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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 Methodology4* 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.