Submissions

Author Guidelines

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS

1. Types of files

The submission consists of an online process through the RHI-IHR platform. There are different types of files that must be submitted:

• A Word document with the title page.
• An anonymised document with the main manuscript text. NB: this file must be submitted both as a PDF and Word.
• If appendices can be included in the main text, they will have to be placed after the reference list and bibliography.
• If applicable, an anonymised document with data, appendices and further relevant material that cannot be included in the main manuscript text, to be published online in its original state (this file, too, must be submitted both as a PDF and Word).
• If applicable, the original data used to elaborate the figures included in the main manuscript text, preferably in Excel. Every sheet of the Excel file should refer to a single figure in the paper.
• If applicable, image files (excluding graphs) in a TIFF (or similar) format. These files have to contain images with the following characteristics: 1) a minimum resolution of 300 DPI (dots per inch), b) a size of 120 mm wide, c) a maximum height of 180 mm. Tables, figures and maps should be readable in print and online, so using patterns and different markers should be preferred with respect to choosing different colours. In the case of copyrighted images, authors are the responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions and licences.

Please also note that Word, Excel and other files keep track of the author’s name and surname(s), so it is necessary to delete them from the file before submitting it to the journal. Importantly, submissions may be returned if this is not the case.

2. Instructions for preparing the title page and the related information

The title page, alongside the file with the main text, must be uploaded through the RHI-IHR online submission platform. Before uploading it, please make sure your title page contains the following information:

• The title of the manuscript, in English, (British English is preferred) and, when possible, in Spanish, and Catalan.
• The name(s) and surname(s) of the author(s)
• The affiliation(s) of the author(s), i.e. institution, (university and/or research centre, and postal address of the institution). If author(s) are unaffiliated this should be clearly specified on the title page.
• The e-mail address of the corresponding author.
• The ORCID number (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) of the author(s). If needed, it can be obtained at no charge from https://orcid.org/
• An abstract in English (British English is preferred) (maximum 150 words), and, when possible, in Spanish, and Catalan. In the final and published version of the manuscript, the abstracts in these latter two languages will be placed at the back of the article.
• Four (4) keywords in English (British English is preferred), and, when possible, in Spanish, and Catalan, and four (4) JEL (Journal of Economic Literature) codes (see below). Keywords should be in lower case and separated by commas. The JEL codes should also be separated by commas. In the final and published version of the manuscript, the information in Spanish and Catalan will be placed at the end of the article.
• Acknowledgements (when relevant). Information on grants and funding should be included in the acknowledgements. In the final and published version of the manuscript, they will be placed after the main text.
• In co-authored papers, please specify in a text of a maximum of 60 words the contribution of each author to the manuscript and the criteria for the authorship order. See the guidelines on the contributions by the authors here. In the final and published version of the manuscript, they will be placed under the heading “Author contribution statement” below the acknowledgements when provided, otherwise after the main text.

Most of the previous information will have to be also included in the online submission form: the title of the paper, the names and surnames, affiliations, addresses, emails and ORCID identifiers of all authors, plus an abstract in English, Spanish and Catalan, four keywords (in English, Spanish and Catalan) and four JEL codes. JEL codes must be filled in the area of the submission form identified as Subjects.

Please, note that bibliographic references should be also included in the online submission form.

3. Instructions for preparing the main manuscript text

The file with the main manuscript text (in both PDF and Word) must be uploaded through the RHI-IHR online submission platform. In addition, please note the main manuscript text document should NOT include the information prepared for the title page and the online submission form to ensure a double-blinded review process.

The length of the manuscript should not exceed 12,000 words, including footnotes, tables, figures (graphs, maps, etc.), appendices, and the bibliography. The article should be submitted with font Times New Roman, size 12, 1.5 line spacing and numbered pages.

The titles of the sections should be in low-case letters (apart from the first letter), bold, with reference to section numbers. Sub-section titles should be in the same format, but in italics (not in bold). There should not be more than one sub-section level. Different paragraphs should start with a first-line indent. For example:

      1. Productivity differences
      1.1. Sources of productivity differences
     1.2 Decomposing productivity differences
     etc.

3.1. References and quotation system

The RHI-IHR relies on the author-date system, e.g. “the rise of per-capita income in Europe has been sustained since the late-19^th century (Bolt and van Zanden 2020).” This style for the bibliography can be implemented in Mendeley, Zotero and other reference manager software by using the Chicago Manual of Style (latest version). Letters should be added to the publication year if the same authors have published different pieces within the same year. Concerning the example above and two contributions published in 2020, the first one would be cited as Bolt and van Zanden (2020a) and the other as Bolt and van Zanden (2020b). Citations involving more than one contribution should be separated by a semicolon (Baten and Blum 2012; Bolt and van Zanden 2020a), whereas contributions by the same author(s) published in different years should be separated, after the author(s)’s surnames, by a semicolon (Horrell, Humphries and Weisdorf 2020; 2021). A comma should never be placed between the author(s) surnames and the year of publication. If more than three (e.g. four or more) authors are cited please use “et al.”, like in Baten et al. (2021). If a specific page or pages are cited in the text, please indicate them, as in Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Hauber and Opitz (2014, pp. 1145-46), i.e. a comma after the year of publication, also when the complete reference is given in brackets (Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Hauber and Opitz 2014, pp. 1145-46).

The reference list should be found at the end of the main text (under “References”), in the alphabetic order of the authors, as follows: surname, name, year of publication (and with letters to distinguish contributions published in the same year by the same author(s), if applicable, e.g. 2020a, 2020b etc.), the title of the article (using quotation marks) or book (using italics), publisher and publisher’s location (if a book) or the title of the journal (if pertinent, in italics) including its number, issue and pages.

 Please, follow the examples listed below.

 Books:

Griffin, Emma. 2020. Bread Winner: An Intimate History of the Victorian Economy. New Haven and London: Yale University Press 

Edited books:

Baten, Joerg, ed. 2016. A History of the Global Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Chapters in edited books:

Humphries, Jane, and Carmen Sarasúa. 2021. ‘The Feminization of the Labor Force and Five Associated Myths’. In The Routledge Handbook of Feminist Economics, edited by Günseli Berik and Ebru Kongar, 167–76. London: Routledge.

Journal articles:

Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle, and Jochen Streb. 2018. ‘Does Social Security Crowd Out Private Savings? The Case of Bismarck’s System of Social Insurance’, European Review of Economic History, 22 (2): 298–321.

Working papers:

Felice, Emanuele, and Michelangelo Vasta. 2012. ‘Passive Modernization? The New Human Development Index and Its Components in Italy’s Regions (1871-2007)’. Working Paper 10/2012. UHE Working Paper. Barcelona: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Conference proceedings: they may be included in the reference list using the same format of journal articles (adding an URL if applicable).

Conference papers: they may be included in the reference list using the same format of working papers, by replacing the working-paper series with the conference name. The conference place will replace the location of the working-paper series (an URL may be added, if applicable). For example:

Esteves, Rui, and João Jalles. 2012. ‘Like father like sons? The cost of sovereign defaults in reduced credit to the private sector’. Oxford: 2012 Economic History Society Annual Conference.

Newspaper articles: please cite them as follows – URLs may be added for online articles.

Torry, Harriet. 2022. ‘U.S. Retail Sales Grew by 3.8% in January’. The Wall Street Journal, 16 February 2022, sec. Economy (US Economy). https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-economy-january-2022-retail-sales-11644963650.

Dissertations:

Missiaia, Anna. 2014. ‘Industrial Location, Market Access and Economic Development: Regional Patterns in Post-Unification Italy’. PhD Thesis, London: The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Printed primary sources should be cited like scholarly contributions, e.g. Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione (1872), and in the reference list: Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione. 1872. Documenti Sulla Istruzione Elementare Nel Regno d’Italia. Roma: Tipografia Eredi Botta.

Archival sources: Archival sources should be quoted in footnotes. Please, give titles of record repositories, names of collections of papers, and archives, in full in the first reference (including the location where necessary). For example:

National Archives of Senegal (hereafter NAS), Dakar, folders 3G2120 to 3G2140.
The Bureau of Ecclesiastical and Educational Affairs, The National Archives (Riksarkivet), Sweden.
Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya (hereafter ANC), Sant Cugat del Vallès, folder ANC1-358-T-110.

Abbreviations or acronyms should be presented in the first citation of an item concerning an archive if citations of other items in the same archive are to follow. Subsequent citations should employ the abbreviation or acronym

Generally speaking, acronyms should be used to abbreviate specific names / concepts / variables, like GER for Gross Enrolment Rate. In this case, the full description should be provided the first time that such name / concept / variable is defined, with the description of the acronym immediately following it. Concerning the example below:

“[…] the Gross Enrolment Rate (hereafter GER). “

Footnotes should be numerated according to their order and should be written single-spaced with font Times New Roman size 10.

3.2. Tables, figures and maps

All tables, figures and maps should be listed in the right order and be referred to in the text. They should be placed where they belong within the text (not at the end of the paper) and be original work by the author(s). They should all be titled (title preceding the table / figure) and report the sources and (if applicable) notes on their elaboration. See also above (1. Types of files).  The figure / table number should be in bold, followed by the title in italics. The words “sources” and “notes” below figures / tables should be in italics.

For example:

Figure 1. Mean Years of Schooling (population 25+) in 2010.
Sources: own elaborations from Barro and Lee (2013). Notes: country borders are as of 2008.

Table 1. Summary statistics.

Source: A’Hearn and Vecchi (2017). Notes: data are based on male (conscripts) heights only.

3.3. Cited text

Cited text from other authors, if exceeding two lines, should be reported in italics (font size 10) and between quotation marks, indented on the left and right sides and single-line spaced. If the author(s) want to add their own text within this indented citation, it should be included in squared brackets.

“The conditions of popular education in the different provinces of the Kingdom are characterized by different ways and outcomes of teaching, as well as school traditions conforming to the degree of culture and industriousness of each [pre-unitarian] country.” (Buonazia 1868)

Cited text from other authors not exceeding two lines should be reported between quotation marks but in regular font size and embedded in the main text. For example: in the 19th  and 20^th centuries, “the uncompleted process of industrialisation has been reshaping the world”.

4. Instructions for preparing supplementary material

Data, appendices and further relevant material that cannot be included in the finalized article may be submitted as supplementary material (online only), which will be uploaded on the journal’s website together with the files associated with the manuscript. Importantly, the final version of the document with supplementary material will not be proofread and edited and will be uploaded as received.  NB: this file must be submitted both as a PDF and Word. See also above (1. Types of files).

5. Instructions for the book reviews

The book reviews can be submitted upon the request of the Book Reviews Editor at the RHI-IHR (currently Javier San Julián), even if proposals to the Editor (that must be approved in advance) are encouraged. Please, send your proposal to the following email address: jsanjulian@ub.edu; please also copy  r.historiaindustrial@ub.edu to the message.

Reviews must report all book details and will have a maximum length of 1,400 words. They will be signed by the review author(s) and will be directly sent to the email address of the Book Reviews Editor.

We warmly invite publishers and authors to send their books to the Book Reviews Editor for considering a timely review.

GENDER POLICY

Revista de Historia Industrial-Industrial History Review policy aims at eliminating gender inequality in the editorial process. The Editorial Board currently consists of 64% women and 36% men. Between May 2017 and May 2022, the gender distribution of reviewers has been as follows: 32% women and 68% men.

Revista de Historia Industrial-Industrial History Review also encourages the authors' commitment to using inclusive and neutral language. So please, if you are about to submit a manuscript to our journal, consider the following suggestions included in the University of Barcelona Guide regarding the use of non-discriminatory language.  English version here. Catalan version here. Spanish version here.

EVALUATION OF SUBMITTED MANUSCRIPTS

The Editors in Chief of the Revista the Historia Industrial – Industrial History Review will make a first decision on submitted manuscripts within 20 days upon receiving them. The decision may involve a desk rejection or the request to adjust the manuscript to the house style of the journal and resubmit it. Otherwise, the manuscript will be sent out for external double-blinded peer-review evaluation (normally two external reviewers). Referees are required to send their reports within 30 days after the reception of the manuscript.

Referees cannot be chosen among members of the Editorial Board, and the members of the Editorial Board cannot submit articles to external peer-review evaluation either. These rules do not apply to the members of the Advisory Board.

Based on the referee reports, the editorial board will make a decision on the submitted manuscript within a maximum of four months after its first reception. Authors will receive a full report with information on the decision made, as well as the referee reports implying changes towards publication, if applicable. Exceptions to the maximum time elapsed between the first reception and the final decision may occur under some specific circumstances.

If changes to the first version of the submitted manuscript are required by the referees and / or the editors towards publication, the latter will be subject to the relevant changes being actually included in the revised version (changes should be highlighted, e.g. in yellow, in the revised manuscript).

Once the manuscript has been accepted for publication, the author/s will have to provide an extended abstract in English if requested by the editors.  The extended abstract will be published in the blog of the RHI-IHR and will be made available through social media.

At the end of every year, the Revista the Historia Industrial – Industrial History Review will publish a report on external referees, including acknowledgements. Starting in 2022, and also at the end of every year, the RHI-IHR will provide statistics on the rejection rates and other metrics through the journal's website.

EVALUATION OF SUBMITTED BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviews are not subject to external double-blind peer review, but are reviewed internally by the Book Review Editor and the Editors in Chief of the Revista the Historia Industrial – Industrial History Review (RHI-IHR).

PUBLICATION ETHICS

The editorial process is guided by the Core COPE Practices developed in 2017 by the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE, and the Declaration of publishing ethics and best practices for scientific journals published by the  University of Barcelona (Catalan version here and Spanish version here).

"On writing for scientific journals, some basic information can be found at https://www.ub.edu/cub/criteris.php. The RHI-IHR publishes original papers and reviews in English and Spanish.

LONG TERM PRESERVATION

Long-term preservation service where the journal is currently archived: LOCKSS, PKP PN

Latest update: March 2025