brycewang-stanford/target-journal

Target Journal

Analyse the sewage-house-prices paper and recommend journals for submission.

Input: $ARGUMENTS — path to paper .tex file or abstract text. Defaults to docs/overleaf/_main.tex.

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Project-Specific Context

Paper Profile

• Topic: Causal impact of sewage spills on house prices and rents
• Country: England
• Data: EDM (2021-2024+), Land Registry transactions, Zoopla rentals, Met Office rainfall
• Methods: Hedonic, repeat sales, long difference, DiD, upstream/downstream, dry spills
• Contribution: First paper to estimate sewage spill capitalisation using comprehensive EDM data

Relevant Journal Landscape

Tier 1 — General Interest (reach): AER, QJE, JPE, REStud, Econometrica (if methodological contribution warrants)

Tier 2 — Strong Field:

• Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM) — primary target for environmental capitalisation
• Journal of Urban Economics (JUE) — housing market focus
• Regional Science and Urban Economics (RSUE) — spatial analysis
• Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics (JREFE) — property valuation
• Environmental and Resource Economics (ERE) — European environmental economics
• Ecological Economics (EE) — broader sustainability angle

Tier 3 — Solid Alternatives:

• JEEA — European applied economics
• Journal of Applied Econometrics — methodological emphasis
• Land Economics — natural resource / real estate
• Economics Letters — short-format results
• Environment and Planning B — policy-oriented
• Journal of Housing Economics — housing market specialisation

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Workflow

Step 1: Context Gathering

1. Read the paper (or abstract) from $ARGUMENTS or docs/overleaf/_main.tex
2. Read existing manuscript sections for contribution framing
3. Check which analyses are complete (scan output/tables/ and output/figures/)

Step 2: Analyse Paper Fit

Extract:

• Primary contribution type (empirical, methodological, policy)
• Identification strategy strength
• Data novelty (EDM data availability)
• Scope and generalisability
• UK vs international relevance

Step 3: Journal Recommendations (3 Tiers)

For each recommended journal:

• Why it fits this paper
• Recent similar publications in the journal
• Desk rejection risk (Low / Medium / High)
• Typical turnaround time
• Special considerations

Step 4: Formatting Requirements (Top 3)

For the top 3 recommended journals:

| Requirement | Details | |-------------|---------| | Word/page limit | | | Abstract limit | | | Citation style | | | LaTeX class | | | Figure format | | | Data availability | | | Submission portal | | | Double-blind | |

Step 5: Submission Checklist

For the top journal choice:

• [ ] Manuscript formatting compliance
• [ ] Cover letter (addressed to current editor)
• [ ] JEL codes and keywords
• [ ] Data availability statement
• [ ] Replication package (if required at submission)
• [ ] Suggested/excluded referees

Step 6: Strategic Notes

• Desk rejection risk — honest assessment by journal
• Suggested referees — 3-5 names with expertise in hedonic pricing, environmental valuation, or UK housing
• Competing papers — recent work on sewage/water quality and house prices
• Resubmission strategy — if rejected from Tier 2 primary, which journal next?
• Timing — any relevant deadlines or conference cycles

Save to output/log/journal_targeting_[date].md.

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Principles

• Be honest about fit. Don't suggest AER unless the contribution genuinely warrants it.
• Field-specific knowledge. JEEM and JUE are the natural homes — rank within that context.
• Recent publications matter. Check if journals recently published on water quality, pollution capitalisation, or UK housing.
• The best journal is one that publishes the paper. Don't over-optimise.
• Formatting details change. Flag any uncertain requirements for user verification.