Publication Procedures & Guidelines for Authors of Policy Briefs
Policy Briefs are intended to disseminate the results of research by ERF and/or others with a view to informing policy discussions and public debates on issues of relevance to the ERF region.
The general public, including policymakers, political parties’ officials, legislatures, the business community, trade unions, media and academia.
Main guidelines:
- A Policy Brief is a short note of 4-5 pages at a maximum – approximately 2000-2500 words.
- It addresses a specific economic policy question, either pertaining to a specific country or to a group of countries in the region.
- It goes beyond a diagnosis or analysis of a particular situation or a problem to the verification of alternative policy options with a view to making specific policy recommendations based on available research.
- It uses a simple and non-technical language, with an uncomplicated and catchy title.
- It includes a short entry summarizing in bullet points the key points made in the brief (overview of the problem and recommendations).
- Finally, it does not embody any footnotes, although it may include a small number of the most important references (a maximum of five) at the end.
- Policy briefs are different from Policy Perspectives, with the latter being longer, more analytical and not necessarily offering concrete policy recommendations.
- Authors of policy briefs are requested to submit a short “About the author” entry of around 30-50 words.
