Concept & Scope
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.
While we expect formal curation bids to come from institutions or groups rather than individuals, we encourage domain experts who wish to be involved in the organization and curation of the pop-up journal to engage in the bid process. Two ways you might do so:
- Reach out to potential institutional partners who are planning to bid or may be interested in bidding, and arrange to be listed as a steering committee chair or member within their bid.
- Send an email directly to info@popupjournal.com expressing your interest and qualifications; we may be able to help match you with organizations that are submitting formal bids.
The SC should consist of roughly 5-10 members, and will include prominent scholars in the field as well as prominent decisionmakers who expect to use the research results. For the Griliches Question, examples could include:
- Respected academics researching the economics of innovation;
- Current or former representatives of the US Congressional Budget Office, which is responsible for scoring how federal funding for R&D affects the federal deficit;
- Current or former members of bodies like the US's House Appropriations Committee and the UK's HM Treasury that are responsible for weighing whether to spend more money on R&D as opposed to other worthy causes;
- Current or former members of government departments and cabinets that decide which R&D funding to prioritize and propose.
As mentioned above, the SC 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. Instead, bidders should outline their plans for the rate of publication in their 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. Bids that include this item can budget up to $100,000 for seed grants of roughly $5,000-$15,000 each.
Yes – sub‑contracts are fine. We ask that you identify vendors and summarise due diligence in your final bid.
Co‑branding is fine as long as the Pop‑Up identity is prominent and outputs remain open‑access.
Funding & Bidding Mechanics
The Sloan Foundation and Open Philanthropy have jointly pledged $1 million for this effort – including both the curation contract and the funding of primary research. We expect that competitive bids for curation will fall substantially below this total amount.
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. Other costs can be proposed and discussed during the bidding process.
To submit an LOI, email info@popupjournal.com with a 1-3 page PDF that covers: (i) your vision for the journal and how it will help answer the Griliches Question; (ii) an overview of your strategy for recruiting a steering committee and structuring the journal's primary work; (iii) names/affiliations of key personnel; (iv) an approximate total cost and primary budget items.
A webinar will be held on July 9, where more information will be provided and interested bidders can ask any remaining questions. Following the LOI process, the organizing team will review submissions and will invite a subset of interested bidders to submit full bids.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 16 June 2025 | Opportunity announcement |
| 9 July 2025 | Informational webinar for interested bidders (fill out this form to receive an invite link) |
| 25 July 2025 | Letters of intent due |
| Mid-August 2025 | Responses to Statements of Intent |
| 19 September 2025 | Full applications due |
| Late October 2025 | Contract announcement |
Evaluation & Selection
No single factor will dominate. We expect to base our decision 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
- Bid price
More details can be found here.
A complete steering committee does not need to be listed as part of the bid, as final selection may be undertaken in partnership with the funders and the Advisory Board once the contract has been awarded. However, the steering committee is perhaps the single most important element for the success of the initiative, so bids should include names of people who would be prioritized for recruitment into committee chair or membership roles. Bidders are welcome to provide letters of support, or other evidence of interest from those listed.
Letters of intent and full bids will be reviewed by the Advisory Board, as well as staff from the Sloan Foundation & Open Philanthropy.
Any academic, non‑profit, or for‑profit entity is welcome to bid for a curatorial contract 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 of the winning bid is conditional on the completion of legal due diligence.
An Abundance of Pop-Up Journals
No. The Griliches Question journal is the first in a planned series. We expect to release an RFP for the next question in 2026, and hope to see this model taken up more broadly across topics and funders.
Yes. Prior contractors remain eligible for later Pop‑Ups. Performance on the first contract 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 curator may host 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.
Intellectual Property & Openness
Authors retain copyright to individual papers. Curator outputs (issues, datasets, code) should use CC‑BY 4.0 or similarly permissive licences; if you plan to deviate from this guidance, you should explain why in your bid.
Components of pop-up journal issues are expected to be open by default, with replication‑ready data and code stored in a public repository.