Editor's report

According to Journal Citation Reports, the SEJ's impact factor held relatively steady in 2023 after a 40% jump in 2022. The journal's 2-year impact factor, which represents the average number of citations in 2023 of articles published in the SEJ in 2021 and 2022, is 1.8. This is the highest impact factor of any of the regional U.S. general interest economics journals, edging out Economic Inquiry's 1.7. From January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023, the Editorial Office received 154 new manuscript submissions. Tables 1–3 provide information about the editorial process and the SEJ for the past year and some previous years. Table 1 shows the time between initial submission and the Journal's decision (whether to reject, ask for a revision, or accept without revision) for the manuscripts submitted during 2023. 57% of manuscripts received a first decision in less than 3 months, 79% in less than 4 months, 87% in less than 5 months, 94% in less than 6 months, and 99% in less than 9 months. Table 2 shows the status of manuscripts submitted in the last 10 years. The acceptance rate for 2023 submissions is currently 20.1%. This is a lower bound since 16 papers are currently at the revise-and-resubmit stage. The upper bound for the acceptance rate for 2023 submissions, computed by assuming all R&Rs are eventually accepted, is 29.9%. The acceptance rate has trended upward during the past 10 years, mostly driven by a decline in the number of submissions rather than an increase in accepted papers. The downward trend in submissions mirrors that of other general interest journals. It is likely due at least in part to the large number of new economics journals and the increase in economists publishing in interdisciplinary journals. The SEJ's drop in submissions has generally been across-the-board rather than concentrated in particular fields. Some evidence suggests that the decline has largely been among weaker papers. For instance, despite the editorial board making no intentional effort to lower quality standards, our desk-rejection rate has fallen, our acceptance rate has risen, and the number of papers we are publishing has held relatively steady. Additionally, our impact factor has steadily risen even while the number of submissions has fallen. With all that said, submissions have picked up in 2024 and are on pace to end up closer to 2022's number of 178 than 2023's 154. Table 3 shows the distribution of accepted papers in 2014–2023 (classified by year of submission) by primary field. Considerable fluctuation appears in the number of papers in each category over the period considered. This reflects a combination of symposia in certain fields in certain years, trends in the profession, and general randomness. Differential publication numbers across categories typically reflects differences in submission rates rather than acceptance rates. In other words, the journal's editorial process does not systematically favor one subject area over another. Manuscripts are submitted to the Southern Economic Journal using Editorial Express. Once submitted, the manuscript enters a holding tank awaiting verification of the submission fee being paid, at which time it is transferred to me. I then conduct a preliminary screen to decide whether to desk reject the paper, with the primary considerations at this stage being the potential for general interest appeal and whether there are obvious methodological weaknesses. I assign manuscripts that pass this initial screening to a co-editor, with assignments being based on co-editors' fields of expertise, allowing for occasional exceptions to balance workload across editors or comply with conflict-of-interest rules. Co-editors are not assigned manuscripts authored by an individual at his or her institution, or by an individual with whom (s)he has a close professional or personal relationship. I serve as co-editor myself for some submissions related to health economics and general economics/teaching. All responsibility for handling the manuscripts, including the final decision, rests with the co-editor to whom the manuscript is assigned. Co-editors may issue their own desk rejections or solicit reports from reviewers. Manuscripts are reviewed using a single-blind process: the referees' identities are not disclosed to the authors. I am grateful to Hayley Wyatt, the journal's editorial assistant, for her outstanding handling of numerous aspects of the journal's day-to-day operations. The SEJ has a relatively large team of co-editors in order to adequately cover each specialized area of economics. The journal also has a team of associate editors who provide advice to the editors in cases where additional input is needed. Additionally, a number of former co-editors or Southern Economic Association presidents serve as senior associate editors, lending their expertise when needed. I am grateful to all of the editors for their hard work and commitment to timely and professional service. The current members of the editorial board are listed below. Co-Editors Daniel Arce, The University of Texas at Dallas Art Carden, Samford University Dhaval Dave, Bentley University Angela Dills, Western Carolina University Dora Gicheva, UNC Greensboro Jac Heckelman, Wake Forest University Stephen Holland, UNC Greensboro Georgia Kosmopoulou, University of Oklahoma Steve Lugauer, University of Kentucky Shakun Mago, University of Richmond Paul Pecorino, University of Alabama Kara Reynolds, American University Felix Rioja, Tulane University Joseph Sabia, San Diego State University Russell Sobel, The Citadel Associate Editors Spencer Banzhaf, Georgia State University Tibor Besedes, Georgia Institute of Technology Marco Castillo, Texas A&M University Nicolas Cachanosky, The University of Texas at El Paso Alison Cuellar, George Mason University Doug Davis, Virginia Commonwealth University Gianni De Fraja, The University of Nottingham Silvia Fedeli, La Sapienza University of Rome Julio Garin, Claremont McKenna College Vivek Ghosal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Arghya Ghosh, University of New South Wales Tom Husted, American University Michael Kofoed, United States Military Academy Oleg Korenok, Virginia Commonwealth University Brent Kreider, Iowa State University Adam Martin, Texas Tech University James Marton, Georgia State University Pia Orrenius, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Maria Pia Paganelli, Trinity University Tim Salmon, Southern Methodist University Sudipta Sarangi, Virginia Tech Jack Strauss, University of Denver Erdal Tekin, American University Bart Wilson, Chapman University Andrew Young, Texas Tech University Senior Associate Editors Chris Bollinger, University of Kentucky Eric Bond, Vanderbilt University Jim Cox, Georgia State University Cary Deck, University of Alabama Catherine Eckel, Texas A&M University Robert Feinberg, American University Jon Hamilton, University of Florida Kathy Hayes, Southern Methodist University Charles Holt, University of Virginia William Johnson, University of Virginia Kent Kimbrough, Duke University Sara Markowitz, Emory University KimMarie McGoldrick, University of Richmond Jenny Minier, University of Kentucky John Pepper, University of Virginia Pietro Peretto, Duke University Laura Razzolini, University of Alabama David Ribar, Georgia State University Christopher Ruhm, University of Virginia William Shughart, Utah State University Madeline Zavodny, University of North Florida My deepest appreciation also goes to the hundreds of referees who spent time and energy during 2023 reading and offering valuable comments on the manuscripts. Finally, I would like to thank the Southern Economic Association for funding the journal's operating expenses.