| name | target-journal |
| description | Journal targeting analysis for the sewage-house-prices paper. Recommends ranked journal list across 3 tiers with formatting requirements, submission strategy, and desk rejection risk assessment. This skill should be used when asked to "target a journal", "where should we submit", "journal fit", or "submission strategy". |
| argument-hint | [optional: paper path or abstract text] |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Grep","Glob","Write","WebSearch","WebFetch","Agent"] |
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.
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
Workflow
Step 1: Context Gathering
- Read the paper (or abstract) from
$ARGUMENTS or docs/overleaf/_main.tex
- Read existing manuscript sections for contribution framing
- 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:
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.
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.
