Private Enterprise and Financial Markets > Infrastructure and Financial Markets
IFM Review
Editorial Guidelines for the Infrastructure and Financial Markets Review
Purpose
1. The purpose of the IFM Review is to present current issues, approaches to problem solving, experiences and good practices in the area of infrastructure and financial markets to an audience made up of Bank staff and Latin American and Caribbean specialists. To a limited extent, the review could also reach policymakers and experts in Latin American and Caribbean organizations.
2. The IFM Review intends to elaborate a theoretical approach on the basis of real world experiences and deliver cutting-edge research results to the targeted audience with a focus on public policy issues.
3. The articles in the IFM Review should be written by experts, practitioners, policymakers, and academicians and, to the extent possible, a combination of them would tackle a specify topic to deliver the main public policy issues in the areas of financial markets and infrastructure in an accessible and short paper. The objective is to raise awareness on those issues, disseminate findings and best practices and identify leading edge areas of growing interest.
4. IFM Review articles should be rigorous and written in an easy-to-read manner for a lay audience. "Rigor" means that the articles should be free of conceptual and factual errors, data must be accurate, and theories must be contrasted and reviewed by recognized experts. As a guide, articles could include graphics, but should avoid large tables and complex mathematical formulas. Articles must also be concise and ideas well articulated.
Calendar
5. The IFM Review is organized by volumes. Each volume includes the 4 issues corresponding to one year. Issues will be ready for distribution by the following "Distribution Dates (DD)": March 30, June 30, September 30, and December 30.
Contents and Format
6. The format of the IFM Review will follow the rules indicated below (e.g., any single issue for the year 2001 constitutes an appropriate model). The Editor of each issue is responsible for the content and format of that issue (see below process for the selection of the Editor). Each issue will have 8 or 12 pages without blank spaces and it will include the following items:
- Two articles, covering infrastructure and financial markets, respectively. The length of each article should be 3,300 words approximately, which is a document of 8 to 9 pages in standard format, single space, and font size 12.
- At least two reviews of relevant books or articles in the area of infrastructure and financial and capital markets. In exceptional cases, books in related areas may be reviewed. This section is called "Infonet" and includes other information related to the articles included in the issue (e.g., web sites). The "Infonet" section is under the direct responsibility of the Editor and it is not signed, except for the review of books and articles for which the initials of the reviewer will be displayed.
- Advertisement of seminars, workshops or other relevant events preferably organized by the
Bank.
- There could be a departure from this structure, if the review is issued to coincide with an event (e.g., conference, seminar, or workshop) organized by the Bank. However, consultation and agreement with the Editorial Board is required for format and content changes.
7. In order to ensure proper format and appropriate coverage of available pages, the Editor should request that authors provide 4 or 5 pull-out quotes for their articles.
8. By December 15th of each year, the IFM Division will determine guidelines for the topics that the review would cover the following year. These guidelines will be made available to the Editorial Board, which will have a given amount of time to provide their comments and approval. The Editor will be responsible for ensuring consistency with the agreed topic schedule.
Editorial Process
9. The Editorial Board is made up of Marcelo Antinori, Pietro Masci, Ana Rodriguez-Ortiz, Silvia Sagari, Roberto Vellutini and Antonio Vives. One member of the Editorial Board will review the articles according to a calendar approved by the 15th of December of each year (see below).
10. An IFM professional will be the Editor responsible of each issue according to a calendar approved by the 15th of December of each year.
For the year 2005 the assignments will be as follows:
| Issue | Editor | Editorial Board Representative |
| Vol. 11 No.1 March 2005 | Carolin Crabbe | Ana Rodriguez-Ortiz |
| Vol. 11 No.2 June 2005 | Juan Benavides | Silvia Sagari |
| Vol. 11 No.3 | Paulina Beato | Antonio Vives |
| Vol. 11 No.4 | Juan Durante | Roberto Vellutini |
11. The Editor is responsible for identifying articles and ensuring that the issue meets these guidelines. The Editor will coordinate the presentations of the articles (e.g., pull-out quotes) with the authors. The Editor must forward all the articles to the responsible member of the Editorial Board and two other professionals, who will have 5 working days to comment on the material received and indicate if it is acceptable for publication as is, accepted changes, or rejected. After receiving the feedback of the responsible member of the Editorial Board, the Editor should: (1) follow up on suggested changes, (2) reject with proper justification the suggestions of the responsible member of the Editorial Board, (3) find a replacement article for those that were rejected, or (4) submit the matter to the consideration of the full Editorial Board.
12. The Managing Editor is responsible for the format of each issue and adherence to the agreed production schedule. The Managing Editor will be in charge of receiving articles and material for the "Infonet" section from the Editor and coordinating and monitoring the publication process. Among other tasks, the Managing Editor will be responsible for: (1) sending the articles for editing and ensuring that any required changes are made; (2) making the necessary decisions to ensure the integrity of the current format; (3) coordinating and monitoring all steps of the typesetting and printing process; (iv) providing suggestions to the Editor when tables, graphs, or other parts of articles need to be removed for reasons of size or format; and (5) providing information to be included in the "Infonet" section.
13. The Editor-in-Chief will be responsible for the availability of resources and assignment of tasks, particularly to the Editors and the Managing Editor, to ensure that the IFM Review is released on time.
14. The Editor and the Managing Editor are responsible for the full preparation of each issue according the following timetable:
| Activity | Termination Date |
| Selection of Authors/Articles | DD minus 60 days |
| First version of articles edited by a professional text editor | DD minus 40 days |
| Distribution to the Editorial Board | DD minus 30 days |
| Return to principal editor | DD minus 25 days |
| Final Editing and Formatting | DD minus 7 days |
| Send to Print | DD minus 7 days |
| Ready for distribution | DD |
Other (Language and Modifications)
15. The IFM Review will be published in English. However, proposals for publishing it in other languages are welcome. Every year, the IFM Division will review these proposals as well as other issues and submit them to the Editorial Board for appropriate determinations.
16. The Editor of an issue may propose changes in format and content to the Editorial Board or make other proposal for which he/she deems necessary the approval of the Editorial Board. To that end, he/she will circulate to the members of the Editorial Board a note (e.g., e-mail) suggesting the changes, explaining the reasons and the objectives that will be accomplished. The Editorial Board must be consulted 55 days before the DD and provide approval or other guidance within 5 working days.
17. If no comments are made to the proposal or articles submitted within the established period (i.e., normally 5 working days), they will be considered as formally approved by the Editorial Board.
Disclaimer
18. The articles published in the IFM Review do not reflect the opinion of the Bank, or that of any other organization. An explicit disclaimer will not be included for each article. However, a blanket disclaimer will appear in each issue of the review (in the area listing the review's production information).
February 2005
Last updated: 02/26/07
