Manuscript Processing Overview
Manuscripts and all associated files should be electronically submitted via the online portal at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmstudies. Manuscripts must be prepared and formatted according to the journal’s manuscript guidelines. Attention to these guidelines will speed up the review process and increase the likelihood that a submission will be favourably reviewed by the reviewers, editors, and ultimately the journal’s readers. During the submission process, authors may suggest reviewers or express a preference for a handling Editor; these requests will be considered but remain at the discretion of the Editorial Office and Editors.
Submission of a manuscript implies a commitment to publish in the journal. A manuscript can only be submitted to JMS if it has not been published elsewhere, nor is it under consideration by another journal. Authors who are in doubt about what constitutes prior publication should consult the Editorial Office.
JMS applies the iThenticate system to all manuscripts that are sent to reviewers. By submitting your manuscript to this journal, you accept that your manuscript may be screened for overlap with previously published works.
JMS does not prohibit, in principle, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate text and/or research questions and ideas, analyse data, or for other purposes within a submission. JMS does expect author(s) to be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated materials and requires that author(s) be transparent and specific regarding the use of AI in any form.
The use of AI must be declared and detailed, preferably within the methods or data sections of the paper, and if further explanation is needed, this may be included elsewhere in the paper. The latter could include wider uses of AI such as in language copy-editing. Should JMS Editors believe that the declared use of AI has compromised the research integrity or methodological approach of the submission, they may reject the paper. This would include the production of inaccurate information generated by AI, as well as failure to disclose the use of AI in the paper.
More detail on the JMS policy on AI use can be found here in addition to Wiley’s broader statement on AI use, which can be found here.
Authors who submit manuscripts to JMS are also expected to reciprocate by serving as reviewers for the journal if called upon to do so.
Manuscript Processing Overview
When a paper is first received, the Editorial Office will screen it to ensure all necessary components have been included in the submission, if not, it will be returned to the author(s) alongside a request for the missing information.
Once the submission has been processed, the Editors will evaluate the suitability of the manuscript for JMS. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria or are judged to be too weak (e.g. methodological flaws, lacking relevant literature, limited theoretical contribution) may be rejected and returned to the author(s) at this point. Authors of a manuscript that is not placed into the peer review process will receive a letter with feedback on the decision and, where appropriate, suggestions for further development of the manuscript. JMS Editors are committed to providing timely and constructive feedback to authors to ensure an effective and efficient review process. Typically, this decision takes no more than one week.
Resubmissions of a manuscript previously rejected by JMS will not be considered except where the Editor has indicated that a resubmission of a new, completely revised manuscript on the topic is encouraged.
If a manuscript passes the initial editorial evaluation, the Editor will assign three expert reviewers; these may be drawn from the journal’s editorial review board or other qualified reviewers. All submissions sent out for review are subject to a double-blind peer review process. It is therefore important that the author(s) prepare their manuscripts in such a way that the author(s) cannot be identified. Authors should avoid specific references to themselves or to their own work in the manuscript. The review process varies in length, but typically, we aim to provide a decision on the manuscript with constructive and developmental feedback to authors within three months.
When authors are asked to revise and resubmit a manuscript, they are typically asked to complete their revisions within four months to keep manuscripts actively in process. However, there may be circumstances in which the author(s) need more time, in which case they should contact the handling Editor or Editorial Office (business.jms@durham.ac.uk) regarding any extensions.
When authors resubmit their revised manuscript, they are asked to enclose a separate point-by-point reply to the Editor’s decision letter and to the reviewers’ comments. Where there has been no contact from the authors of a manuscript after one year, any subsequent resubmission may be treated as a new submission. Authors will be notified via email if their paper is approaching this deadline. Typically, manuscripts will be revised two to four times before acceptance.
Editors at JMS endeavour to make a publication decision after the second revision, whenever it is feasible to do so. In some cases, manuscripts may need additional revisions before an acceptance decision can be reached. As methodological rigour, theoretical contribution, and appeal to a general audience of management and organizational researchers are important features of manuscripts published in JMS, the handling Editor will consult a second member of the editorial team at or beyond the second revision stage to ensure consistency in the editorial decision-making process. This second Editor may provide further comments and input for the development of the manuscript, but the final decision on the manuscript remains with the handling Editor.
Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, it will be passed to Wiley for production. When the accepted manuscript has been received by Wiley, the corresponding author will receive an email from Wiley’s Author Services system which will present them with the appropriate license for completion. Manuscripts cannot be published until Wiley has received the signed license agreement.
Typically, manuscripts will appear online within one month of acceptance, and in print within one year of acceptance.
Any queries at any point in the process can be directed to the Editorial Office (business.jms@durham.ac.uk), who will be happy to advise, update or receive feedback.
Criteria for Publication in JMS
An important expectation for publication in JMS is that articles must make a strong theoretical contribution. Meaningful new implications or insights for theory must be present in all articles, whether such implications or insights are derived from empirical research, or from the conceptual synthesis of recent advances and novel ideas into new theory. Submissions should clearly signal and communicate the nature of their theoretical contribution in relation to the existing management and organizational literatures.
Submissions may build upon or use different epistemological positions, research traditions and methods. The hallmark of JMS is its openness to approaches ranging from positivism to interpretive and critical research. However, each submission should (a) explicitly signal its theoretical and – if relevant – methodological position and (b) maintain congruity with this position in the conduct and reporting of research. We also welcome research at different levels of analysis, including individuals, groups, organizations and the networks or societies in which organizations are embedded. The openness of the journal to different approaches encourages authors to make their articles accessible to the journal’s wide-ranging readership. Whilst submissions may be focused on a particular specialized literature or set of ideas, they should be written in such a way that our general readers are able to understand the ideas and arguments presented.
Empirical articles published in the journal must be methodologically rigorous and techniques for data collection and analysis should be reported in line with the accepted conventions for a particular method. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are welcome. However, in line with the journal’s emphasis on management practice, we do not publish empirical investigations based only on student samples or research that solely relies on models that simulate behavior within and between organizations (e.g. agent based modeling, game theory models).
Problematic elements of a study’s research design or methods (e.g. small sample sizes or a lack of controls for common method bias in survey research) are usually difficult to revise in response to reviewer concerns once the study has already been completed. Authors are therefore advised to seek peer review when they design and conduct their study as well as when they write up their results for submission to the journal.
JMS Article Types
Original Articles (Empirical or Conceptual)
Manuscripts that are submitted to the journal must meet the highest standards of academic excellence and must develop a ‘value-added’ theoretical contribution to our knowledge about behaviour within organizations or about organizations and their environments. Hence, the typical JMS article is sufficiently grounded in extant theory and literature, original and innovative in its analysis and theoretical synthesis, and strong on implications for management research and practice.
Format
Paper Length: 9,000-12,000 words typically; anything exceeding 15,000 words may be returned to the author(s) for reduction before they will be considered by the Editors.
Required: Title page, abstract, keywords.
To submit a paper: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmstudies
Review Articles
JMS Review Articles provide a synthesis and critical appraisal of a particular research field, providing a theoretically-driven review and integration of an important area of research, and opening up or redirecting lines of research. The development of a research agenda and/or a conceptual framework as a guide to future research is an essential part of such state-of-the-art Reviews. In addition, the methodological approach for the review, and the theoretical implications for research should be clearly described.
Format
Paper Length: 9,000-12,000 words typically; anything exceeding 15,000 words may be returned to the author(s) for reduction before they will be considered by the Editors.
Required: Title page, abstract, keywords.
To submit a paper: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmstudies
JMS Says
JMS Says is a regular section of JMS featuring carefully selected essays intended to catalyse new thinking. In contrast to traditional theorizing, our interest is not in extrapolating extant research to carefully construct new theory, but rather in the subjective and interpretive reflections of individual essayists on the variety and possibility of management scholarship. JMS Says are valued for being interesting and provocative, not for being ‘correct’ or for conforming to the conventional wisdom. They seek to generate new debates and discussions.
A 300-word proposal should be submitted for review by the JMS Says Editors. If successful, the author(s) will be invited to submit a full draft. JMS Says receive only editorial review. Please note that, in order to ensure that a wide range of voices are heard, if authors have previously had an essay accepted at JMS, then there will be a three-year period from the date of acceptance, in which the authors may not submit another essay proposal.
Format
Proposal Length: 300 words.
Paper Length: 3,000 words.
Required: Title page. No abstract or keywords. References should be used sparingly. There should be no footnotes or endnotes.
To submit a proposal: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmstudies
Point-CounterPoints
The ‘Point-Counterpoint’ section captures a current debate about management or organizations. Articles in this section debate theoretically and empirically challenging issues or topics, synthesizing recent advances and ideas into fresh theory and/or new methodological approaches. The initiative for the development of a ‘Point-Counterpoint’ may come from the Editors, or through an informal proposal from prospective authors to the editors.
A proposal should describe the relevance, scope and contribution of the debate, including the different positions of the respective authors on the issue or topic and the proposed outcome of the debate. Proposals should consider not only the Point article, but also the CounterPoint article(s) and who would write them. Given that the format showcases diverse perspectives on an issue, we strongly encourage overall diversity in the author teams, including but not limited to gender, ethnicity, geography, and/or career stage.
The proposal will be reviewed by the Editors and, if successful, the author(s) will be invited to submit a full draft. PCPs typically receive only editorial review. It is expected that a Point-CounterPoint will also form the basis of a JMS Dialogues online event.
Format
Proposal Length: no more than 5 pages typically
Paper Length: 9,000-12,000 words typically for a Point; ~7,000 words for a CounterPoint.
Required: Title page, abstract, keywords.
To submit a proposal: business.jms@durham.ac.uk
Pre-Submission Support
Authors for whom English is a second language may choose to have their manuscript professionally edited before submission to improve the English. Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design. All services are paid for and arranged by the author; use of one of these services does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication.
Author Services
Online production tracking is available for your article through Wiley’s Author Services. Author Services enables authors to track their article – once it has been accepted – through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated emails at key stages of production. The author will receive an email with a unique link that enables them to register and have their article automatically added to the system. Please ensure that a complete e-mail address is provided when submitting the manuscript. You will be asked to sign a publication license at this point as well as pay for any applicable APCs. Visit Author Services for more details on online production tracking and for a wealth of resources including FAQs and tips on article preparation, submission and more.
Copyright
If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
WALS + standard CTA or Open Access
Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies: Note that the journal’s standard copyright agreement allows for self-archiving of different versions of the article under specific conditions. You may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright agreement, or Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons License.
Standard re-use and licensing rights vary by journal. Note that certain funders mandate a particular type of CC license be used. This journal uses the CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons License.
Article Promotion Support
Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.
Author Name Change Policy
In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.