Skip to main content

Field Guide

Top Economics & Management Journals

Journals for economics, management theory, organizational research, and business-school scholarship. This guide covers 2 journals with impact factors, acceptance rates, review timelines, and open access costs - everything you need to choose the right venue for your research.

2
Journals Covered
1
Elite / Top Tier
1
Strong Options
0
More Accessible

Journal Comparison Table

JournalTierImpact FactorAcceptance RateReview TimeOpen Access
Academy of Management Perspectives
AMP
Top Tier6.9Not published by the journalNot published by the journalSee details
Tourism ManagementStrong Option14.57%14 days to first decisionSee details

Found your target journal - now check if your manuscript is ready

Most desk rejections come down to scope and framing, not the science itself. Start with the Free Readiness Scan to check your manuscript against what economics & management editors actually look for before you commit to a submission.

Start with the Free Readiness Scan. Unlock the Full Review from $39, with local pricing shown before checkout. If you need deeper submission planning, choose the Submission-Ready Dossier.

Private API processing. Your manuscript is not used to train models.

Run my Free Readiness Scan →

Understanding Journal Tiers

Top Tier

Tier 1 journals in this cluster require a field-level contribution. AER needs cross-subfield economics relevance; AMR needs a genuinely new management-theory argument.

Strong Option

Tier 2 journals are usually better when the work is excellent but more field-specific, empirical, or practitioner-facing than the flagship expects.

Accessible

Tier 3 journals can still be strong homes when the paper is narrower, methods-forward, or better suited to a specialized audience.

Publishing in Economics & Management

Economics and management journals often reject strong papers because the manuscript is aimed at the wrong kind of contribution. AER wants broad economics consequence across subfields. AMR wants theory development in management and organizations, not empirical testing. The submission decision is therefore less about prestige alone and more about whether the paper's evidence, theory move, and reader audience match the journal family.

Guidance by Career Stage

🎓 Graduate Students

Use elite economics and management journals only when the senior author and evidence base justify the risk. A wrong flagship target can cost months.

🔬 Postdocs

Make the contribution class unmistakable in the abstract and first pages: cross-subfield economics for AER, theory development for AMR.

👨‍🔬 Principal Investigators

Build a deliberate venue ladder. Treat AER, AMR, AEJ-family, AMJ, Annals, Discoveries, and Perspectives as distinct routes rather than interchangeable prestige labels.

⏱️ Review Timelines

Desk decisions can be relatively fast when the contribution class is wrong. Peer-reviewed submissions commonly take months, especially when reviewers ask for new theory framing, robustness work, or substantial restructuring.

🔓 Open Access & Costs

Many economics and management flagships remain subscription or society-published journals with separate policies for fees, accepted manuscripts, and open access. Confirm the journal-specific policy before submission.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ✕Submitting a subfield economics paper to AER without a cross-subfield case
  • ✕Submitting empirical management research to AMR instead of AMJ
  • ✕Treating literature organization as theory development
  • ✕Using the cover letter to summarize the paper instead of resolving the fit decision

Frequently Asked Questions

When is AER the right target?

AER is strongest when the manuscript speaks to economists across multiple subfields and the contribution is not only a specialist extension.

When is AMR the right target?

AMR is the right target for theory-development manuscripts in management and organizations. Empirical work belongs elsewhere, usually AMJ.

What is the most common fit mistake?

Authors choose the highest-prestige journal before deciding the contribution type. The better sequence is contribution type first, journal family second, prestige third.

Latest Journal-Specific Guides in This Field

Journal • Submission guide
Technological Forecasting and Social Change Submission Guide
A practical Technological Forecasting and Social Change (TFSC) submission guide for foresight and innovation researchers evaluating their work against the journal's scope and methodological standards.
Tourism Management • Review timeline
Tourism Management Review Time: Decision and Revision Planning
Plan a Tourism Management submission around current Elsevier timing data, limited community context, and theory-driven revision work.
Tourism Management • Submission guide
Tourism Management Submission Guide
A practical Tourism Management submission guide for tourism researchers evaluating their work against the journal's theory-driven and managerial-relevance bar.
Journal • Review timeline
International Journal of Production Research Review Time: First Decision and Revision Planning
IJPR review time looks fast in Taylor & Francis metrics but can be much longer for reviewed papers when decision-aid fit, real-life application, and reviewer routing are contested.
Journal • Submission guide
International Journal of Production Research Submission Guide
What submitting to Taylor & Francis International Journal of Production Research actually requires: the Taylor & Francis Submission Portal, the sister T&F production journals (PPC and IJCIM) as alternative venues, the single-anonymized review by two independent experts, the 12,000-word Research Article limit, and the routing distinction from IJPE (Elsevier), POMS, and JOM.
Journal • Review timeline
Research Policy Review Time: First Decision and Revision Planning
Research Policy review time is shaped by a high desk-screen filter, double-anonymized review, field-fit routing, and whether the paper makes a real innovation-studies contribution.

More Guides in This Field

Journal • Submission guide
Annual Review of Psychology Submission Guide: Invitation-Only Path & Redirect
What submitting to Annual Review of Psychology actually requires: the invitation-only editorial model, the emailed topic-proposal path that many Editorial Committees consider at their annual meetings, the publisher's own timeline from invitation to publication, the article length set in each invitation letter, and the Psychological Bulletin redirect for authors without an invitation.
Journal • Submission guide
Human Relations Submission Guide
A source-checked Human Relations guide for theoretical and empirical contribution, work context, data disclosure, anonymity, and package readiness.
Journal • Submission guide
ISR Submission Guidelines (2026): Information Systems Research Abstract, Contribution Statement and Article Types
What submitting to Information Systems Research actually requires: the 300-word abstract limit, the 500-word contribution statement required in every cover letter since June 2023, the article-type structure (Research Articles, Commentaries, Notes), and the INFORMS publishing structure.
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Accounting Research Submission Guide
A source-checked JAR guide for contribution, research design, data and code transparency, disclosure, submission fees, and package readiness.
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Applied Psychology Submission Guide
What submitting to Journal of Applied Psychology actually requires: the APA publishing structure, the theory-development editorial bar, the multi-study programmatic-research preference, and the editorial culture distinguishing JAP from sister psychology and OB venues (JOB, JPSP, JOM).
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Business Research Submission Guide
What submitting to Journal of Business Research actually requires: the Elsevier publishing structure, the high-volume editorial model, the multi-special-issue structure, the broad-business-research scope, and the editorial culture distinguishing JBR from sister business / management venues.
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Consumer Research Submission Guide: ScholarOne, 60-Page Cap & Statement
What submitting to JCR actually requires: the mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jconres portal, the 60-double-spaced-page cap with the Consumer Relevance Statement counted inside it, the Step-6 ScholarOne field where the Statement is entered and shared with the review team, why JCR sets no study count, and the routing distinction from sister consumer-research and marketing venues.
Journal • Manuscript prep
How to Write a Journal of Economic Theory Cover Letter (With Template)
The Journal of Economic Theory cover letter has one job: make the theoretical contribution legible as an economics result and route the paper to the right co-editor. Here is the template, the required declaration, and the openers that work.
Journal • Review timeline
Journal of Economic Theory Review Time: First Decision and Revision Planning
Journal of Economic Theory review time is shaped by a fast editorial screen, single-anonymized peer review, a four-month response aim, and a long acceptance path for successful papers.
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Economic Theory Submission Guide
What submitting to Journal of Economic Theory actually requires: the Elsevier publishing structure, the micro-theory specialist editorial position, the mathematical-rigor bar, and the editorial culture distinguishing JET from sister theoretical / general-econ journals.
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Finance Submission Guide
What submitting to the Journal of Finance actually requires: the 60-page rule, the AFA fee structure, why a cover letter is usually a mistake at JF, and the editorial bar the editors are screening for.
Journal • Submission guide
Journal of Financial Economics Submission Guide
What submitting to Journal of Financial Economics actually requires: the Elsevier publishing structure, the broad-finance editorial scope, the relationship with sister top-3 finance journals (Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies), and the editorial culture distinguishing JFE from these venues.

Ready to submit? Check your manuscript first.

Start with the Free Readiness Scan to review your scope, significance framing, methods, and literature coverage against economics & management journal standards before you submit.

Start with the Free Readiness Scan. Unlock the Full Review from $39, with local pricing shown before checkout. If you need deeper submission planning, choose the Submission-Ready Dossier.

Private API processing. Your manuscript is not used to train models.

Run my Free Readiness Scan →