Submissions

Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected. Authors shall carefully read the following submission guidelines to meet the JFMS's submission requirements.

1. Peer Review Policy

1.1  Review Model

JFMS employs a rigorous double-blind peer review process. Both the identities of reviewers and the identities of authors are kept confidential throughout the review process. Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are prepared in a manner that does not reveal their identities (see Section 2.4 for anonymisation requirements).

1.2  Review Process

Upon submission, all manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated Associate Editor. Manuscripts that do not meet minimum standards of academic rigour, fall outside the journal's scope, or contain obvious ethical violations are desk-rejected without external review. Authors are notified of desk rejection within fourteen (14) days of submission.

Manuscripts passing initial screening are assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers drawn from the Editorial Board or the journal's reviewer panel. The review period is sixty (60) days from reviewer assignment. Reviewers who require additional time must notify the editorial office in advance.

Based on reviewer reports, the handling Associate Editor issues one of the following decisions:

1. Accept without revision
2. Minor revision required
3. Major revision required
4. Reject with invitation to resubmit (after substantial revision)
5. Reject

 

Revised manuscripts must be returned within sixty (60) days for minor revisions and ninety (90) days for major revisions. Authors should provide a detailed response letter addressing each reviewer comment point by point. The revised manuscript may be returned to original reviewers or assessed by the handling editor, at editorial discretion.

1.3  Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, specific, and impartial assessments of manuscripts. Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest (including personal relationships, shared institutional affiliation, or financial interests). Reviewer identities and review content are strictly confidential and must not be disclosed to third parties.

1.4  Appeals

Authors who believe their manuscript was rejected or assessed unfairly may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within thirty (30) days of the editorial decision. Appeals must clearly articulate the grounds for reconsideration (e.g., reviewer error of fact, procedural irregularity) and must not simply reiterate the manuscript's merits. The Editor-in-Chief's decision on appeal is final.

 

2. Submission Guidelines

2.1  Article Types

JFMS accepts the following categories of submission:

 

Research Articles

Original empirical or theoretical research presenting significant new findings. Typical length: 6,000–10,000 words (excluding references, tables, and figures). Structured abstract: 250–300 words with sections: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

Review Articles

Systematic or narrative literature reviews providing comprehensive synthesis of knowledge on a topic within the journal's scope. Typical length: 8,000–12,000 words. Systematic reviews must follow PRISMA or equivalent reporting guidelines. Structured abstract: 250–300 words.

Policy Papers

Evidence-based analyses of current policy questions with clear implications for financial regulation, monetary policy, or related fields. Policy papers combine analytical rigour with accessibility to practitioner audiences. Typical length: 4,000–7,000 words. Abstract: 200–250 words (structured or unstructured).

Case Studies

In-depth analyses of regulatory experiences, institutional reforms, or financial sector events with broader generalisable lessons. Typical length: 4,000–8,000 words. Abstract: 200–250 words.

Comparative Legal Studies

Primary legal text analyses comparing regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions. Must be grounded in original statutory and regulatory material. Typical length: 6,000–10,000 words. Abstract: 250–300 words.

Short Communications and Research Notes

Brief reports of significant preliminary findings, methodological contributions, or comments on previously published work. Typical length: 1,500–3,000 words. Abstract: 100–150 words.

Book Reviews

Critical assessments of recently published academic books within the journal's scope. Solicited by the editorial office. Typical length: 800–1,500 words. No abstract required.

2.2  Submission Portal

All submissions must be made through the JFMS OJS portal at https://jfms.lci.la. Email submissions are not accepted. Authors must create an OJS account and complete the submission checklist in full before their submission is registered. JFMS operates a continuous submission model; there are no fixed submission windows.

2.3  Originality and Prior Publication

Manuscripts submitted to JFMS must be original works not published, accepted for publication, or under simultaneous consideration elsewhere. Prior publication includes journal articles, book chapters, working papers, conference proceedings, and any publicly accessible repository deposits. Authors must declare in the submission covering letter whether any portion of the work has been previously presented or published in any form.

Authors wishing to submit a substantially revised and extended version of a previously published conference paper must declare this at submission, provide the original paper, and demonstrate clearly that the submitted manuscript represents a sufficiently novel contribution (typically ≥50% new content).

2.4  Manuscript Preparation

2.4.1  Anonymisation

Manuscripts must be submitted in anonymised form suitable for double-blind review. Authors must:

• Remove author names, affiliations, and acknowledgements from the manuscript file
• Remove or anonymise self-citations (e.g., replace 'As shown in Smith (2022)' with 'As shown in [Author] (2022)')
• Remove identifying metadata from the document file properties
• Avoid reference to institutional affiliation or grant numbers in a manner that would identify the authors

Author information (names, affiliations, corresponding author contact, brief biographies) is entered separately in the OJS submission form and is not shared with reviewers.

2.4.2  File Format and Structure

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format. A separate PDF copy may be uploaded as a supplementary file for the editors' convenience but is not required. Manuscripts should be structured as follows:

1. Title (concise, informative, maximum 20 words)
2. Structured abstract (see requirements by article type above)
3. Keywords: 4–8 keywords suitable for indexing
4. JEL classification codes: minimum two codes (see https://www.aeaweb.org/econlit/jelCodes.php)
5. Main text (with numbered sections and subsections)
6. Acknowledgements (to be added after acceptance; omit from submission)
7. Funding declaration
8. Conflict of interest statement
9. Data availability statement
10. References
11. Appendices (if applicable)
12. Tables and figures (embedded in text or appended)

2.4.3  Formatting

• Font: Times New Roman or Arial, 12pt
• Line spacing: 1.5 throughout
• Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides
• Pages: numbered consecutively from the first page
• Sections: numbered (1., 1.1, 1.2, 2., etc.)
• Equations: numbered consecutively in parentheses, centred
• Footnotes: kept to a minimum; not used for substantive content

2.4.4  Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2) and given descriptive titles. Each table and figure must include a source note. Figures must be submitted in high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) editable format (vector preferred). Tables must be formatted in Word (not as images). Colour figures are accepted for online publication; authors should ensure that all information is still conveyed when printed in greyscale.

2.4.5  Reference Style

JFMS uses the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition reference style. All in-text citations must be author–date (e.g., Smith & Jones, 2022; World Bank, 2023). The reference list must include all cited works and no uncited works, ordered alphabetically by first author surname. Examples:

 

Journal article:

Nguyen, T. H., & Sombath, K. (2023). Prudential regulation and bank performance in ASEAN frontier markets. Journal of Financial Stability, 65, 101097. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

 

Book:

Goodhart, C. A. E. (2011). The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision: A history of the early years, 1974–1997. Cambridge University Press.

 

Report / institutional publication:

Bank of the Lao PDR. (2023). Annual report 2023. BOL. https://www.bol.gov.la

 

Legislation:

Law on Commercial Banks (Revised), No. 03/NA (Lao PDR 2022).

2.5  Covering Letter

All submissions must be accompanied by a covering letter uploaded to the OJS portal. The covering letter must state:

1. The title of the manuscript and the article type
2. A statement that the manuscript is original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere
3. A statement that all authors have read and approved the final manuscript
4. Disclosure of any prior presentation or publication of related work
5. Declaration of any conflicts of interest
6. Any specific reviewer exclusion requests (with reasons)

2.6  Supplementary Materials

Authors may submit supplementary materials (datasets, replication code, additional tables, survey instruments) as separate files through the OJS portal. Supplementary materials are not peer-reviewed but are posted alongside the published article. Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in a recognised data repository (e.g., Harvard Dataverse, Zenodo, ICPSR) and provide a persistent link or DOI.

 

3. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

JFMS is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. The journal follows the guidelines and best practice recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in all aspects of its operations. All parties — editors, reviewers, and authors — are expected to observe these standards.

3.1  Authorship

Authorship of a manuscript submitted to JFMS must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the work. In accordance with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria (adapted for social sciences and policy research), an author must meet all of the following conditions:

1. Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data or evidence
2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content
3. Final approval of the version to be published
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

All individuals who meet the above criteria must be listed as authors. Persons who contributed to the work but do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged (in the Acknowledgements section), not listed as authors. Guest authorship (listing individuals who did not contribute) and ghost authorship (omitting individuals who did contribute) are forms of misconduct and are not permitted.

Changes to the authorship list after submission (additions, removals, or reordering) require written consent from all authors and a written explanation submitted to the Editor-in-Chief. Such changes are not permitted after acceptance.

3.2  Plagiarism and Text Recycling

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using automated detection software upon receipt. Manuscripts with excessive similarity to published works — including the authors' own prior publications (self-plagiarism) — will be rejected. Verbatim reproduction of more than a few sentences from any source without quotation and citation is considered plagiarism. Authors are responsible for ensuring originality and proper attribution of all material.

'Salami slicing' — the artificial division of one study into multiple smaller papers to maximise publication count — is considered a form of research misconduct and may result in rejection of all related manuscripts.

3.3  Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the research. Examples include:

• Employment, consultancy, or advisory roles with organisations that could benefit from the research findings
• Equity interests, patents, or royalties related to the subject matter
• Receipt of speaker fees, honoraria, or research funding from interested parties
• Personal or ideological relationships that could bias the research

Declarations of conflict of interest (or a statement of none) must appear in the manuscript and in the OJS submission form. Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts to the handling editor and recuse themselves where appropriate.

3.4  Data Integrity and Fabrication

Authors must ensure that all data, statistics, and empirical evidence reported in submitted manuscripts are accurate and have not been fabricated, falsified, or selectively reported in a misleading manner. Manipulation of images, figures, or datasets to misrepresent results is a serious form of research misconduct. If errors in published data are discovered after publication, authors are obligated to notify the editorial office promptly.

3.5  Handling Misconduct

When a credible allegation of research misconduct is received — whether before or after publication — the editorial office will follow COPE flowcharts and procedures. Depending on the findings, responses may include:

• Rejection of the manuscript
• Retraction of a published article, with a retraction notice attached to the original
• Issuance of a correction or expression of concern
• Notification of the authors' institutions
• Referral to relevant professional or regulatory bodies

Retractions and corrections are indexed and permanently linked to the original article to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

3.6  Duplicate Submission

Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is not permitted. Discovery of duplicate submission at any stage will result in immediate rejection and may result in the authors being barred from submitting to JFMS for a period determined by the Editor-in-Chief.

3.7  Corrections and Retractions

The journal maintains a transparent post-publication correction policy. Minor errors that do not affect the scientific conclusions may be addressed through a published Correction. Errors that materially affect the reliability or conclusions of an article may result in a Retraction. Authors who identify errors in their published work are encouraged to contact the editorial office. All corrections and retractions are published openly and linked to the original article.

3.8  Use of Artificial Intelligence in Manuscripts

AI-generated or AI-assisted writing tools (such as large language models) may be used to assist in the preparation of manuscripts, but their use must be disclosed in the Methods section or an appropriate acknowledgement note. AI tools may not be listed as authors, as they cannot fulfil the criteria for authorship (including accountability for the work). Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of submitted manuscripts regardless of any tools used in their preparation.

 

4. Open Access, Copyright, and Licensing

4.1 Diamond Open Access Policy

The Journal of Financial and Monetary Studies (JFMS) operates under a Diamond Open Access model. All peer-reviewed articles are published and made available online immediately upon publication without any embargo periods, paywalls, or subscription fees for readers. This non-commercial, fully open-access publication framework is consistent with the core mission of the Banking Institute and the Bank of the Lao PDR to freely disseminate financial, economic, and monetary research for the maximum benefit of the public, policymakers, and the global research community.

4.2 Financial Sustainability and Article Processing Charges (APCs)

JFMS is entirely free of charge for both authors and readers. The journal does not charge any submission fees, editorial processing fees, or Article Processing Charges (APCs) to authors, including scholars from international institutions. The operational, maintenance, and production costs of the journal and its Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform are fully subsidized by institutional funding from the Banking Institute, the Bank of the Lao PDR, and international institutional partners. This financial commitment ensures equitable, barrier-free access to high-quality academic publishing, particularly for researchers within developing and emerging economies.

4.3 Copyright Policy

Authors retain full copyright of their work without any restrictions. Upon official acceptance of the manuscript, authors grant JFMS a non-exclusive license to publish, format, distribute, and archive the article under the licensing terms described below. The journal does not require authors to transfer their copyright or ownership rights at any stage of the editorial process.

4.4 Licensing

All articles published in JFMS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, readers and the public are free to:

• Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
• Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

These freedoms are granted provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and JFMS, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are clearly indicated. The full text of the license terms can be reviewed at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

4.5 Self-Archiving and Preprint Policy

JFMS supports the green open-access path and encourages authors to widely share their work. Authors are permitted and encouraged to deposit any version of their manuscript (preprint/author's original manuscript, accepted manuscript, or the final published version/Version of Record) in institutional repositories, subject-matter repositories (e.g., SSRN, EconPapers, RePEc), or personal/professional websites at any time—prior to submission, during the peer-review process, and after publication—without any embargo periods. Authors are requested to link any preprint or repository deposits to the final published version on the JFMS platform using the article’s assigned Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or permanent URL.