How to submit a manuscript to Perspectives on Labour and Income

Perspectives on Labour and Income is the Statistics Canada flagship publication that deals with labour market and household income issues. It has a diverse readership that includes policy makers, human resource professionals, consultants and academics in a number of disciplines, as well as journalists.

Quality assurance is an essential part of the publishing process for Perspectives, so authors must be prepared to make revisions.

Statistics Canada policy mandates both peer and institutional reviews. The institutional review focusses on the relevance and impartiality of each paper. Athough we can address topics important to public policy issues, we cannot advocate, or apppear to advocate, any given policies.

All papers submitted must be factual analyses supported by sound data collection and analysis. All numbers must be verified internally before publication, hence the need for the data to be well documented and readily accessible for replication and verification.

Appropriate use of data

To some extent, the appropriate use of data varies according to the subject at hand, the data available and the experience of the analyst. Within these constraints, however, analysts are expected to be as thorough and authoritative as possible.

In terms of concrete guidelines, one can imagine a base of necessary attributes that applies to all analyses and a range of practices that distinguish the better analyses. The latter often include:

• Innovative ways of combining data from different sources, which must include Statistics Canada.
• Extending existing models through their application to new data sources or variables.
• Application of new techniques to long-standing issues.

Specifications for submissions

Papers submitted for publication in Perspectives should follow some basic guidelines:

• Papers should be submitted in MS Word format and Excel (for tables and charts).
• The author's name and contact information should be indicated.
• Papers should be submitted in three separate files: One file for the text (a maximum of 15,000 words), one for the charts (with data), and one for the tables. No colours or shading should be used in the tables.
• Sources for all data must be clearly indicated.

Perspectives has the editorial expertise necessary to help analysts avoid grammatical errors and to ensure that articles are clear, concise and understandable to our readers.

Address submissions, questions or comments to perspectives@statcan.gc.ca. or to:

Perspectives on Labour and Income
Statistics Canada
170 Tunney's Pasture Driveway, 9-A6 Jean Talon
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6

Or contact the managing editor at 613-951-4608