British Academy of Management

Getting Published in IJMR

Co-editors: Oswald Jones & Caroline Gatrell

First reviews journal of its kind in Management Sub-disciplines

Broadly focused: HRM; OB; IM; SM; Operations; Man. Sci.;

IS; Acc & Fin; Marketing

State of the Art Reviews: Specific aspect of sub-discipline, e.g.

HRM, Appraisal systems

Launched 1999

4 Issues per year (approx 24 articles)

Current Impact Factor 3.333 (4.981) 20th /172 in Management 13th /116 in Business

IJMR: History & Impact

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Impact

Global Readership

downloads

Australia/NZCanadaChinaEuropeJapanRest of WorldUKUS

23%

US

Rest ofWorld

Europe

China

Oz/NZ Canada

Japan

9%

14%

20%

25%

6%

3%

0.5%

UK

Percentage of Articles Accepted/Rejected

Percentage of articles returned for further work 10%

Percentage of articles rejected without sending for review 69%

Percentage of articles sent to Associate Editors for review 25%

Total percentage of articles rejected 89%

Percentage of articles accepted (of all submissions) 6%

Percentage of articles withdrawn by authors 5%

Approximately 300 articles submitted each year.

Why Review the Literature?

•Precursor to empirical research ▫Establish current state of knowledge▫Critically evaluate previous contributions▫Identify ‘research gaps’ ▫Demonstrate your competence as a

researcher▫Provide a context for your research▫Provide an intellectual framework (theory)

Test existing theory Develop a ‘new’ theory

▫Define the research questions

Why Review the Literature for IJMR?•Precursor to empirical study (PhD etc)

▫Establish the current state of knowledge▫Critically evaluate previous contributions▫Identify research gaps/research questions

•Developing a new research trajectory▫Evaluating the current state of knowledge▫Evidence-based management (perhaps)

•Enhancing your career▫Good literature reviews attract citations

Benefits of publishing in IJMR

Having a clear overview enables scholars to articulate and spotlight areas where the research field may most ‘fruitfully direct its attention’ (Webster and Watson 2002: xiv, see also Baumeister and Leary, 1997). Time to produce major literature review is when topic area is mature: an ‘accumulated body of research exists that needs analysis and synthesis’ (Webster and Watson 2002: xiv; Baumeister and Leary, 1997).

Benefits of publishing in IJMR

Potential IJMR authors may be experienced researchers who have completed a literature review prior to leading a major research project. Or, they may be early career scholars who have a clear and up-to-date knowledge of an existing body of literature, such as those who have recently completed their doctoral studies (Baumeister and Leary, 1997).

Benefits of publishing in IJMR

•As PhD students, you will develop a clear and substantial overview of your field, which facilitates the identification of patterns and gaps within the literature. You will be ‘ahead of the game’ in this respect

•A review paper can offer you a springboard or platform from which to launch your research

Benefits of publishing in IJMR • Özbilgin et al.’s (2011) IJMR review ‘work-life

balance, diversity and intersectionality’ led to IJMR ‘Emic Approach to Intersectional Study of Diversity at Work: A Bourdieuan Framing, and later paper in Human Relations ‘The tragedy of the uncommons: Reframing workforce diversity’

• Gatrell’s (2011) transdisciplinary review, ‘Managing the Maternal Body’: platform for the introduction of socio-cultural constructions of maternity and employment to management and organization studies – later paper in Human Relations

How to write for IJMR

Need to join discussion on at least two levels:obvious gaps, or where disciplinary silos exist: no synergies between related research arenas [for example among and between organizational psychology and the sociologies of family and work life balance, as in the previous example of Özbilgin et al.’s (2011) paper].

How to write for IJMR

Equally, you might review literatures in an emerging, or rapidly changing arena, which is sufficiently mature to warrant a review, but where there is potential for developing stronger ‘theoretical foundations’ (Webster and Watson 2002:xiv).

How to write for IJMR

•Need to be clear where you are joining the debate and in particular, how and where you are joining existing debate in IJMR.

• See Gatrell, C. J., Burnett, S. B., Cooper, C. L., & Sparrow, P. (2013). Work–Life Balance and Parenthood: A Comparative Review of Definitions, Equity and Enrichment, IJMR  15(3), 300-316 and how this links with Özbilgin, M. F., Beauregard, T. A., Tatli, A., & Bell, M. P. (2011). Work–life, diversity and intersectionality: a critical review and research agenda.IJMR 13(2), 177-198.

How to write for IJMR

•Critically analyse literature. Set it in the wider context of the field

•Be explicit about how you are joining the debate in your field and how your research moves things forward

•Identify how you made decisions about what to include (your methods)

• Read guidelines and look at existing reviews

•Consider writing with your supervisor

Structuring the review

Literature review

Key sources Key theories and concepts

Epistemological &ontological issues

Main problemsto date

Structure & organizationof the topic

Origins & definitions of topic

Political standpoints

Major issues& debates

Status of journals

Key authors

Reviewing the literature?

Constructivism PositivismCritical realism

Traditional Meta- Realist Meta- Metanarrative ethnography synthesis narrative analysis

Systematic literature reviews Conceptual papers Bibliometric analysis

• IJMR papers dominated by traditional narrative and SLRs• More innovatory approaches to literature reviews in business & management

Reasons for IJMR Rejections• Based on our experience as editor (desk rejections)

▫ Did not read the author guidelines▫ Did not read any papers from the journal

Includes empirical data Too short (less than 5000 words) Conceptual paper without adequate literature review Topic not appropriate for IJMR Field of study not mature – limited papers/status of journals Bibliometric analysis (effectively a ‘list’)

▫ Rejections by reviewers Literature review too descriptive (and insufficiently analytical) Review poorly organized – no clear sequence/flow Did not cite key sources Citations not up-to-date Misinterpreting or misrepresenting key contributors No significant contribution to knowledge

• Good lit reviews central to publication in business and management

What makes an IJMR Article?o Is field/sub-field mature to warrant an extensive review? o Is the review coherently bounded? o What has been included/excluded?

o A synthesis & evaluation of existing state of knowledge?o A categorisation of themes and sub-themes?o A complete analysis of the literature?

oContrasting methods/methodologieso Strengths and weaknessesoAgreement and disagreements

oAuthoritative conclusions about the current state of literature?oDoes the review identify gaps & future research directions?o Clear about contributions to theory, practice & policy?

•Key contact details:•Managing Editor:

▫Emma Missen: ijmr@bam.ac.uk ▫Website:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-2370

▫Journal Submission:▫http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijmr

•Editors:•o.jones@liverpool.ac.uk •c.gatrell@lancaster.ac.uk

Questions