(Alternative title: I'm not being lazy or behind the times, it just takes a long time for research to be published).
It can take at least 6 months, or sometimes as long as 5 years, from the time that an economics paper is written to the point at which it is published. Why is that?
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Step 1: Write the paper. This may take a few weeks/months depending on the difficulty. During the semester, when I'm also teaching, I typically don't get much/any research done. Once I’ve written the first draft, I show it to a bunch of people for feedback (which can take a week to a month, depending on how busy everyone is). I then rewrite it. At this point, it's called a "Working Paper". Proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: Submit the paper to a journal. If the journal is not a predatory/vanity publication, the editor will first review the paper to make sure it is a good fit with the journal (each journal has a theme and an audience). If the editor decides that the paper is not a good fit, they will reject it. This is called a "Desk Reject". This process may take a month. Repeat Step #2 if a Reject decision is received, otherwise proceed to Step 3.
Step 3: If the editor decides the article has potential, they will select outside people who have more expertise in the field ("reviewers" or "referees") to read and comment ("referee reports") on the paper's method and contributions. In economics, this part usually takes 3-9 months. Proceed to Step 4, while beginning Step 1 for a new paper.
Step 4: Once all the referee reports are returned to the editor, the editor will make the decision to reject the paper, accept the paper "as-is", or issue a revise-and-resubmit decision (an "R&R"). At this point, a reasonably "fast" decision since step #2 is 3 months, though 6-9 months is the more likely range. If the paper is rejected, return to Step 2, otherwise proceed to Step 5.
Step 5: The R&R is exactly what it sounds like: I need to revise the paper based on comments from the referees. R&R's are never just “writing” corrections: the comments can be very extensive, requiring more data, or more tests. The process can take several more weeks/months depending on how extensive the R&R is. It is not uncommon in some fields that the responses to the referees becomes 200 pages---when the original work was only 20-30 pages. Proceed to Step 6.
Step 6: Re-submit the revised paper, including a separate file detailing responses to all referee comments. The editor will once again read through the paper. If the changes substantially weakened or change the paper they may decide to reject the paper. If they don’t, they will once again send it out to the referees, who will read the new work. This may take 1-6 months. Referees may have more comments (leading to a second R&R), may advise rejection, or may advise acceptance, or advise another R&R. Second R&R are not unheard of, third round R&R's are every person's nightmare. Notice that if you get a second R&R, you'll be under review at the journal for almost a year. Repeat Step 2 for a rejection, Step 5 for an R&R, and proceed to Step 7 if accepted.
Step 7: Once accepted, the paper will be published. Depending on the journal, this may happen as quickly as a month, other times it may take a year. Most journals now have "advanced access" online to articles before they are officially published. Some journals require that readers pay a fee to access the articles. To be clear, this fee goes entirely to the journal: not the author, referees, or the editor that put the journal together.
Notice that in economics, if all goes well, it usually takes at least 6 months for a paper to get published after it’s been written. And that assumes that the first journal you submit it to accepts it. A long but “normal” publication time can be 2-5 years depending on the sub-discipline.
The good news? As part of the pushback against this, many economists will post their working papers online (and keep updating them) as soon as they are written back in Step 1. (You can always find a list of my working papers on my website). This is unlike many other academic fields where the work is kept guarded and secret until publication. We will also go to conferences and seminars and present our working papers to others in the profession.
If you're looking for the current frontier of economic research, look to working paper sites (SSRN or Economic Papers are two places to start). However, be aware that working papers may have errors in them: so if possible also check out the journal versions when they become available.
