Section policy
Papers in this section focus on “transformation knowledge.” Transformation knowledge helps shape the transformation from a given current state of development, human–nature interactions, institutional arrangements, etc, to a more sustainable form of mountain development. Papers should address a multi-disciplinary community of development-oriented researchers, policy-makers, decision-makers, project planners, and people in educational institutions. The audience is thus a broader one than for a purely academic paper. The review criteria focus more on the applicability and legitimacy of findings for development than on the scientific originality and replicability of results.

Mountain Development articles offer insights into well-researched and validated development and policy experiences, exploring the transferability of these experiences across mountain contexts. They can also present findings of practice-oriented research aimed at coping with development challenges in mountain regions.

Manuscripts should present innovative experiences, approaches and recommendations for sustainable mountain development. They should be embedded in the relevant national or international debate. Results should be presented based on sound facts, systematized procedures and well-founded arguments. Papers should offer “short and crisp” key messages for practitioners, policy-makers, and decision-makers.

Review questions for MountainDevelopment papers

1. Content

• Does the paper present innovative development approaches/methods that help shape the transformation towards a more sustainable situation?
• Are new evidence-based insights presented for a mountain development/policy community?
• Is the paper a unique/important/useful contribution to the relevant national/international debate?
• Does the conclusion contain “short and crisp” key messages for practitioners, policy-makers, and/or decision-makers?
• Is the approach/method transferable to other mountain regions?
• Are insights into the knowledge production/sharing process among different stakeholders presented?
• Do the references point to key papers (academic, policy, development) and are they adequate?

2. Methods

• Is the work sound from the point of view of concept and method?
• Is the validation of the approach/method presented (eg systematically assessed experiences, validation through the communities concerned, etc)?
• Are the research methods comprehensible for an audience of practitioners and policy-makers?

3. Structure and format

• Is the paper concise and well structured?
• Is it written in a style accessible to a broader audience?
• Are the title, abstract, and keywords appropriate?
• Are the figures, tables, maps, etc relevant and accurate?

4. Additional comments

Any additional comments are very welcome.