Call for Papers


The Poverty and Development Working Papers series is now open to submissions by authors working on issues related to poverty, development, and sustainability. The series showcases academic research papers to give greater visibility to research in these areas.

Who should submit their papers to the PovDev series?

With journal publication times lengthening as more researchers seek to publish their results, even finished research can remain ‘under the radar’ for years. But especially in the areas of poverty, development, and sustainability, the world needs to know about your work and its implications fast! The working papers series fills this gap. If you want your research to gain global visibility quickly, PovDev papers could be for you. We network with social media, global academic and policy journals to bring greater attention to your paper.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Who can submit to the PovDev series?
A: Any researcher who is affiliated with the University of Jyväskylä.

Q: What does a PovDev working paper look like?
A: Please see the example here.

Q: Are the working papers peer reviewed?
A: No, but they are reviewed and edited by our main editors.

Q: Are all submitted papers accepted for publication online?
A: Submitted papers must meet the quality standards set by the PovDev series. This means that they must be based on empirical data and clearly state their research question(s), source data, methods, theoretical approach, conclusions (or implications/discussion).

Q: Can papers written in languages other than English be published in the Series?
A: At this time only papers written in the English language are accepted.

Q: Why would I consider publishing my paper in PovDev series rather than in a peer-reviewed journal?
A: Working papers are a useful forum for research that you feel might not be of immediate interest to journals, for issues that you do not plan to write a peer-reviewed paper on, and for research that you feel deserves immediate visibility online.

Q: Will/Can other scholars cite or refer to my PovDev paper in their own research?
A: Yes, researchers in the topic areas of poverty, development, and sustainability frequently cite, and are used to citing, the online working papers of other scholars.

Q: Why would I favor online visibility over publication in a peer-reviewed journal?
A: Although publishing in high quality forums is still very important, online visibility increases your number of research citations and helps other scholars who might be interested in collaborating with you to find you.

Q: Can I re-publish my PovDev paper in a peer-reviewed journal later?
A: This depends on the journal’s policy and how much the paper has been reworked. Generally, it is safe to publish initial findings in a PovDev paper and then publish the final, more complete and polished version in a peer-reviewed journal. This way more people find out about your research sooner.

Q: What is the process for submitting a research paper to the PovDev series?
A: Please send us first a one-page abstract (pov-dev@jyu.fi), then we will respond to you within 2 weeks whether your topic would be suitable for publication in the Series.

Q: Does the PovDev series have a style guide for references and formatting?
A: Yes, we will send it to you after we have accepted your abstract and invite you to write the paper.

Q: Will the editors of the PovDev series proofread my paper for language mistakes before publication?
A: The paper will be evaluated after submission on the basis of how much proofreading needs to be done before publication. If the number of corrections to be made is small, the editors will make them. If the number of corrections is large, the editors will send the paper back to the author and ask them to have it proofread first by a native speaker before re-submission.

Q: How long will it take for my paper to be published on the PovDev series after I submit the paper manuscript?
A: If the paper is clearly written and does not need extensive proofreading, the authors aim to have your paper published within two months of submission.

Q: How long should my working paper be?
A: Maximum 8000 words.
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