The Pop-Up Journal Initiative

A pop-up journal's primary goal is to answer a specific, well-scoped question, rather than to assemble thematically related research. Accordingly, they have some unusual features:

• Accessible synthesis essays attempting to answer the question based on available evidence
• Best guess estimates of quantitative answers to the question, with confidence intervals
• Publication of work that is not typically published in conventional journals, like replication studies and descriptions of new datasets
• Identification of important evidence gaps and proactive efforts to spur new research to fill them

Importantly, pop-up journals also recur over the course of several years. This enables researchers to conceive and execute original research projects with the goal of eventual inclusion in a pop-up journal issue; by contrast, special issues of traditional journals usually have a timeframe short enough that researchers need to have been working on the topic already in order to submit. Pop-up journals' recurrence also allows for the integration of new evidence into expert syntheses and best-guess answers, which provides a transparent window into how the state of knowledge is advancing over time.

In general, we believe this model better aligns incentives to reduce uncertainty and provide actionable answers to the policymakers and decision-makers that need them.

No. We seek strong project managers; disciplinary depth can derive from the Steering Committee. We expect the curator to primarily handle editorial and production responsibilities, while the Steering Committee sets research priorities, sources and curates issue content, and synthesizes the state of knowledge.

Each pop-up journal is run by a host institution working in partnership with a Steering Committee of domain experts and prominent decisionmakers. The host organization handles editorial and production responsibilities, while the Steering Committee sets research priorities, sources and curates issue content, and synthesizes the state of knowledge. Domain experts who wish to be involved in leading or contributing to a pop-up journal are encouraged to reach out to info@popupjournal.com.

The Steering Committee should consist of roughly 5-10 members, and will include prominent scholars in the relevant field as well as prominent decisionmakers who expect to use the research results.

The Steering Committee will set research priorities, source and curate issue content, and synthesize the state of knowledge. As such, members will be expected to critically evaluate the literature, and should be comfortable providing specific and actionable answers based on the available research and expressing those answers in the form of synthesis essays.

The journal will have no ideological preconceptions, and the same standard will be applied to any research published therein.

We anticipate one issue per year, or less, will be appropriate to cover advances on the big question, but we don't have any specific requirement. The rate of publication will depend on the host organization's vision for the project.

This will be determined at least in part by the vision of the curator. At a high level, we expect an issue to bundle 5-10 contributions (e.g. papers, commentaries, replication reports, datasets, dashboards) and an accessibly written expert assessment of the state of knowledge.

Primary research support will be available from outside funders. We expect the journal's steering committee to identify gaps, encourage the pursuit of relevant projects, and bring opportunities to the attention of the outside funders for support.

While we do not require the curator to directly award grants for research, a portion of the budget can be allocated to seed grants for situations in which the curator identifies a time-sensitive, high-leverage need that can be addressed with a small grant.

Yes – sub‑contracts are fine. We ask that vendors are identified and due diligence is summarised.

Co‑branding is fine as long as the Pop‑Up identity is prominent and outputs remain open‑access.

The first pop-up journal, focused on the Griliches Question (returns to R&D investment), is hosted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The project is led by co-Principal Investigators Tim Simcoe (Boston University) and Craig Garthwaite (Northwestern University).

Learn more on the Griliches Question page.

Funding for each pop-up journal is provided jointly by the initiative's sponsors. Budgets will generally be in the range of several hundred thousand to over one million dollars, covering both the curation contract and the funding of primary research. Specific amounts will vary depending on the scope and question of each journal.

Funds can be used for a range of relevant activities: direct labor, subcontracted editorial or technical support, steering‑committee honoraria, DOI/archiving fees, replication contracts, modest travel, seed grants, etc.

No single factor dominates. We expect to base decisions on:

• Vision for the pop-up journal format
• Ability to recruit outstanding experts
• A track record of executing projects in a timely fashion
• A professional reputation for impartiality, rigor, and expertise
• Budget

A complete steering committee does not need to be assembled in advance, as final selection may be undertaken in partnership with the funders and the Advisory Board once the host has been selected. However, the steering committee is perhaps the single most important element for the success of the initiative, so prospective hosts should be prepared to identify people who would be prioritized for recruitment into committee chair or membership roles.

Proposals are reviewed by the Advisory Board, as well as staff from the initiative's sponsoring organizations.

Any academic, non‑profit, or for‑profit entity is welcome if it can demonstrate plans and capabilities commensurate with the relevant tasks. This includes professional societies, repositories, libraries, publishers, research organizations, etc.

Consortia are also welcome; simply name one lead organization to sign and manage the contract. This opportunity is not restricted to US-based organizations, but selection is conditional on the completion of legal due diligence.

No. The Griliches Question journal is the first in a planned series, and is now hosted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). We hope to see this model taken up more broadly across topics and funders.

Yes. Prior hosts remain eligible for later pop‑up journals. Performance on earlier journals will weigh positively but not exclusively in future rounds.

popupjournal.com is the home base for the initiative, rather than for any given pop-up journal. Each host may maintain its own branded site or use an existing platform.

Email us at info@popupjournal.com! If you would like to run your own pop-up journal on a question of key interest to you or your stakeholders, we are happy to spread the word or share advice, resources, and contacts.

Or, if you would like to get involved as a partner in the existing iterations, we would be excited to discuss options.

Authors retain copyright to individual papers. Curator outputs (issues, datasets, code) should use CC‑BY 4.0 or similarly permissive licences.

Components of pop-up journal issues are expected to be open by default, with replication‑ready data and code stored in a public repository.