---
name: rje-submission
description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for The RAND Journal of Economics (RJE) via the Wiley Research Exchange portal — hard page caps (40/50 pp, double-spaced), the <=100-word abstract, the $100 non-refundable submission fee, Word/LaTeX files, and RJE Style Guide compliance. Final checks; it does not draft content.
---

# Submission Preflight (rje-submission)

## When to trigger

- "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit on Wiley Research Exchange
- Unsure which files and limits RJE expects at initial submission
- Confirming page caps, the 100-word abstract, and author-date style are RJE-compliant

## Process facts (verified 2026-06-01; re-confirm on rje.org)

- RJE is owned/sponsored by the **RAND Corporation** and published with **Wiley** (formerly the **Bell Journal of Economics**). Submit through **Wiley's Research Exchange** at `https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/RAND` — **mandatory since April 23, 2025**, replacing the former Editorial Express / e-submit system. Source: rje.org/submissions.html.
- **Hard page caps, enforced at submission**: main text **<=40 pages** (exclusive of appendices and references); appendices + references **<=10 pages**; **total <=50 pages**. Manuscripts must be **double-spaced**; footnotes kept to ~50 words / 3 typeset lines. Most general-econ journals use word counts — RJE does not.
- **Abstract <=100 words.**
- Files in **Word or LaTeX**.
- **A $100 submission fee per article** applies (Wiley "For Authors" guidelines); as of **January 1, 2026** this fee is **explicitly non-refundable** (rje.org). Re-confirm the exact amount on the Wiley page — 待核实.
- **Supporting information is discouraged "as a general rule,"** is posted online without editing/typesetting, may be assessed critically by reviewers, and may be declined.

## Preflight checklist

### Page caps & format
- [ ] Main text **<=40 pp**, double-spaced (excl. appendices/references)
- [ ] Appendices + references **<=10 pp**; **total <=50 pp**
- [ ] Abstract **<=100 words**
- [ ] Footnotes short (~50 words / 3 typeset lines each)
- [ ] File is **Word or LaTeX**; sections numbered, subsections unnumbered; equations flush right with (1a)/(1b)

### Style (RJE Style Guide)
- [ ] Author-date in-text cites, **no page numbers** (e.g., "Jones, 1991")
- [ ] References alphabetical, unnumbered, **no issue numbers**
- [ ] House usage applied (because/as not *since*; whereas/although not *while*; **"article"** not *"paper"*)

### Files for Research Exchange
- [ ] Manuscript (Word/LaTeX) within caps
- [ ] Cover letter (tight IO pitch: question, market, method, headline result)
- [ ] Suggested referees prepared (IO experts, conflict-free)
- [ ] Supporting information kept minimal (discouraged) — justify anything included

### Declarations & fee
- [ ] **$100 submission fee** ready; understand it is **non-refundable** (as of 2026-01-01)
- [ ] Conflict-of-interest / funding disclosures prepared
- [ ] Confirmed not under review elsewhere

## Page-budget allocation table (fit the IO content inside 50 pages)

Structural IO articles run exhibit-heavy; sketch the page budget before finalizing exhibits.

| Component | Typical share of main text | Triage rule |
|---|---|---|
| Intro + IO contribution | 4-6 pp | Lead; contribution legible by page 2 |
| Model / identification | 8-12 pp | Keep derivations terse; long algebra to appendix |
| Data + institutional setting | 4-6 pp | Enough to ground the market; tables compact |
| Estimates + key exhibits | 8-10 pp | Headline params, one elasticity/markup, one counterfactual |
| Robustness in main text | 2-4 pp | One decisive check only; battery to appendix |
| Appendix + references | ≤10 pp | Full robustness, derivations, extra tables |

## Worked vignette: a last-night preflight

Suppose a structural demand-and-merger article sits at 43 main-text pages the night before submission — over the 40-page cap. Triage, do not delete:

- Move the full random-coefficient table and two alternative-specification tables to the appendix; keep headline estimates and one elasticity matrix in the body.
- Push the demand-derivation algebra and marginal-cost recovery to the appendix; leave the estimating equations and conduct assumption in the body.
- Compress institutional background by citing prior market descriptions instead of re-narrating them.
- Re-check: main text 39 pp, appendix + references 9 pp, total 48 pp; abstract 96 words; the $100 fee ready and non-refundable.

## Referee and editor friction to pre-empt at submission

- **A screening Editor cannot skim an over-length file.** Fix: enter the screen at or under 40/50 pp with the IO hook on page 1.
- **Off-style citations read as careless.** Fix: confirm author-date with no page numbers and references with no issue numbers before upload.
- **Supporting information may be declined.** Fix: keep decisive results in the article and appendix; justify anything attached and confirm hosting against the journal's current author guidelines.
- **Fee specifics drift.** Fix: re-confirm the exact fee amount and refund terms on the current Wiley "For Authors" page before paying.

## Anti-patterns

- Blowing the 40-page main-text cap and assuming "they count words" — they count **pages**
- A 250-word abstract for a 100-word limit
- Numbered or footnote-style citations, or page numbers in in-text cites
- Loading up supporting information the journal discourages and may decline
- Budgeting for a refund of the submission fee — it is non-refundable

## Output format

```
【Page caps】main <=40 / total <=50, double-spaced? [Y/N]
【Abstract】<=100 words? [Y/N]
【Style】author-date, no page/issue numbers, house usage? [Y/N]
【Files】Word/LaTeX + cover letter + referees? [Y/N each]
【Fee】$100 ready, understood non-refundable? [Y/N]
【Portal】Wiley Research Exchange (atyponrex)? [Y/N]
【Next step】await editor screen → rje-review-process / rje-rebuttal
```