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The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were deep and widespread and the effects on research and researchers have been widely documented. This paper contributes to this literature through an investigation of the gendered and geographic impacts of the pandemic on the five Regional Studies Association (RSA) journals. With the cooperation of Taylor and Francis, the RSA’s journal publisher, we generate a database of manuscripts submitted between January 2018 and December 2022. Employing gender-estimating algorithms and geographic locations of lead authors, we explore overall submission patterns over this 5-year period, as well as trends in final editorial decisions by authorship characteristics, gender, and geography. We find evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily depressed manuscript submissions, with heterogeneous effects depending on journal, continent, and composition of authorship team. Moreover, we find strong evidence of persistent gender disparities in submission and acceptance rates that predate the pandemic. These findings contribute to ongoing discussions in the Regional Studies Association and elsewhere on identifying and effectively tackling persistent inequalities in academic publishing, and highlights areas where further support may be needed to ensure equity and inclusivity in academic and research practices.

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