Critical Studies on Corporate Responsibility, Governance and Sustainability: Scopus, Scope & Submission Guide

Key Takeaways

• Source type: Book series, not a conventional journal.
• Publisher: Emerald Publishing / Emerald Group Publishing.
• Scopus Source ID: 21100297814, as supplied in the source record.
• ISSNs: 2043-9059 (print) and 2043-9067 (online).
• Core field: Corporate responsibility, corporate governance, sustainability and related business/management research.
• 2024 CiteScore: 0.8 in an institutional service reporting Scopus metrics; the same source reports Q4 and 18th percentile in Business, Management and Accounting (all).
• Submission model: Verify current book/volume opportunities or calls for chapters; no standard journal-style submission portal was verified for the series itself.
• Publication support: Editing and readiness support can improve a submission but cannot guarantee acceptance or publication.

Journal Information at a Glance

Methodology and Sources Used for This Profile

This page was prepared by comparing the supplied Scopus source record with current authoritative or institutional information. Primary evidence includes Emerald’s official series page, Emerald Books Gateway records for individual volumes, Emerald’s current book-proposal and peer-review guidance, and Emerald’s research and publishing ethics policies. Bibliographic information on the print and online ISSNs and the 2010 start date was cross-checked against a university-library catalogue.

Scopus metrics can change every reporting cycle. The 2024 CiteScore, percentile and quartile shown here come from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Journal Publishing Guide, which labels them as Scopus Journal Metrics (2024). Because a current primary-source value for SJR or SNIP was not accessible during preparation, those values are deliberately not filled in. Authors should reconfirm metrics, coverage and active status directly in Scopus before using them for formal institutional decisions.

Aims and Scope: What the Series Is Trying to Do

Emerald describes the series as a forum for deep examination of public concerns and practical problems in corporate responsibility, corporate governance and sustainability. Its scope is explicitly critical: it aims to revisit theoretical debates and institutional policies rather than merely catalogue corporate practices. The series is therefore suited to work that asks what responsible governance or sustainable business actually produces in social, economic and environmental terms.

A second feature is its international orientation. Emerald emphasises differences across regions and societies, including the way values, cultures and traditions can influence policies and practices. This makes comparative, cross-country and context-sensitive work especially plausible. The series also promotes exchange between developed and developing countries and between Western and Eastern contexts.

Methodologically, Emerald’s description is broad. It encourages holistic thinking, cross-disciplinary research, multiple perspectives and varied research approaches. That breadth can accommodate qualitative studies, quantitative analysis, conceptual work, case-based research, comparative inquiry, policy analysis and interdisciplinary scholarship—provided the project contributes directly to the series’ responsibility-governance-sustainability agenda.

Subjects and Research Topics That May Fit

Based on Emerald’s series description and published volume themes, researchers may find a fit in areas such as:

• corporate social responsibility and corporate irresponsibility;
• corporate governance, accountability and institutional control;
• sustainability strategy and sustainable business models;
• environmental and social impacts of corporations;
• ESG, responsible investment and sustainable finance;
• stakeholder governance and social value;
• responsible management in emerging and developing economies;
• cross-cultural or comparative approaches to responsibility and governance;
• ethical, political and institutional critiques of corporate conduct;
• communication, legitimacy and reporting of corporate responsibility;
• policy and practice implications of sustainability transitions;
• interdisciplinary work linking management with economics, sociology, policy, environmental studies or ethics.

Projects are less likely to fit when corporate responsibility, governance or sustainability is peripheral. A purely technical finance, marketing, operations or engineering study without a substantive responsibility/governance/sustainability dimension would need a convincing bridge to the series’ core intellectual agenda.

Understanding Its Scopus Coverage and Metrics

The supplied source record identifies Critical Studies on Corporate Responsibility, Governance and Sustainability as a Scopus source with Source ID 21100297814. That matters because researchers frequently encounter the series while checking whether chapters or volumes appear in Scopus. However, Scopus coverage should be interpreted at the source and document level. A source being indexed does not mean every future contribution is automatically indexed, nor does it guarantee that a particular university will accept a book chapter as equivalent to a journal article.

For a PhD or promotion requirement, the practical question is often not “Is it Q4?” but “Does my institution accept a chapter in a Scopus-indexed book series for this requirement?” Universities, regulators and funding bodies can classify journals, book chapters and edited volumes differently. Confirm the rule before committing substantial time to a proposal.

Publisher and Publication Model

Emerald Publishing is the publisher of the series. The official Emerald Books Gateway lists Critical Studies on Corporate Responsibility, Governance and Sustainability among its serial book collections, and individual volume pages show the series title, volume number, DOI structure and series ISSN. The series has been published since 2010 and includes themed scholarly volumes such as work on corporate social responsibility, responsible finance, investment, governance and green management.

This publication model affects almost every “journal submission” question. There may not be an always-open manuscript queue, fixed issue frequency, standard article categories or a single acceptance rate. Instead, a volume may be authored, edited, commissioned or built from invited/approved chapter proposals. Researchers should first identify the relevant volume or discuss a proposal with Emerald rather than format a journal article and upload it blindly.

What Does the Series Publish?

At series level, the visible publication units are books and edited volumes, which in turn contain scholarly chapters. Emerald’s published records show chapters with DOIs and bibliographic metadata, and many volumes are organised around a defined theme. Consequently, the practical contribution types are better described as book-length proposals, edited collections and scholarly chapters rather than “original article,” “short communication” or “letter” unless a specific call explicitly uses those labels.

Researchers should review several recent or thematically comparable volumes before proposing a contribution. This helps determine the expected balance between theory and practice, chapter structure, disciplinary framing, methods, geographical context and the level of critical analysis. A chapter designed for a themed collection may need to connect clearly to the book’s shared argument, not merely stand alone as a journal manuscript.

How Submission Works: Proposal, Volume or Call for Chapters

No verified standard journal-style submission portal was found for the series itself. Emerald’s current books guidance instructs prospective authors to submit a book or series proposal using the relevant proposal form and to work with a commissioning editor. For edited collections and book series, contributors may also encounter volume-specific calls for chapters managed by book editors.

1. Identify the route. Determine whether you are proposing a full book, an edited collection, a new series concept, or a chapter for an announced volume.
2. Check scope at both levels. Your idea must fit the overall series and the specific volume theme.
3. Follow the current call or proposal form. Chapter calls can request an initial proposal, abstract, author bio and later a full chapter.
4. Confirm deadlines and editors. These vary by project; do not infer them from another Emerald volume.
5. Prepare the manuscript to Emerald instructions. Emerald advises book authors/editors to use its book-author guidelines and share them with contributors.
6. Retain written confirmation. Keep the invitation, proposal acceptance, contract or contributor instructions because these define the actual publication pathway.

Peer Review: What Is Officially Stated?

Emerald states that its book proposals undergo a rigorous single-anonymous peer review process. Reviewers know the proposer’s identity, while the proposer does not know the reviewers’ identities. Emerald says proposal reviewers assess originality, contribution to the field, coverage, strengths and weaknesses, structure and—where relevant—the coherence of an edited collection.

Emerald aims to provide book-proposal review feedback within approximately 4–6 weeks. This is a publisher target for proposal review, not a guaranteed chapter-acceptance or publication timeline for every series volume. Chapter review arrangements may be managed by the editors of a particular collection and should be confirmed from the relevant call or contributor agreement.

Open Access, Copyright and Publication Fees

The official series page does not present Critical Studies on Corporate Responsibility, Governance and Sustainability as a fully open-access series. Emerald has open-access options within its books programme, but the financial and licensing model can depend on the specific project. Therefore, a universal journal-style APC for this series should not be quoted without a current project-specific source.

Authors should ask four concrete questions before agreeing to publish: Is the chapter or volume subscription-based or open access? Is any book/chapter processing charge applicable? Which licence will apply? What rights does the author retain for sharing accepted manuscripts or versions of record? Emerald publishes author-rights guidance distinguishing submitted versions, author accepted manuscripts and versions of record.

Research and Publication Ethics

Emerald states that its publishing ethics framework follows COPE principles. Authors are responsible for originality, appropriate attribution, valid authorship, disclosure of conflicts of interest, permissions for third-party content, ethical approval or consent where required, and accurate reporting. Simultaneous submission of the same or substantially similar work is treated as unethical.

Emerald also publishes specific guidance on generative AI. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of submitted content, including citations. Large language models cannot be credited as authors. Researchers using AI-assisted tools should review Emerald’s current policy and disclose usage where required by the publisher, editor or institution.

As a practical publication-readiness step, verify every reference against the original source, document research approvals and consent, check permissions for figures/tables, disclose related manuscripts and preprints appropriately, and ensure that the chapter does not recycle substantial text without attribution.

Is This Series a Good Fit for Your Research?

How to Prepare a Stronger, Series-Aligned Manuscript or Proposal

A strong proposal should explain why the topic matters now, what scholarly gap or unresolved problem it addresses, how it relates to responsibility/governance/sustainability, and what readers will learn that they cannot obtain from existing books or articles. For an edited collection, coherence matters: each chapter should contribute to the book’s overall purpose.

• State the contribution in one or two precise sentences.
• Connect the work explicitly to the series’ critical and international orientation where relevant.
• Show awareness of prior volumes and adjacent Emerald titles.
• Explain theory, methods, data and limitations with enough specificity for external review.
• Use recent and foundational scholarship rather than over-relying on corporate reports.
• Distinguish empirical findings from advocacy or managerial recommendation.
• Check references, permissions, tables, figures and third-party material before final delivery.
• Use consistent terminology for CSR, ESG, governance and sustainability rather than treating them as interchangeable.
• For multi-author chapters, agree authorship and contribution expectations early.
• Follow the exact contributor instructions for the volume instead of importing a journal template.

Common Reasons a Contribution May Be Unsuitable

Potential problems include weak connection to the volume theme, a largely descriptive treatment of CSR with limited analysis, unsupported claims about sustainability impact, methods that do not answer the stated research question, an overly local case with no broader analytical value, inadequate engagement with relevant scholarship, or a manuscript prepared as a journal article when editors need a book chapter with a different narrative structure.

Another mismatch is procedural rather than academic: a researcher may need a Scopus-indexed journal article for a degree or appraisal requirement, while this source is a book series. Clarify that distinction with your institution before proceeding.

How Contentxprtz Can Support Publication Readiness

Contentxprtz can ethically support researchers who are preparing a proposal or chapter by improving language, argument flow, structure, references, citation consistency and alignment with the instructions supplied by the official volume editors or Emerald. Support may also include manuscript assessment, journal/series selection guidance, formatting, proofreading, cover-letter or proposal polishing, and reviewer-response editing where applicable.

The researcher remains responsible for the research design, data, interpretation, citations, authorship, ethical approvals and final submission. Contentxprtz does not guarantee acceptance, peer-review success, Scopus indexing, publication timing or any metric outcome.

Author Decision Checklist Before You Submit

1. Confirm that your institution accepts a book-series chapter for your specific academic requirement.
2. Open the live Scopus source profile and verify current indexing/coverage.
3. Identify an active Emerald volume, call for chapters or proposal route.
4. Read the specific call and contributor instructions line by line.
5. Check whether your project is a strong thematic fit, not merely a keyword match.
6. Confirm open-access, copyright and fee terms in writing.
7. Check the peer-review route and realistic timeline for the specific project.
8. Complete ethics, permissions, authorship and conflict-of-interest documentation.
9. Verify every citation and reference.
10. Submit only through the official publisher/editor route and keep copies of all correspondence.

Authoritative Links and Further Verification

• Emerald official series page
• Emerald Books Gateway serials
• Scopus source profile
• Emerald book proposal guidance
• Emerald book peer-review process
• Emerald research and publishing ethics

Metrics, indexing coverage, editorial contacts, calls for chapters, fees and policies can change. Reconfirm current information on the official publisher and Scopus pages before making a submission decision.