Applied Finance Letters Announcements

Applied Finance Letters is an open-access journal publishing mainly empirical research with implications and relevance for academia and the finance industry. The aim is to encourage high-quality contributions that foster discussions among academics, policymakers and financial practitioners. The Journal welcomes submissions from all fields of finance and is especially interested in innovative and original contributions. Applied Finance Letters is B-ranked on the 2022 ABDC Journal Ranking List, is indexed by EconLit and DOAJ, and has a self-computed 2023 Impact Factor of 0.72

Announcements

APPLIED FINANCE LETTERS (AFL) ARTICLE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Format-Free Submission (“Your Paper, Your Way”)

Your time should be spent on research, not reformatting documents. Applied Finance Letters (AFL) allows submissions in any format for initial peer review. Simply submit your manuscript as an editable file (PDF, MS Word, or LaTeX). If your paper is accepted, we will handle the formatting to match the AFL journal style.

While layout and citation style are flexible at submission, your manuscript must adhere to the following rules:

  • Consistency: Use a consistent formatting style and referencing system throughout the document.
  • Completeness of references: Every reference must contain essential metadata: author name(s), article/book title, journal/publisher, publication year, volume/issue, and page numbers. Inclusion of DOIs is highly encouraged. Every reference cited in the text must be included in the reference list (and vice versa).
  • Language: Manuscripts must be written in grammatically correct, clear English (consistent US or UK spelling).
  • Length Restrictions: As a letter-format journal, manuscripts must not exceed 3,500 words (including abstract, main text, and footnotes).

File Preparation for Double-Blind Review

To ensure a fair peer-review process, authors must submit two separate files:

  1. Full Title Page (Not sent to reviewers): This file must include the article title, full author names (clearly indicating family names), institutional affiliations, country, email addresses, ORCID IDs, and a clearly designated corresponding author. Acknowledgements and funding sources must also be placed here.
  2. Blinded Manuscript (Sent to reviewers): This file must be completely anonymised. It should start with the title and abstract but contain no author names, affiliations, or identifying references in the text or footnotes.

Manuscript Structure & Components

Submissions must contain the following sections in sequence:

  1. Title Page: Concise and informative title.
  2. Author Information: Full names (clearly indicating the family name), institutional affiliations (including country names and email addresses), and ORCID IDs for all authors if available. Clearly designate the corresponding author.
  3. Abstract: A standalone, factual abstract summarising the research purpose, key results and conclusions. Avoid abbreviations and citations.
  4. Keywords: Provide a maximum of 6 specific keywords.
  5. JEL Codes: You must also include 2–3 JEL classification codes.
  6. Main Body Text: Typically organised into Introduction, Methods & Data, Results, and Conclusion.
  7. Abbreviations: Define non-standard abbreviations at first mention.
  8. Acknowledgements: Collate acknowledgements together. List here the individuals who provided feedback and helped with the manuscript.
  9. Declarations & Ethics: Include mandatory Conflict of Interest disclosures, financial funding acknowledgements, and institutional ethics statements.

Figures and Tables

  • Figures and tables may be embedded within the text or uploaded as separate files.
  • Figures: Must be high-resolution (minimum 300 DPI), suitable for refereeing. Each figure requires a descriptive caption above the image, including a brief title and a figure description.
  • Tables: Number tables consecutively. Place titles and explanatory notes (table legend) above the table body. Ensure tables do not replicate data already detailed in the text.

Submission Categories

  • Regular Issues: Select "Articles submitted to regular issue" during the online submission process.
  • Special Issues: Select “Special Issue” during the online submission process.

Note that Special Issues may have unique scope constraints but must adhere to these structural guidelines.

Copyright, Licensing & Privacy

  • Author Warranties: Authors warrant that the work is original, does not infringe on existing copyrights, and has not been published or submitted elsewhere simultaneously.
  • Open Access License: Authors retain copyright and grant AFL a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) for global electronic dissemination.
  • Liability: The Journal is not liable for technical access issues or service interruptions.
  • Privacy: Author names and emails are used exclusively for journal communication and will not be shared with third parties.

Applied Finance Letters

AFL is our open access journal.

AFL website