Choosing the type of the publication

Starting with 2019 (vol. 47), each submitted paper must fall under one of the following five types of publications:

[1] Article – which may take one of the following forms:

    • Research article – it refers to an original piece of research which adds value to the existing scientific literature by means of theoretical and/or empirical findings, based on sound methodological approaches. It should normally have between 6.000 and 10.000 words, including references. The content of a research article should include the following aspects: introduction, theoretical background and literature review, materials and methods, results, discussions, conclusions. While these aspects must be treated in the article, the section headings are up to the authors, as long as the manuscript is internally coherent.
    • Review article – it refers to paper built upon previously published literature. It is made of a critical, constructive analysis of the literature in a specific field of research. Review articles submitted LSGDC should normally have between 6.000 and 10.000 words including references. A review article could take one of the following three forms: narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and best evidence reviews.

[2] Research note – the purpose of a research note is to advance a new idea, theoretical perspective, or disseminate important empirical results. Research notes are not full research articles. They may follow a less strict paper outline and may lack some of the parts of a full research article. However, a submitted research note still needs to make a valuable contribution to geographical knowledge. Research notes should normally have between 3.500 and 6.500 words, including references.

[3] Book Review – a scholarly review of a recent book (up to 2-years from the publication date). Book reviews submitted to LSGDC should have at least 1000, but no more than 1500 words.

[4] Commentary – a short expert intervention on a theoretical, empirical or practical issue, of no more than 5000 words. Commentaries can also take the form of a policy paper, i.e.  an expert intervention on issues related to contemporary policy thinking, including design, implementation or/and impact. The paper should clearly (1) state the context and importance of the analysed issues, (2) discuss the current and potential policies for dealing with these issues and (2) present the criteria on the basis of which particular policies are recommended over others.

[5] Editorial – an introductory note made by permanent or invited editor, concerning the content of the respective issue.

Please note that each table/figure/maps counts for 250 words.