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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-01
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Article types

Review
Editorial
Clinical Trial
Protocol
Lectio
Letter
Systematic Review

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 100 words.
  • Manuscripts should not be longer than 8,000 words (inclusive of references, footnotes, abstracts and figures/tables), including an abstract of 100 words and 4-7 keywords, double-spaced and in 12-point type.

Keywords

  • Provide 4-7 keywords chosen by the author.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • References to works published in the same year should be cited as, e.g. (Smith 1991a, b).
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  • Page spans in references should be given in full, e.g. Sedgewick (1935: 102-103).
  • Multiple citations within a text should be ordered by date, not alphabetically by author's name, e.g. (Smith 1902, Jones and Bower 1934, Brown 1955, 1958a, b, Green 1995).
  • Multiple citations within parentheses should be divided by a comma, not a semi-colon, and there should be no use of '&' within such multiple references.
  • The reference list should include every work cited in the text.
  • The content and form of the reference list should conform to the examples below.
  • Do not use et al. in the reference list: spell out each author's full name or surname and initials.
  • Also, in the initial reference to a relatively unfamiliar institution, the name should be spelled out in full, followed by the abbreviation in brackets used in subsequent references.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.
  • When a quotation is estimated to run five or more typeset lines, it should be offset from the text and end with a bibliographic reference following the period.
  • References should be cited in the text based on the Harvard reference system, that is, use the last name of the author(s), the date of publication and, following quoted material, the page references.
  • Also, generally do not capitalize references to public office holders, such as "senators", but capitalize the office itself, "the Senate".

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
  • Because of cost and space limitations, tables should be used parsimoniously, to illustrate findings which are crucial to the hypothesis.
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  • Tables should be prepared with the minimum use of horizontal rules (usually three are sufficient) and avoiding vertical rules.
  • As an author, you are required to secure permission to reproduce any proprietary text, illustration, table, or other material, including data, audio, video, film stills, and screenshots, and any supplementary material you propose to submit.
  • Once an article has been accepted, we may need to request higher resolution copies of figures (not photocopies or faxes), preferably electronically in.JPG,.TIF or Microsoft Word (.DOC or.DOCX) format.

Funding statement

  • You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].

Competing interests

  • Include or confirm the competing interests required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Cover letter

  • Copies of permission letters should be sent with the manuscript upon submission.

Author contributions

  • Submitting authors should be prepared to submit CRediT roles for themselves and their co-authors (where applicable) as part of the submission process.

Supplementary files

  • Lectio: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Letter: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
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  • Review: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Protocol: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Editorial: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Clinical Trial: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.

Title page and author information

  • Include or confirm the title page and author information required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Article structure and word limits

  • This should ideally take the form of three bullet points of 1-2 sentences each, summarising the key features and unique contributions of your article.
  • Use 8 per cent rather than eight per cent, eight percent, or 8% except in parenthesis (for example, 8%).
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  • Review: These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
  • Your research funder or your institution may require you to publish your article open access.
  • Use our APC finder to view the APC for this journal.
  • Authors should also consult the most recent volume of the Journal for style.
  • Therefore, remarks concerning recent or topical events and individuals should be fully elaborated for the broader journal readership.
  • Use -ize, in preference to -ise, as verbal ending (e.g. realize, specialize, recognize, etc.).
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
  • Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
  • The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
  • Articles submitted must adhere to the Aims and Scope of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis and should contribute to the on-going dialogue on comparative policy analysis advanced by the other articles published in the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis and elsewhere.
  • The electronic version should be in MS Word.
  • Please note that page numbers are required for articles, both place of publication and publisher are required for books cited and, where relevant, translator and date of first publication should be included.
  • Please keep capitalization to a minimum.
  • Submission of Manuscripts Before submitting, authors should read the instructions at https://www.comparativepolicy.org/journal-of-comparative-policy-analysis/jcpa-journal-submission-guidelines/.
  • Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.

Reporting guidelines

  • Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

  • Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.
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  • Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
  • Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
  • Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
  • Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Language and text style

  • Do not use periods in abbreviations such as MP, MPP, NDP, PQ, USA, OECD.
  • Extensive use of italic for emphasis should be avoided.
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  • Use double quotation marks for quoted material within the text; single quotation marks should only be used for quotes within quotes.
  • Do not use leader dots at the beginning or end of a quotation unless the sense absolutely demands.
  • Use a single (not a double) space after a full point, and after commas, colons, semicolons, etc. Do not put a space in front of a question mark, or in front of any other closing quotation mark.
  • Do not italicize Latin terms that are generally accepted as English, such as a priori, a posteriori, de facto, de jure and status quo.

Study reporting guidelines

  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).

Manuscript structure

  • Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.
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What your package checks

Abstract: 100 words
Paper: 8,000 words
Keywords: 4-7 keywords
References: Harvard
Declarations: Artificial intelligence
Format: double spacing

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source