You will be asked to update your details if you have registered before and are logging into AJG 2018 for the first time.

 

Register/Login to view the guide

AJG 2021: Despite a challenging year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the academic expert team and everyone involved in the AJG have continued working on the next edition of the Guide. We expect to publish AJG 2021 this summer.

The purpose of the Academic Journal Guide

The AJG is a guide to the range and quality of journals in which business and management academics publish their research. Its purpose is to give both emerging and established scholars greater clarity as to which journals to aim for, and where the best work in their field tends to be clustered.

The AJG is based upon peer review, editorial and expert judgements following from the evaluation of publications, and is informed by statistical information relating to citation.

We advise that users read the AJG's Methodology to understand the aims of the 2018 edition and how journal ratings are judged.

Download the Methodology

4* Journals of Distinction
Within the business and management field, including economics, there are a small number of grade 4 journals that are recognised world-wide as exemplars of excellence. As the world leading journals in the field, they would be ranked among the highest in terms of impact factor. The initial paper selection and review process would be rigorous and demanding. Accepted papers would typically not only bring to bear large scale data and/or rigour in theory, but also be extremely finely crafted and provide major advances to their field.

4
All journals rated 4, whether included in the Journal of Distinction category or not publish the most original and best-executed research. As top journals in their field, these journals typically have high submission and low acceptance rates. Papers are heavily refereed. These top journals generally have among the highest citation impact factors within their field.

3
3 rated journals publish original and well executed research papers and are highly regarded. These journals typically have good submission rates and are very selective in what they publish. Papers are heavily refereed. These highly regarded journals generally have good to excellent journal metrics relative to others in their field, although at present not all journals in this category carry a citation impact factor.

2
Journals in this category publish original research of an acceptable standard. For these well regarded journals in their field, papers are fully refereed according to accepted standards and conventions. Citation impact factors are somewhat more modest in certain cases. Many excellent practitioner-oriented articles are published in 2-rated journals.

1
These journals, in general, publish research of a recognised, but more modest standard in their field. A 1 rating is a useful indicator in that it indicates the journal meets normal scholarly standards, including a general expectation of peer review. Papers are in many instances refereed relatively lightly according to accepted conventions. Few journals in this category carry a citation impact factor.

Journals within the AJG 2018 were assessed by an international panel of subject experts, listed here.

The AJG Scientific Committee membership for the 2021 edition of the Guide is outlined in the table below. Beyond their primary subject area of appointment, subject experts may serve in a boundary-spanning capacity, providing input in other subject areas where they have expertise.

Field Subject Expert
Accounting Professor Marcia Annisette, York University, Seymour Schulich School of Business
Professor Mark Clatworthy, University of Bristol, School of Economics, Finance and Management
Professor Christine Cooper, Strathclyde Business School
Business and Economic History Professor Mark Casson, University of Reading
Professor Geoffrey G. Jones, Harvard Business School
Economics, Econometrics
and Statistics
Professor Jerry Coakley, Essex Business School
Professor Robert Taylor, Essex Business School
Professor Tim Worrall, University of Edinburgh, School of Economics
Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Management
Professor Susan Marlow, Nottingham University Business School
Professor Becky Reuber, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Finance Professor Marco Pagano, University of Naples Federico II
Professor Nick Taylor, University of Bristol, School of Economics, Finance and Management
Professor John Wilson, University of St. Andrews School of Management
Professor Steve Foerster, Ivey Business School, Western University
General Management, Ethics, Gender and
Social Responsibility
Professor Peter Bamberger, Tel Aviv University, Coller School of Management
Professor Caroline Gatrell, University of Liverpool Management School
Professor Susanna Khavul, San Jose State University/London School of Economics
Professor Henk Volberda, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Business School
Human Resource Management and
Employment Studies
Professor Pawan Budhwar, Aston Business School
Professor Fang Lee Cooke, Monash Business School
Professor Adrian Wilkinson, Griffith Business School and University of Sheffield
Information Management Professor Joe Nandhakumar, Warwick Business School
Professor Cathy Urquhart, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School
Innovation Professor Silvia Massini, University of Manchester Alliance Manchester Business School and Manchester Institute of Innovation Research
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas, Queen's Management School, Queen's University Belfast
International Business and Area Studies Professor Jedrzej George Frynas, Open University
Professor Heinz Tüselmann, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (Chair)
Management Development and Education Professor David Collings, Dublin City University Business School
Professor Ken Starkey, Nottingham University Business School
Marketing Professor Adam Lindgreen, Copenhagen Business School
Professor Paurav Shukla, Southampton Business School
Operations and Technology Management Professor Cipriano Forza, University of Padua
Professor Christine Harland, Politecnico di Milano
Professor Ian McCarthy, Simon Fraser University, Beedie School of Business
Operations Research and Management Science Professor David Lane, Henley Business School
Professor Maria Paola Scaparra, Kent Business School
Organisational Studies Professor Nic Beech, University of Dundee
Dr Amanda Shantz, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Business School
Psychology (General) Professor Julie Aitken Schermer, University of Western Ontario
Professor Barbara Summers, Leeds University Business School
Psychology (Organisational) Dr Julie Gore, University of Bath
Professor David Guest, King’s Business School, King’s College London
Professor Karoline Strauss, ESSEC Business School Paris
Public Sector and Health Care Professor Rhys Andrews, Cardiff Business School
Dr Ian Elliot,  University of Northumbria, Newcastle Business School
Regional Studies, Planning and Environment Professor Gary Cook, University of Leeds
Professor Phillip McCann, Sheffield University Management School
Sector Studies Professor Peter McKiernan, Strathclyde Business School
Professor Stephen Page, Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire
Professor Colin C Williams, Sheffield University Management School
Social Sciences Professor Robert Andersen, University of Western Ontario
Professor Julie Froud, University of Manchester Alliance Manchester Business School
Strategy Professor Sotirios Paroutis, Warwick Business School
Professor Ram Mudambi, Fox Business School, Temple University

The editorial team are responsible for developing the methodology, undertaking analysis of journal metrics, and authoring the AJG.


Co-Editors in Chief

Professor Geoffrey Wood, Head of DAN Management at Western University in Canada
Professor James Walker, Henley Business School

Chief Methodologists

Professor Marc Goergen, IE Business School, Madrid
Professor Andrew Simpson, Sheffield University Management School

Methodologist

Neil Kellard, Essex Business School

Chair of the Scientific Committee

Professor Heinz Tüselmann, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

The AJG is overseen by the Management Committee, which reports into the Chartered ABS Council.

Professor Angus Laing
,
Dean, Lancaster University Management School, UK (Committee Chair)

Professor Robert Galliers,
The University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Bentley University, USA

Professor Barbara Sporn,
Head of Institute for Higher Education Management, WU Vienna University of Economics & Business, Austria

Professor Robina Xavier,
Executive Dean, QUT Business School, Australia

Professor Donald Siegel,
Arizona State University, School of Public Affairs

Professor Eric Chang,
The University of Hong Kong

Barney Roe,
Director of Communications & External Relations, Chartered Association of Business Schools

Applications to the Academic Journal Guide open once every three years. The window for submissions for the 2021 edition was open in 2019 and is now closed.