Journal of Marketing Submission Guide
What submitting to Journal of Marketing actually requires: the AMA editorial structure via SAGE, the Research Article and Special Issue Article submission types, the substantive-managerial-relevance editorial bar, and the editorial culture that distinguishes JM from sister AMA journals (JMR) and INFORMS Marketing Science.
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How to approach Journal Of Marketing
Use the submission guide like a working checklist. The goal is to make fit, package completeness, and cover-letter framing obvious before you open the portal.
Stage | What to check |
|---|---|
1. Scope | Scope check |
2. Package | Formatting check |
3. Cover letter | Editorial screening |
4. Final check | Peer review |
Quick answer: This Journal of Marketing submission guide covers the operating contract for the AMA flagship marketing journal: the AMA-via-SAGE publishing structure, the Research Article and Special Issue Article submission types, the substantive-managerial-relevance editorial bar, and the editorial culture that distinguishes JM from sister marketing journals (JMR for empirical-methods focus, Marketing Science for quantitative modeling).
Run a Journal Of Marketing pre-submission readiness check before clicking submit, or work through this guide manually.
Journal of Marketing submission portal: submit through the official ScholarOne site at ScholarOne submission portal. AMA says manuscripts must be submitted online through the ScholarOne manuscript submission sites; email or mail submissions are not processed.
Required-artifacts submission checklist for Journal of Marketing:
- Main manuscript with title page, abstract, main text, tables, figures, and appendices prepared for ScholarOne upload
- Cover letter naming the manuscript type (New Submission or Special Issue Submission) and explaining the theory plus managerial-relevance contribution
- Abstract within the AMA/SAGE limit and written for a broad marketing readership
- Up to 8 primary keywords, plus ScholarOne topic and method selections
- Web appendix or supplementary files for robustness checks, stimuli, scales, model details, or additional analyses
- Data, code, and methodological materials prepared for the AMA Dataverse transparency workflow when applicable
- Conflicts of interest disclosure and funding statement
- Author contribution and author-order confirmation across coauthors
- Figures and tables placed or uploaded in a form ScholarOne can convert cleanly
- Reference list checked against AMA/SAGE style and recent JM/JMR/Marketing Science literature
Use this page if you're preparing a JM submission and want to understand the JM article types, the dual-bar requirement (theory + managerial relevance), and how JM differs from sister marketing journals. Before you submit, you should know which JM submission type your contribution fits and how to articulate managerial relevance in the cover letter.
From our manuscript review practice
JM's distinctive editorial bar is substantive managerial relevance, not just theoretical contribution. The journal explicitly requires both. Manuscripts that have strong theory but weak managerial implications, or strong managerial implications without theoretical contribution, face higher editorial-screen risk than at JMR (which weights methods more) or Marketing Science (which weights modeling more).
Journal of Marketing Editorial Triage Timeline (Day by Day)
A JM submission moves through ScholarOne intake, an editorial-office completeness check, an editor-in-chief fit screen, and reviewer routing before it reaches external review. The stages below show where a manuscript is most likely to be returned or redirected, and what each stage is actually testing.
The day and week ranges are Manusights planning estimates, not figures published by AMA or SAGE: the AMA and SAGE author pages describe an initial evaluation followed by double-anonymized peer review but give no stage-by-stage timings.
Day 0: ScholarOne intake
ScholarOne collects the manuscript type, title, abstract, author metadata, keywords, topic/method selections, files, and disclosure fields. Administrative return risk is highest when the manuscript is missing a required file, the abstract or title does not follow AMA/SAGE guidance, the web appendix is not separated cleanly, or the submission tries to bypass the online system.
Days 1 to 3: Editorial-office completeness check
The editorial office checks whether the package is process-ready. The common avoidable problems are the wrong manuscript type in ScholarOne (New Submission or Special Issue Submission), missing appendix files, author metadata inconsistencies, and a cover letter that does not say which type the submission is.
Days 4 to 10: Editor-in-chief and area fit screen
The editor screen asks whether the manuscript is a Journal of Marketing paper rather than a Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of International Marketing, or practitioner-only article. The first read tests theory contribution, marketing relevance, and managerial consequence together.
Days 11 to 21: Associate editor or reviewer-routing decision
If the first screen is credible, the paper is routed toward associate-editor and reviewer selection. Papers can still fail here if the methods, data, or theory frame does not match the claimed contribution. For empirical work, data/code transparency and appendix organization affect confidence before full review.
Weeks 4 to 10: External review or desk decision
Strong submissions move into full review. Weak-fit manuscripts receive a desk decision or redirection. The desk outcome is usually about contribution fit, not only formatting: JM needs a marketing-theory contribution that changes how managers, firms, or markets should be understood.
How this page was reviewed
We reviewed the JM page on AMA, the JM submission guidelines on SAGE, and recent issues. We see consistent patterns in Manusights submission reviews that match what the AMA/SAGE materials describe.
Before submitting to Journal of Marketing, a Journal of Marketing submission readiness check identifies whether the package meets the editorial bar before you commit to the submission.
Source limitations: official Journal Of Marketing journal and publisher pages define scope, article types, and submission mechanics, but they do not publish manuscript-level desk decisions for Journal Of Marketing; the patterns below combine public guidance, recent issue review, and anonymized Manusights pre-submission review work for this journal family.
JM at a glance
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
2025 Journal Impact Factor | 10.6+ |
Publisher | American Marketing Association via SAGE Publishing |
Editorial structure | Editor-in-Chief plus Associate Editor team |
Article types | Research Article (conceptual or empirical), Special Issue Article |
Submission portal | JM Manuscript Central |
Sister marketing journals | Journal of Marketing Research (AMA), Marketing Science (INFORMS), JAMS (Springer) |
ISSN | 0022-2429 (print) / 1547-7185 (online) |
DOI prefix | 10.1177/00222429* (paper-specific) |
Source: JM on AMA, Clarivate 2026 JCR release, accessed April 2026.
The article-type structure
SAGE and AMA list these JM article types:
Type | Best for |
|---|---|
Research Article | Conceptual or empirical papers on marketing questions; select New Submission in ScholarOne |
Special Issue Article | Papers written for an announced JM special-issue call; select Special Issue Submission in ScholarOne and name the special issue |
The author instructions list no separate Perspectives or Comments type for JM.
The strategic implication: choose the ScholarOne manuscript type that matches the paper and make the conceptual or empirical framing clear in the cover letter. JM welcomes conceptual articles, but SAGE says the key criterion is that they lead marketing in new directions by challenging conventional thinking; a forward-looking essay that does not meet that bar is not rescued by the type you pick.
How Journal of Marketing Compares to Peer Marketing Journals
Factor | Journal of Marketing | Journal of Marketing Research | Marketing Science | JAMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Publisher / owner | AMA journal published by SAGE | AMA journal published by SAGE | INFORMS | Springer / Academy of Marketing Science |
Best fit | Broad marketing theory with managerial relevance | Empirical methods, measurement, consumer and marketing research | Quantitative models, analytics, decision science | Broad marketing scholarship and strategy |
Editorial bar | Theory plus managerial relevance must both be visible | Method and empirical contribution carry more weight | Model, identification, and quantitative contribution carry more weight | Broad contribution and scholarly integration |
Common misroute | Strong method paper with weak manager consequence | Managerial relevance stronger than method contribution | Non-modeling paper using analytics language | JM-style managerial-theory paper sent for broader fit |
What to prove in the cover letter | Why marketing managers or firms should act differently and why theory advances | Why the method or empirical finding changes research knowledge | Why the model changes decision logic | Why the contribution is broad enough for marketing scholarship |
The dual-bar editorial requirement
JM's distinctive editorial position:
Both theoretical contribution and managerial relevance are required. Manuscripts with strong theory but weak managerial implications face redirection. Manuscripts with strong managerial implications but thin theoretical contribution face redirection.
The strategic implication: cover letters and introductions should articulate both bars explicitly. Authors who treat managerial relevance as a one-paragraph implications section after results face higher editorial-screen exposure than authors who weave managerial relevance throughout the framing.
What the editorial team is screening for at desk
Three operational signals govern editorial assessment:
1. Substantive theoretical contribution. JM requires substantive theory, not incremental extensions of established frameworks. The contribution must advance marketing knowledge beyond established literature.
2. Substantive managerial relevance. JM requires implications that genuinely inform marketing practice. Implications sections that read as afterthoughts face higher editorial-screen exposure.
3. Methodological rigor. Empirical work requires strong design and analysis. Conceptual work requires rigorous logic and integration of literature.
Recent JM research direction
Recent JM issues span:
- AI in marketing strategy and consumer interaction
- Sustainability, ESG, and stakeholder marketing
- Digital platforms, marketplace dynamics, and platform competition
- Branding and brand-consumer relationships
- Channel strategy and B2B marketing
- Marketing analytics and measurement
- Customer experience and journey
- Emerging marketing phenomena (creator economy, social commerce, generative AI)
For specific recent papers and DOIs, use the current issue list at the JM current issue, because article metadata changes as online-first papers move into issues.
Submission package essentials
Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
Manuscript | Research Article (New Submission) or Special Issue Article (Special Issue Submission) |
Cover letter | Articulates manuscript-type fit, theoretical contribution, and managerial relevance |
Abstract | Required: unstructured, 200 words (AMA and SAGE agree) |
Keywords | Marketing keywords reflecting strategic position |
Web appendix | Allowed for additional analyses, robustness checks |
Data and code availability | Required of conditionally accepted papers with numerical or computational work (JM Policy for Research Transparency); propose an alternative disclosure plan at initial submission if data cannot be shared |
Submission portal | JM Manuscript Central |
Readiness check
Run the scan against the requirements while they're in front of you.
See score, top issues, and journal-fit signals before you submit.
Timing expectations
- Initial evaluation: SAGE says every manuscript gets one, and it may be returned for amendments or desk rejected without peer review if out of scope or otherwise unsuitable
- Peer review: double-anonymized, and two independent reviews are required for a Revise or Accept decision
- Decision times and acceptance rate: the AMA and SAGE author pages we checked publish no figures for JM, so treat any week-count or revision-round count as an unofficial estimate
- After acceptance: SAGE publishes accepted articles through OnlineFirst, without waiting for assignment to a future issue
Get the process right from the source, then assess the paper on its own terms. The review tells you whether your paper clears the Journal of Marketing fit check before upload, especially around theory or managerial relevance treated as one-paragraph add-on, wrong section chosen, and wrong marketing journal chosen. Paid Manusights reviews include a 60-day money-back guarantee, and we do not train models on submitted manuscripts.
Decision risks before submitting to Journal of Marketing
Three patterns generate the most consistent rejections. This is the part of the page that goes beyond AMA/SAGE upload mechanics: the editorial screen is not asking only whether the manuscript is formatted correctly. It is asking whether the title, abstract, theory section, methods, results, managerial implications, web appendix, and cover letter all point to the same Journal of Marketing contribution.
Theory or managerial relevance treated as one-paragraph add-on
Journal of Marketing theory-managerial split. The most common near-miss pattern is a paper with a real theory contribution but a thin managerial-relevance path, or a paper with a strong managerial problem but no durable theory advance.
In JM-targeted manuscripts, this usually shows up early: the introduction sells an academic gap, the methods are competent, and the results are meaningful, but the cover letter and first two pages still do not say what a chief marketing officer, platform manager, brand team, sales leader, or policy stakeholder would do differently. The reverse version is also common: the paper has an interesting managerial problem, but the hypotheses, construct logic, and contribution paragraph do not change marketing theory.
The fix is to thread both bars through the abstract, introduction, theory development, empirical design, and discussion rather than saving manager relevance for one closing paragraph.
Wrong section chosen
Wrong Journal of Marketing section chosen. JM's author instructions list two article types, Research Article and Special Issue Article, and describe research articles as conceptual or empirical. We see desk-screen trouble when authors submit a forward-looking conceptual essay without the theoretical development JM expects of a conceptual article. The manuscript type and the conceptual or empirical framing should be visible in the cover letter, abstract, and manuscript structure.
If the article type is wrong, the editor has to do too much translation before the paper even reaches a reviewer.
Check wrong section chosen before submitting to Journal of Marketing →
Wrong marketing journal chosen
Wrong marketing journal chosen. JM competes with JMR, Marketing Science, JAMS, Journal of Consumer Research, and Journal of International Marketing, but the routing logic is not just prestige. A paper centered on identification, measurement, or empirical method may read as JMR even if it has marketing implications. A paper centered on a formal model or decision system may be a Marketing Science paper. A paper centered on international context may fit Journal of International Marketing.
In JM submissions, this route error is visible in the manuscript components: the literature review names the wrong conversation, the data appendix over-serves methods and under-serves managerial consequence, or the cover letter treats "top marketing journal" as the reason rather than proving JM-specific fit. The fix is to read five recent JM Articles in the same conversation, then rewrite the first page and cover letter around the dual theory-plus-managerial bar.
A JM manuscript readiness check can identify whether the dual-bar requirement, article-type fit, and managerial-relevance articulation align before submission.
Check wrong marketing journal chosen before submitting to Journal of Marketing →
Submit If
- the contribution has both substantive theoretical advance and managerial relevance
- the manuscript fits a JM article type (Research Article or Special Issue Article)
- methodology meets top-tier standards
- you've articulated managerial relevance throughout, not just in implications
- you've considered JMR, Marketing Science, or JAMS as alternatives
Think Twice If
- theoretical contribution is incremental
- managerial relevance is treated as an afterthought
- the abstract names a marketing phenomenon but the methods appendix does not support the claimed manager-facing decision
- the cover letter claims Journal of Marketing fit while the figures, tables, or web appendix read like a JMR or Marketing Science methods paper
- the natural venue is methods-focused (consider JMR)
- the natural venue is quantitative modeling (consider Marketing Science)
- the contribution is a forward-looking essay submitted as a Research Article without a clear JM theory contribution (SAGE says conceptual articles should lead marketing in new directions by challenging conventional thinking)
What to read next
- Is Journal of Marketing a good journal?
Related submission guides
Use these nearby guides when the target journal is still uncertain:
How this Journal Of Marketing guide was checked
For the related journal overview, see Journal Of Marketing submission guide. In our work on Journal Of Marketing submissions, we observe that editors specifically screen the abstract, first figures, cover letter, and evidence package for whether the manuscript answers the journal's stated fit test; our analysis of Journal Of Marketing pages treats those checks as submission-risk signals, not as official guidance.
Author guidelines tell you how to submit. They do not tell you whether you should. Weigh Journal of Marketing before I reformat against closer-fitting venues.
Last verified: 2026-10-10 against JM and SAGE editorial pages.
Frequently asked questions
Submit through the JM Manuscript Central system. The journal is published by the American Marketing Association via SAGE Publishing. SAGE lists two article types for JM, Research Article and Special Issue Article, and describes research articles as conceptual or empirical.
Substantive marketing research with both theoretical contribution and managerial relevance. Topics span strategic marketing, consumer behavior at the strategic level, marketing strategy and performance, branding, channels and B2B, marketing analytics, and emerging marketing-strategy topics. JM positions itself as the broadest top-tier marketing journal.
JM (managerial relevance + theory + broad empirical/conceptual scope) competes with JMR (empirical methods and analytics focus) and Marketing Science (quantitative modeling). JM's distinctive editorial bar is substantive managerial relevance, requiring authors to articulate practical implications beyond academic contribution.
SAGE lists two article types for JM: Research Article and Special Issue Article. JM's two main kinds of research article are conceptual articles and empirical articles. Select New Submission for a regular paper and Special Issue Submission only for a paper written to a special-issue call (AMA submission guidelines). The author instructions list no separate Perspectives or Comments type.
The AMA and SAGE author pages we checked give no decision-time or acceptance-rate figures for JM. SAGE says every manuscript gets an initial evaluation (it may be returned for amendments or desk rejected), then double-anonymized peer review, and that two independent reviews are required for a Revise or Accept decision. Treat any week-count you see, including Manusights planning estimates, as unofficial.
JM is a hybrid AMA/SAGE journal. Subscription publication normally does not require an APC, while optional SAGE Choice open access may carry a publisher APC unless covered by an institutional agreement. Verify the current SAGE fee before submission.
Sources
- Journal of Marketing on AMA
- JM submission guidelines on SAGE
- Journal of Marketing on SAGE, SAGE Journals.
- AMA journals submission guidelines, American Marketing Association.
- Clarivate 2026 JCR release (IF and ranking)
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