Competitiveness Review: Scopus Indexing, Metrics, Scope & Submission Guide

Quick Answer: What Is Competitiveness Review?

Competitiveness Review is an international scholarly journal published by Emerald Publishing. Its official aims and scope describe the journal as a platform for academic research and conceptual policy dialogue on the competitiveness of locations, using a cross-disciplinary and globally oriented perspective.

The journal's print ISSN is 1059-5422 and its electronic ISSN is 2051-3143. Emerald lists the title in Scopus, the Emerging Sources Citation Index, EconLit, EBSCO Business Source Complete, INSPEC, and several other abstracting and indexing services. The journal uses double-anonymous peer review and, when a paper proceeds to external review, Emerald states that it is normally sent to at least two independent referees.

Researchers should consider the journal when the manuscript makes a clear contribution to competitiveness research at the level of countries, regions, cities, clusters, industries, or other locations, including work on economic development, innovation capacity, institutions, business strategy, multinational enterprises, public policy, and sustainability. Before submission, authors should verify the latest author guidelines, metrics, indexing and open-access charges on Emerald's official site.

Key Takeaways for Prospective Authors

• Publisher: Emerald Publishing; ISSN 1059-5422 and eISSN 2051-3143.
• Core scope: competitiveness of locations, interpreted through economic, institutional, strategic, policy, innovation and sustainability perspectives.
• Scopus: the journal is listed by Emerald as ranked/indexed in Scopus; supplied Scopus Source ID: 5700185098.
• Current publisher-reported metrics: 2025 CiteScore 11.1; 2025 Impact Factor 3.2; 2025 five-year Impact Factor 3.6.
• Peer review: double-anonymous; suitable submissions are sent to at least two independent reviewers.
• Length: articles should normally be 5,000–7,000 words, including abstract, references, tables, figures and appendices, with 250 words allowed for each figure or table.
• Open access: hybrid gold OA is optional after acceptance; Emerald's 2026 hybrid APC is £3,222 / US$4,351 / €3,710 plus applicable VAT. Green self-archiving is also available without an APC.
• Submission: the corresponding author must submit directly through the journal's ScholarOne system accessed from Emerald; third-party proxy submission is not permitted.

Competitiveness Review at a Glance

What This Journal Guide Covers

• the journal's aims, scope and competitiveness framework
• subjects and manuscript themes that are more likely to align
• Scopus and other indexing information
• current metrics that can be verified from the publisher
• article types, word limits, abstract, keywords, figures, tables and references
• double-anonymous peer review and publication timelines
• open-access routes, APCs and the standard non-OA option
• ethical policies, AI-use expectations and author responsibilities
• a journal-fit checklist and practical submission workflow
• ethical ways Contentxprtz can support manuscript readiness without guaranteeing acceptance

Methodology and Sources

This profile was prepared from the supplied journal record and the current official Competitiveness Review page on Emerald Publishing, including its aims and scope, author guidelines, editorial information, indexing and metrics, peer-review description, and publication-timeline data. Open-access pricing was checked against Emerald's current 2026 open-access pricing page. The supplied Scopus Source ID was used to identify the intended source record.

Journal metrics, APCs, editorial teams, indexing coverage and submission policies can change. The values on this page are therefore dated, and authors should reconfirm any criterion that matters to a university, funder, promotion committee or doctoral programme immediately before submission.

What Does Competitiveness Review Publish?

Competitiveness Review defines competitiveness broadly as the combination of factors, institutions and activities that allow a location to sustain prosperity while enabling firms based there to compete successfully. This location-centred definition is important. It means the journal is not limited to a single discipline, but it does expect submissions to connect their evidence and argument to a meaningful competitiveness question.

The official scope is deliberately cross-disciplinary and global. It welcomes work using varied methodologies and covering locations at different stages of economic development. Emerald specifically notes interest in sustainable-development themes, including work connected with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Core themes named by the journal

• definitions and conceptual frameworks of competitiveness
• competitiveness diagnostics, indicators and rankings
• competitiveness and economic outcomes
• sustainable-development strategies and policies, including eco-innovation and circular-economy questions
• specific dimensions and endowments of competitiveness
• competitiveness and economic development
• location and business strategy
• international business and the role of multinational enterprises
• innovation and innovative capacity
• clusters and cluster initiatives
• institutions for competitiveness
• public policy, including innovation, cluster and regional-development policy

In practical terms, the scope can accommodate quantitative, qualitative, conceptual, comparative, policy-oriented and case-based research, provided the competitiveness contribution is explicit. A technically strong paper that merely measures firm outcomes without establishing why the findings matter to competitiveness may be less aligned than a paper that connects firm-level mechanisms to location, institutions, regional ecosystems or national competitiveness.

Who Should Consider Submitting?

The journal may be a plausible target for researchers in international business, strategic management, economic development, regional science, innovation studies, entrepreneurship, public policy, institutional economics and sustainability when the manuscript addresses a clear competitiveness problem. It may also suit interdisciplinary teams combining management with economics, geography, policy, data science or environmental research.

PhD scholars should not select the journal simply because it is Scopus-indexed or has a strong recent CiteScore. A better selection process starts with the research question, unit of analysis, theoretical contribution, methods and likely readership. Read several recent papers and ask whether your manuscript participates in the same scholarly conversation while adding something distinct.

How to Judge Whether Your Manuscript Fits

As a practical publication-readiness step, compare your title, abstract and contribution statement with several recent Competitiveness Review articles. Do not imitate them; use them to understand the level at which authors frame competitiveness, the methods represented, and the balance between theory, empirical evidence and policy or managerial implications.

Recent Research Signals From the Journal

Recent Emerald-listed articles show that the journal's competitiveness lens can be applied to contemporary topics such as sustainable foreign direct investment, energy diversification, industry-level raw-material challenges, digital and green innovation in multinational enterprises, regional competitiveness analysis, financial literacy, digital transformation and firm performance. These examples suggest breadth, but they do not remove the need for a precise scope match.

The useful inference for authors is that topical novelty alone is insufficient. A manuscript on fintech, digitalisation, sustainability or internationalisation is more likely to fit when it explains how the phenomenon changes competitiveness, resilience, location advantage, institutional capacity or related outcomes central to the journal's mission.

Is Competitiveness Review Indexed in Scopus?

Yes. Emerald lists Scopus among the journal's rankings/indexing sources, and the supplied source record identifies Scopus Source ID 5700185098. The journal's Emerald page also reports Scopus-derived CiteScore metrics.

Emerald currently reports a 2025 CiteScore of 11.1. It also displays a 2026 CiteScore Tracker of 9.9, which is a provisional indicator updated monthly rather than a completed annual CiteScore. For formal reporting, use the completed-year CiteScore unless your institution explicitly accepts tracker values.

The current Emerald page does not display SJR, SNIP or a Scopus quartile. Because these indicators can vary by reporting year and subject category, this guide does not manufacture a value. Authors who need a specific quartile for institutional eligibility should check the live Scopus or SCImago record and record the year and category used.

Web of Science and Other Indexing

Emerald lists the journal in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics) and reports a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 3.2 together with a 2025 five-year Impact Factor of 3.6. It also lists EconLit, EBSCO Business Source Complete, INSPEC, Zetoc, the Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals and Series, and other services.

Indexing is a journal-level visibility signal, not a guarantee that a particular article will receive citations or satisfy every university rule. Researchers should check the exact database and category required by their institution rather than relying on labels such as “Scopus journal” or “impact-factor journal” in isolation.

Acceptance Rate and Publication Timeline

Unlike many journals that do not publish acceptance data, Emerald currently provides journal-specific statistics for Competitiveness Review. The publisher reports an 18.6% acceptance rate based on submissions received between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. This is historical data, not a prediction of the probability that any individual manuscript will be accepted.

Emerald reports 32 days to first decision for the same submission period and 36 days from acceptance to publication for the previous 12 months, last updated in April 2025. The author guidelines separately state a general goal of informing authors of the first decision within 60 days. Actual timelines can vary with editorial screening, reviewer availability, revision rounds and production.

Manuscript Requirements Authors Should Know

According to the journal's official author instructions, the main article file should be supplied in Microsoft Word. A PDF may accompany the Word file, but a PDF alone is not accepted. LaTeX can be used when an accompanying PDF is supplied.

Length, abstract and keywords

• Article length: 5,000–7,000 words, including structured abstract, references, table text, figures and appendices.
• Allow 250 words for each figure or table when calculating length.
• Structured abstract: maximum 250 words in total, including keywords and article classification.
• Mandatory abstract headings: Purpose; Design/methodology/approach; Findings; Originality.
• Optional abstract headings where relevant: Research limitations/implications; Practical implications; Social implications.
• Keywords: up to 12.

References, figures and tables

References should use a recognised Harvard style; Emerald's Harvard format is accepted. Figures should be high quality, numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and accompanied by clear captions. The author guidance asks for tables in a separate file, numbered consecutively with Roman numerals, with their intended positions marked in the main manuscript.

Authors should also ensure that funding is acknowledged, permissions are cleared for third-party material, and biographies or acknowledgements are uploaded separately when appropriate so that the anonymised manuscript does not identify the authors.

Article Types and Classifications

During submission, the journal asks authors to select the best-fitting paper type. The listed options include Empirical Research Paper, Conceptual Paper, Case Study and Book Review. Emerald also describes broader article categories such as research paper, viewpoint, technical paper, conceptual paper, case study, literature review and general review.

Choose the classification that genuinely reflects the manuscript. A conceptual manuscript should make a clear theoretical contribution rather than being labelled conceptual simply because it lacks primary data. Similarly, a literature review should have a deliberate review purpose and method rather than functioning as an extended background section.

What Is the Peer-Review Process?

Competitiveness Review uses double-anonymous peer review. The editorial office first screens the submission for fit with the journal's policies, aims and scope, as well as basic manuscript and language quality. A paper can be declined or returned at this stage without external review.

If the manuscript appears suitable, Emerald states that it will be sent to at least two independent referees. After the reviews are received, the editor may accept the manuscript, request minor or major revisions, or decline it. Authors should therefore anonymise the manuscript carefully, including figures, captions, self-references and repository links that could reveal identity.

How to Submit to Competitiveness Review

1. Read the aims and scope again and ensure the manuscript's competitiveness contribution is explicit.
2. Prepare the manuscript in the required file format and within the stated word limit.
3. Use the structured abstract and supply up to 12 keywords.
4. Remove author-identifying information from the anonymised manuscript and place biographies/acknowledgements in separate files where needed.
5. Check ethics, funding, conflicts of interest, permissions, data and consent statements.
6. Verify references for accuracy and Harvard-style consistency.
7. The corresponding author should submit directly through the journal's ScholarOne system accessed from Emerald and add ORCID information where available.
8. After submission, retain the manuscript number and use the editorial system to track status.

Emerald explicitly states that the journal accepts submissions through its ScholarOne site and not by email, third-party agent, company, journal representative or proxy. Publication-support providers may help an author prepare files and understand requirements, but the author should control and complete the submission.

Open Access, Publication Fees and Copyright

Competitiveness Review is a hybrid journal: authors can publish through the standard subscription route or choose gold open access after acceptance. Emerald states that there is no submission fee and no publication payment is required unless the author selects gold OA.

For 2026, Emerald's standard APC for a hybrid journal is £3,222 / US$4,351 / €3,710, plus VAT where applicable. Gold-OA articles are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence. Institutional agreements, vouchers or funding arrangements may change what an individual author pays, so eligibility should be checked before making a funding decision.

Emerald also offers green open access. The author accepted manuscript can be made openly available after official publication without an embargo and without paying an APC. Authors should follow Emerald's current self-archiving and repository conditions.

Research Ethics, Originality and AI Use

Emerald states that it follows COPE guidance and requires manuscripts to be original, not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere, appropriately attributed, and compliant with research ethics. Conflicts of interest should be declared. Human-participant research may require ethical approval and informed consent, with appropriate statements included in the submission.

Emerald's current AI policy is especially important for authors using generative tools. Large language models cannot be listed as authors. The publisher allows generative AI for copy-editing an author's own original existing work, subject to its transparency and accountability principles, but states that using generative AI to create or draft new submission content is not permitted. Authors should review the live policy before submission because AI rules are evolving quickly.

Similarity checking may be used as part of originality assessment. Ethical preparation therefore means more than reducing a similarity percentage: quotations, paraphrases, ideas, data, reused methods and prior publications should be represented and cited accurately.

How to Prepare a Stronger Journal-Aligned Manuscript

Although the following steps are practical publication guidance rather than guarantees or journal promises, they can improve readiness:

1. State the competitiveness problem early. The introduction should make clear what aspect of competitiveness is being explained, measured or challenged.
2. Define the level of analysis. Specify whether the paper concerns a country, region, cluster, city, industry-location system, institutional setting or another location-relevant unit.
3. Connect theory to the journal's mission. Explain why the chosen theory advances understanding of competitiveness rather than merely being a convenient analytical framework.
4. Make the contribution visible in the abstract. The structured abstract should communicate purpose, method, findings and originality without generic claims.
5. Separate findings from implications. Policy, managerial or regional-development recommendations should follow from the evidence rather than exceed it.
6. Use recent journal articles as fit evidence. Compare topics and methods to understand the conversation, while keeping your manuscript independent and original.
7. Audit anonymity and ethics. Check self-identifying text, acknowledgements, file metadata, repository links, consent, permissions, funding and conflicts.
8. Do a final language and reference pass. Clear academic English, consistent terminology and accurate citations reduce avoidable editorial friction.

Common Reasons a Manuscript May Be Unsuitable

• The manuscript discusses performance or strategy but never develops a substantive competitiveness contribution.
• The paper is too narrowly organisational and lacks a convincing location, institutional, regional, development or international-business connection.
• The topic is fashionable but only weakly related to the journal's stated themes.
• The abstract and introduction do not explain originality clearly enough for an editor to see the value quickly.
• The manuscript falls outside the 5,000–7,000-word requirement or does not follow basic submission instructions.
• The paper reveals author identity despite double-anonymous review.
• Ethics, consent, funding, permissions or conflicts are missing where required.
• The English or presentation quality is too weak for the editorial office to evaluate the research efficiently.

Competitiveness Review Submission-Readiness Checklist

How Contentxprtz Can Support Publication Readiness

Preparing for Competitiveness Review involves more than correcting grammar. Authors may need to strengthen the fit between the research question and journal scope, clarify the originality statement, align the structured abstract with the manuscript, check the 5,000–7,000-word limit, improve tables and figures, standardise Harvard-style references, and remove language that unintentionally reveals author identity.

Contentxprtz can ethically support author-led preparation through academic editing, proofreading, journal-formatting checks, reference and citation consistency review, manuscript assessment, cover-letter editing, reviewer-response editing, and publication-readiness review. Any support should preserve the researcher's ideas, evidence, interpretation and authorship and comply with the journal's current AI and ethics policies.

Contentxprtz does not control editorial decisions and cannot guarantee peer-review success, acceptance or publication. Its role is to help researchers present their own work clearly, accurately, ethically and in line with applicable submission requirements.

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Summary: Is Competitiveness Review a Good Journal for Your Paper?

Competitiveness Review is an established Emerald journal for cross-disciplinary research on the competitiveness of locations. It is indexed in Scopus, carries publisher-reported 2025 citation metrics, uses double-anonymous peer review, and offers both standard and optional open-access publication routes.

It is most suitable when a manuscript does more than use the word “competitiveness.” The research should explain, measure or theorise competitiveness through economic development, institutions, innovation, location strategy, international business, clusters, public policy, sustainable development or closely connected themes. Authors should also be ready to meet the journal's 5,000–7,000-word length, structured-abstract, anonymisation, ethics and ScholarOne submission requirements.

If the journal is being considered for a PhD or institutional publication requirement, verify the live Scopus status, category/quartile, current metrics and any university-specific eligibility rules immediately before submission.