or possible publication in a journal, book, published conference proceedings, or similar outlet.
2. The paper has already been subject to peer review for some other purpose.
3. The paper has been reviewed and approved by a government agency, international organization, widely-recognized non-profit organization, or similar entity.
4. The paper has been reviewed by a faculty member from either the Marsh Institute, Clark University or a similar academic institution who is willing to verify, in writing, that the paper is of sufficient quality for inclusion in the Working Paper Series.

Papers that do not meet one of the above, or substantively similar criteria will be subject to additional review at the discretion of the Director of the Marsh Institute. In addition, the Marsh Institute reserves the right to reject any working paper submission, or require revisions prior to acceptance, at its sole discretion. Questions regarding requirements for the George Perkins Marsh Institute Working Paper series should be directed to Robert Johnston, Director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute (rjohnston@clarku.edu).

Submission Process

1. Papers must be submitted via email, as a Microsoft Word file, to Robert Johnston, Director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute (rjohnston@clarku.edu). Submissions may be made at any time.
2. Within the submission, please explain which of the four submission criteria apply to the submitted manuscript. This should include concise details. If the paper is submitted under the fourth criterion, please identify the faculty member who will verify the quality of the manuscript and provide contact information (phone, email). If none of the criteria apply, additional review of the manuscript may be required.
3. Within the submission email, please verify in writing that (1) there are no copyright, legal/ethical, or other concerns which prevent acceptance of the manuscript in the Working Paper Series and posting on the Marsh Institute website, and (2) the paper reflects original work by the author(s). Any required permissions must be obtained, in writing, by the author prior to submission.
4. On the title page, please include: (1) the paperŐs title, (2) authors and affiliations, (3) date of completion, (4) full contact information for the lead author, (5) a simple copyright statement. On the second page, please include a brief abstract and any desired acknowledgements. The text should begin on page three.
5. Upon receipt, the paper will be reviewed by the Director and the author will be notified as to its status. Please allow a few weeks for processing and notification.
6. Upon acceptance for the Working Paper Series, the paper will be given a unique identification number and the title page will be formatted according to our Series template. The manuscript will then be posted as a pdf file on the GPMI website for free public download.

Any questions regarding submission should be directed to Robert Johnston, Director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute (rjohnston@clarku.edu).