Different type of publication
Writing RICS Foundation Papers
Writing Our Common Estate Papers

Different types of publication

We publish two fully refereed academic journals - RICS Papers, which have been relaunched to include the previous Paper Series and Review Series, and Our Common Estate. You can read more about these below. We also commission stand-alone reports which are published periodically. It is now also possible for you to submit more discursive work through our online 'Comment' section. Further to these, the Foundation also produces 'briefing notes' and 'FiBRE', which stands for Findings in Built and Rural Environments, n and provides a summary of many of our publications in a more quickly digestible format.

For more information about opportunities to publish your work with the RICS Foundation, or if you would like assistance in finding what you are looking for, please contact our Editor, Matt Prescott - matt@rics-foundation.org

Writing RICS Foundation Papers

The mission of the RICS Foundation is to explore the ways in which the operation of the land, property and construction markets can support moves towards achieving objectives of sustainable development. Sustainable development is the search for socially, economically, technically and politically feasible development trajectories towards living within the capacities of our ecological support systems. As such, it is a pathway to change, rather than a goal to be achieved.

To promote and encourage debate and discussion on these issues, the RICS Foundation is launching the RICS Foundation Papers. The aim of RICS Foundation Papers is to:

• promote new thinking on the relationship between the land, property and construction markets and sustainable development
• analyse and critically assess research and innovation to date
• place these findings in the context of professional activity

RICS Foundation Papers are published in two complementary Series:

Research Papers

Research Papers can range from fundamental theoretical research work through to innovative practical applications of new and interesting ideas and are aimed at stimulating debate and discussion on new approaches, insights and techniques. Papers in the series are not constrained by length and authors are encouraged to develop their arguments in such a way to ensure its effective presentation. Papers that are published in this Series should not simply provide an analysis of existing and past trends but should seek to consider in a structured way what the implications and impact of these trends are on efforts to achieve sustainable development in land, property and construction processes.

Papers are invited from researchers from any background or discipline.

Structure of papers

The aim of the RICS Foundation in publishing and promoting Research Papers is to seek to encourage change in the way in which the built environment is viewed and the way in which those responsible for its management and development function. The structure of the papers published depends to an extent on the nature of the topic being addressed. However, there is a requirement that all papers will have a concluding section which:

• assesses the potential impact, either positive or negative depending on the nature of the research, of the application of the results of the research in efforts to move towards sustainable development
• describes the processes and procedures that would need to be employed to bring about implementation

It is recognised that some papers are of a purely theoretical, rather than empirical, nature. However, authors are still required to speculate as to the possible impact of the application of the theoretical issues discussed.

It is the responsibility of the author to draft this section - please note that papers that do not have this section will not be published.

Editor
Professor Les Ruddock
University of Salford
Editor, RICS Foundation Research Papers
School of Construction and Property Management
University of Salford Salford
Lancs
M5 4WT
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)161 295 4208
Fax: +44 (0)161 295 5011
Email: l.ruddock@salford.ac.uk

Review Papers

Ever-increasing amounts of research is published and busy practitioners stand no real chance of identifying that which is relevant to them, and analysing how it can be applied to their work. The RICS Foundation Review Papers bring together leading academics and practitioners to provide concise and accessible guides to existing research in areas of specific relevance and concern to practice, written and produced in a style that is easy to assimilate Papers in this Series will provide an indication of the contribution that the effective application of research can make to a specific area of practice and identify and analyse the specific research which has a particular relevance to practice.

Structure of papers

The structure of each individual publication is as follows. It should be noted that the indications of proportions of the total are merely meant to be indicative, and are not prescriptive.

• Overview of the topic - this will:
  • introduce the overall topic
  • identify the key research areas relevant to practice
  • indicate the contribution that research makes to an understanding of the topic, both in terms of the methodology employed in the analysis and the value of the output of the analysis
• This should consider the issues not simply from the point of view of research, but from the wider viewpoint of the current situation in practice. (Approximately 10%)
• Critical review of current research in the key areas identified; this will analyse the most relevant research and assess it in terms of its contribution to the topic. This should relate to the section above, where the more important elements of the topic in practice terms are identified. (Approximately 40%)
• Implications of research for practice; this should cover the practical difference that the results of the research can make and some indication of what would be necessary to achieve that. In order to achieve this, it will also give an indication as to how to interpret the messages contained in the research. It is anticipated that this section would be produced in collaboration with an appropriate practitioner. (Approximately 40%)
• Guidance on availability and interpretation of material. Practitioners operate in a different environment from the academic research community, and their knowledge of sources and ability to obtain material will, inevitably, be different. Thus, if this document is to be of full value, some guidance will need to be given on how and from where to obtain material. (Approximately 10%)
• Bibliography; divided by type of material (e.g. learned papers, books, technical articles, databases etc) No indication of the proportion of the total is given for this, as the length of this is very dependant on the amount of material that has been produced.

In total, each publication should not exceed approximately 7,500 words and in most cases would be shorter than that.

Editor
Dr Christine Pasquire
University of Loughborough
Editor, RICS Foundation Review Papers
Department of Civil and Building Engineering
Loughborough University
Ashby Road
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 3TU
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 (0)1509 222895
Fax: +44 (0)1509 223981
Email: c.l.pasquire@lboro.ac.uk

Submission of material

The Editors welcome original papers which fall within the aims and scope of the series and which are as concise as the subject matter permits.

A cover page should provide the title of the manuscript, the author's name, position and institutional affiliation, together with the address for correspondence: in the case of co-authors, names and affiliations and addresses should be clearly indicated. Correspondence will be sent to the first-named author unless otherwise specified. In order to enable the publisher to do everything to enable prompt publication, the email address should be given for the author who will check the proof, along with postal address, telephone and fax numbers where possible. Any acknowledgements desired should also be placed on the cover page.

The first page of the text should begin with the title only, without the author's name, and a summary of no more than 200 words. This should summarise the whole paper and not the conclusions alone. To assure anonymous review, authors should not identify themselves, directly or indirectly, in the text.

Illustrations, tables and footnotes can be difficult to transfer between computer applications. We therefore ask that where illustrations and complex tables are to be used, the author should contact publishing@rics-foundation.org to discuss the best means of publication. Footnotes should be avoided if possible; where used they should be numbered consecutively with superscript Arabic numerals. If the paper refers to questionnaires or other research instruments which are not fully reproduced in the text, authors must also make a copy accessible to the RICS Foundation, again consulting publishing@rics-foundation.org. Where research instruments are not fully reproducible, a note must be inserted in the text indicating the address from which the complete research instrument is available.

Literature citations should use the following system:

In the text: (Edwards 1988) or (Edwards 1988: 2-3)

At the end of the paper:

Cutler D F and Richardson I B K (1989). Tree Roots and Buildings (2nd Edition) London: Longman
Edwards G H (1988) Subsidence, Landslip and Ground Heave. London: Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters
Johnson G (1990) Managing Strategic Change: The Role of Symbolic Actions. British Journal of Management 1(4): 183-200

Works by the same author should be listed in order of publication. Where reference is made to more than one work published by the same author in a single year, the suffix, a, b, etc. should follow the date, thus: (Bloggs 1993b). If an authors name is mentioned in the text, it need not be reproduced in the citation, thus "Johns (1990: 185) claims..."

Authors should submit their paper by email to publishing@rics-foundation.org

Assessment

All papers submitted are double blind refereed by the RICS Foundation panel of referees to the highest of academic standards. Decisions on which series to publish papers in are made on their suitability to the aims of the series rather than on any judgment of quality - the same quality threshold is applied to papers published in both series. The difference lies in the aims and objectives of the series.

No manuscript or figures will be returned unless a request for return is made when the manuscript is submitted.

Copyright

Copyright in all contributions which are published will be vested in the RICS Foundation. It is the author's responsibility to obtain and supply with the manuscript permission to quote from copyrighted sources.

Copyright in all contributions will be vested in the RICS Foundation. A copy of the Publishing Agreement, signed by the author, must accompany every article submitted. For multi-authored contributions, only one author need complete the Agreement on behalf of the co-authors, undertaking to inform them. Copies of the Agreement can be obtained from the Editor.

Promotion and publicity

The objective of the RICS Foundation in launching this initiative is to seek to make a real difference. Publication of the papers marks the start of the process by which the messages contained in the papers are promoted to key audiences from academic, practice and policy backgrounds, through the use of:

• press and media releases
• targeted meetings with key people
• professional launches

All papers are published in electronic form on the RICS Foundation website - www.rics-foundation.org

For all papers published, a FiBRE (Findings in the Built and Rural Environments) will be produced and distributed to targeted audiences. Authors will be provided with 50 copies of FiBRE.

Editorial advisory board

The editorial advisory board draws its membership from among both leading academics and practitioners, to ensure that the aims and scope of the Series remains both academically rigorous and relevant to the needs of practice. The members are:

• Les Ruddock, University of Salford
• Christine Pasquire, Loughborough University
• Stephen Brown, RICS Foundation

Panel of referees

All papers that are submitted to the Series are assessed by at least two members of the panel of referees as well as practitioners identified by the RICS Faculties and Forums in the case of papers that are thought to be appropriate to be published as a Review Paper.

Our Common Estate is a major refereed research paper series published by the RICS Foundation. To view the papers click here.

The aims of the Our Common Estate Series are to:

• combat disadvantage and inequality in our use of natural and built resources
• put forward best practice in the management and operation of land systems and markets
• focus on the worldwide aspects of research, policy and practice within the built and natural environments

A fundamental aspect of human existence is the freedom to enjoy the fruits of land, in its various forms, through the provision of shelter, through the production of crops, as a possession and as a source of income. It is, however, one that is denied to a significant proportion of the world's population.

Whether it be in towns, cities or in the countryside, the issues are acute. The RICS Foundation is committed to contributing to the alleviation of inequality and disadvantage in the use of our natural and built resources.

It is the intention of the RICS Foundation, as the leading professional institution worldwide for the built and natural environments, through the publication and promotion of this Series, to:

• draw attention to the issues relating to all aspects of land and built environment policy, tenure and use that affects the most disadvantaged regions and groupings within society
• examine the impact of current and historical policy and practice towards land management and development in this context

Based on the academic rigour provided by the editorial team and the worldwide membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the overall objective of the Series is to use the papers published in the Series to engage in real debate at the local, regional, national and international level to seek to bring about positive change.

Papers should not be confined solely to developing countries and regions – it will also be the case that papers that look at the situation of disadvantaged groupings within developed countries and regions will be appropriate for the Series. A key criterion for publication, though, is that papers extend arguments, take the debate forward and be solution focused.

The Vision

The Series is concerned with examining, and seeking to highlight, differences in the way in which we all have access to land and land resources and the relationship that this has with economic, political and social structures.

It is inevitable and perhaps understandable that this issue has been explored mainly in the context of institutional structures with a particular emphasis on Less Developed Countries (LDCs). There is a dearth of research which looks at:

• the impact of disadvantage in developed countries, especially in urban areas
• empirical-based research in LDCs
• the impact of land management and tenure policies on land markets and low-income groups

Urban areas of LDCs have become characterised, rightly or wrongly, as being dominated by informal land and property institutions, the absence of documented information on transactions, the low quality and haphazard development of neighbourhoods and so on. There is, however, a dearth of empirically based research on the dimensions and forces underlying these issues. What, for instance, is the extent of the informal property market? Are decisions of players influenced by economic forces in the same way as they are in formal and ordered markets? Who are the players in the market? What are their income levels? Are the low standards we observe the optimum, given income levels? To what extent do governments' attempts to solve perceived land/property problems through regulation of standards impact on urban household housing choices? There are many questions left unanswered. It should not be forgotten that these questions often are not adequately addressed in the context of the land and property markets in developed countries.

The Foundation, through its Editorial Board, intends to publish research papers that shed light on these issues. We look forward to receiving contributions.

It is the intention that the papers published in the Series make a significant contribution to the world wide body of knowledge through the rigour of the research presented and, in order to achieve this, all papers submitted to the Series are fully double blind refereed.

The Editor welcomes original papers which fall within the aims and scope of the Series and which are as concise as the subject matter permits. For guidance, papers should be in the range of 20 - 80 pages in length.

Copyright in all contributions will be vested in the RICS Foundation. A copy of the publishing agreement must be obtained and signed by the author and should accompany every article submitted. For multi-authored contributions, only one author need complete the agreement on behalf of the co-authors, undertaking to inform them. Copies of the agreement can be obtained from Matt Prescott.

One copy of each manuscript should be submitted to Matt Prescott, in electronic format if possible:

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7334 3894

All research papers tendered for publication by the Foundation must have a separate 2000 word summary document attached, which will be published separately within our FiBRE Series. This summary document has a standard format, which can be seen by visiting FiBRE on the publishing page.

Additional Material

Illustrations, tables and footnotes should be supplied on separate sheets grouped at the end of the manuscript, with a note of their location in the text. Each tabletale or figure should bear an arabic number and a title, and should be reasonably interpretable without reference to the text. Illustrations and complex tables should be to a standard appropriate to publication, for example in Excel format. Footnotes should be avoided if possible; where used they should be numbered consecutively with superscript arabic numerals. If the manuscript refers to questionnaires or other research instruments which are not fully reproduced in the text, authors must also submit four copies of the complete research instrument. Where research instruments are not fully reproduced, a note must be inserted in the text indicating the address from which the complete instrument can be obtained.

Literature citations should be made in a uniform style in text and footnotes, and follow the Harvard System with (Name, Date) in the text and an alphabetical list of references at the end of the manuscript, thus:

In the text: (Edwards, 1988) or (Edwards, 1988, pp2-3)

At end of paper:

Cutler, D.F. and I.B.K. Richardson (1989). Tree Roots and Buildings (2nd Edition) Longman, London

Edwards, G.H. (1988) Subsidence, Landslip and Ground Heave. Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters, London.

Johnson, G. (1990) 'Managing Strategic Change: The Role of Symbolic Actions'. British Journal of Management, 1, pp 183-200.

Works by the same author should be listed in order of publication. Where reference is made to more than one work published by the same author in a single year, the suffix, a, b, etc. should follow the date, thus: (Bloggs 1993b) If an authors name is mentioned in the text, it need not be reproduced in the citation, thus Johns (1990, p 185) claimsÖî

Further Information and Help

If any of the above detailed information is unclear, please contact Matt Prescott, Editor, RICS Foundation, matt@rics-foundation.org who will be pleased to help.

It is the author's responsibility to obtain and supply with the manuscript permission to quote from copyrighted sources.

Five copies of each published Paper will be supplied free of charge to the first named author.

Publishing Agreement

An example copy of the Publishing Agreement is available here. Printed copies of the Agreement can be obtained from the RICS Foundation  

Publicity and Dissemination Strategy

The RICS Foundation is committed to publicising the papers published in this Series. To achieve this, the Foundation, as a matter of course, will:

• circulate details of all papers published to the relevant electronic mailing list(s)
• publicise each paper as it is published through "Chartered Surveyor Monthly"
• publish relevant digests electronically
• publish a pdf format of the paper(s) on the Foundation web site

To be included on the Our Common Estate Research Paper Series mailing list, please send an e-mail to publishing@rics-foundation.org with 'Our Common Estate list' in the subject line.

Beyond this, the RICS Foundation seeks to ensure that the papers published in the Series are effectively promoted both to the appropriate general audiences and to specific individuals.

The dissemination strategy for papers published in the Our Common Estate Research Paper Series involves:

• sending copies of the published papers to the learned and technical press
• targeting particular individuals and institutions of special relevance to the report being published, both within the UK and overseas
• providing the author with the opportunity to purchase copies at a discount for his or her own distribution

The RICS Foundation seeks the help of authors in this in the following ways:

Technical and Trade Press

The published report is sent automatically to the main technical journals, under a covering letter from the editor of the "Our Common Estate Research" Paper Series. Authors are requested to provide:

• details of any other journals to which it should be sent
• the names and contact details of two people who could act as spokespeople for this report in any subsequent dealings with the press. These spokespeople should not have been involved in the research, although they must be aware of the details of the research and be able to offer a view on it

Learned Journals

Review copies are automatically sent to the main learned journals in the property, economics and development fields. Additional suggestions are welcome, especially when such journals are published outside of the UK.

Targeted Individuals

Papers will be sent to up to ten influential individuals to whom it is of particular relevance. There should be a reasonable balance between academics and those from other backgrounds, such as private practice, government and research institutes. These can be based both in the UK and overseas, as appropriate. Names for both of the above should be provided to 

Matt Prescott
Editor
RICS Foundation
12 Great George Street
London, SW1P 3AD, UK
matt@rics-foundation.org

Editor