Conseil d'administration
1. Editorial Governance Structure
1.1 Editorial Leadership
The AJDF is governed by a clearly defined editorial structure ensuring rigorous quality control, institutional independence, and accountability to AADFI’s membership.
| Role | Responsibilities and Qualifications |
| Editor-in-Chief | Overall editorial leadership and quality oversight. Headed by the Editor in Chief to the Chairman of the AADFI Economist Forum with members from Economist Forum Executive Committee. Assigns manuscripts to Co-editors. Final authority on all editorial decisions. Must hold a doctoral qualification and senior standing in development finance research or practice. |
| Co-Editors | Subject-matter experts in key AJDF thematic areas. Manage assigned manuscripts through the review process. Consult a second Co-editor before making revise-and-resubmit decisions. Acknowledged in published articles they handle. Also, managing/associate editors and specialist reviewers based on a comprehensive expertise mapping, academics, research institutions and specialist networks where required |
| Guest Editors | Appointed for manuscripts submitted by a Co-editor or the Editor-in-Chief to manage conflict-of-interest situations. Must be former editors or Board members. Have complete editorial independence. Name appears in published acknowledgements. |
| Conseil d'administration | Advisory body of international development finance scholars and practitioners. Drawn from AADFI member institutions, African universities, and multilateral organisations. Reviews journal scope and quality standards annually. Economist Forum Executive members. |
| Data Editor | Specialist role responsible for assessing compliance with the Data Legality Policy and the Data and Code Availability Policy. Confirms data accuracy prior to acceptance. |
| Research Secretariat Lead | AADFI Secretariat’s Research Team Lead. Manages editorial operations, coordinates submission workflow, and serves as primary liaison between the Editorial Board and AADFI management. |
| Economist Forum Executive Committee | Provides strategic oversight of the journal as part of AADFI’s knowledge agenda. Receives annual editor’s report. |
1.2 Conflict of Interest Rules — Editor in Charge
The following conflict of interest rules apply to all Co-editors when they are assigned as the handling editor for a manuscript. These rules are mandatory and non-negotiable.
| Mandatory Recusal — Editor in Charge |
| Papers by current colleagues at the same institution, regardless of department, are excluded from that Co-editor’s handling.Papers by graduate students or interns at the same institution are excluded.Papers co-authored with individuals who have been co-authors of the Co-editor’s own published work within the last two years are excluded.Papers by unpaid interns the Co-editor has advised are excluded.Papers involving a family member of the Co-editor are excluded.Any other close friendship or professional connection that could, in the Co-editor’s judgement, impair impartiality must be disclosed to the Editor-in-Chief. |
1.3 Conflict of Interest Rules — Consulting Co-Editor
When a Co-editor is consulted by the handling Co-editor (but is not the handling Co-editor themselves), the following rules apply:
- A Co-editor may advise on papers from authors at a different department within the same institution.
- A Co-editor may not advise on papers from authors in the same department within the same institution.
- A Co-editor may not advise on papers by students or scholars who graduated within the last three years and whose paper formed part of their dissertation.
- A Co-editor may not advise on papers involving a family member.
- Any other close professional or personal connection must be disclosed.
1.4 Guest Editor Protocol
A Guest Editor is appointed in all cases where the Editor-in-Chief or a Co-editor is themselves the submitting author. The following protocol applies:
- If a Co-editor submits a paper, the Editor-in-Chief invites a Guest Editor.
- If the Editor-in-Chief submits a paper, a Co-editor invites a Guest Editor.
- Current Co-editors and the current Editor-in-Chief are ineligible to serve as Guest Editor.
- Guest Editors are drawn from former editors of AJDF or members of the Board of Editors wherever possible.
- Guest Editors have complete editorial independence and their decisions are final.
1.5 Conflict of Interest and Editorial Independence
The AADFI Journal of Development Finance requires authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that may influence the publication or peer-review process. Individuals with a relevant conflict shall recuse themselves from the affected editorial or review decision.
Where a conflict involves the Editor-in-Chief, an Editorial Board member, AADFI, or an affiliated institution, the manuscript shall be assigned to an independent editor or Guest Editor with no relevant conflict of interest. The Guest Editor shall independently manage the peer-review process and editorial decision to ensure transparency, confidentiality, and editorial independence.
All conflicts and related recusal or independent editorial arrangements shall be appropriately documented by the Editorial Office.
1.6 Recognition and Remuneration of Editorial and Review Work
The AADFI Journal of Development Finance shall establish a transparent and consistent mechanism for recognising editorial and peer-review contributions. Recognition may include certificates, formal letters of appreciation, annual acknowledgement of reviewers, editorial service recognition, and, subject to available resources, modest honoraria approved under the Journal’s governance and financial procedures. Any remuneration shall be based on clearly defined criteria and shall not be linked to editorial decisions, acceptance of manuscripts, review outcomes, or publication of specific articles, thereby safeguarding editorial independence and impartiality.
The AADFI Journal of Development Finance shall maintain a sustainable Editorial and Peer-Review Recognition Framework that combines formal recognition with modest, standardised honoraria, subject to available resources. Recognition and remuneration shall be based on defined service responsibilities and the quality and completion of assigned work, and shall never be linked to editorial recommendations, manuscript acceptance, rejection, or publication outcomes. The framework shall be reviewed periodically to ensure financial sustainability, equity and continued editorial independence.
Proposed Sustainable Framework for a USD 50 Publication Fee
| Component | % | Amount (USD) | Purpose |
| Journal Operations & Publishing | 40% | $20 | Website/platform, DOI, hosting, typesetting, copy-editing, formatting and publication |
| Editorial & Peer-Review Support | 20% | $10 | Modest reviewer/editor honoraria and certificates/recognition |
| Journal Development & Quality Assurance | 15% | $7.50 | Editorial meetings, quality control, plagiarism screening, indexing and journal improvement |
| Marketing & Dissemination | 10% | $5 | Website visibility, dissemination, social media and academic outreach |
| Technology & Digital Infrastructure | 10% | $5 | Submission system, archiving, digital preservation and technical support |
| Reserve/Sustainability Fund | 5% | $2.50 | Contingencies and future journal development |
| Total | 100% | $50 |
2. Peer Review Process
2.1 Review Model
The AJDF employs a Double-blind peer review model as its standard approach. Under this model, reviewers are informed of the authors’ identities, but reviewer identities remain anonymous to the authors. This model is consistent with the journal’s positioning as both an academic and practitioner-oriented publication, where reviewer identity protection is important but author credentials may be relevant context for specialist reviewers.
| Recommendation from Economist Forum: The Forum identified the need for the journal to attract both academic and practitioner peer reviewers. Practitioner Notes and Case Studies must include at least one reviewer drawn from active DFI practice in addition to any academic reviewer. The Secretariat should build and maintain a reviewer database drawn from AADFI’s member network. |
2.2 Editorial Workflow
The following workflow governs all manuscripts from initial submission to final decision:
| Stage 1 | Online Submission Author submits manuscript, disclosure statement, and submission fee via the AJDF online portal. Confirmation email issued within 48 hours. |
| Stage 2 | Initial Screening Secretariat staff check for completeness: disclosure statement, submission fee, formatting compliance, scope relevance, and originality check (Turnitin/iThenticate). Incomplete or out-of-scope submissions returned within 5 business days. |
| Stage 3 | Co-Editor Assignment Editor-in-Chief assigns to appropriate Co-editor based on thematic expertise, workload, and conflict-of-interest rules. Assignment confirmed within 7 business days of passing screening. |
| Stage 4 | Peer Review Co-editor identifies and invites 2–3 qualified reviewers. Standard review period: 6 weeks. Reviewer extension: up to 2 additional weeks on request. Practitioner Notes require at least one practitioner reviewer. |
| Stage 5 | Co-Editor Decision After receiving reviewer reports, the Co-editor issues one of four decisions: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision (Revise and Resubmit), or Reject. The Co-editor consults a second Co-editor before issuing a Revise and Resubmit decision. |
| Stage 6 | Revision and Resubmission Authors provided with consolidated reviewer comments and revision guidelines. Minor revision: 4-week deadline. Major revision: 8-week deadline. Revised manuscripts must include a point-by-point response letter. |
| Stage 7 | Final Decision Handling Co-editor reviews revision and issues final decision. Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting and production. The Co-editor’s name is recorded in the published acknowledgements. |
| Stage 8 | Production and Publication Accepted manuscripts undergo professional copyediting and typesetting. Authors review proofs. Published in AJDF online edition and, where applicable, print edition. |
2.3 Standard Timelines
| Stage | Target Timeline |
| Acknowledgement of submission | Within 48 hours |
| Initial screening decision | Within 5 business days |
| Co-editor assignment | Within 7 business days of screening clearance |
| Peer review completion | 6 to 8 weeks from assignment |
| First editorial decision to authors | 8 to 10 weeks from submission |
| Revision period — minor revision | 4 weeks from decision date |
| Revision period — major revision | 8 weeks from decision date |
| Final decision on revised manuscript | 4 weeks from resubmission |
| From acceptance to online publication | 6 to 8 weeks |
2.4 Appeals Process
Authors have the right to appeal an editorial decision. The following conditions govern appeals:
- Appeals are considered only where there is clear evidence of a procedural error, misrepresentation of the manuscript’s content, or demonstrable reviewer bias.
- Disagreement with a reviewer’s assessment of quality or significance does not constitute grounds for appeal.
- Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision date.
The Editor-in-Chief’s decision on an appeal is final.