Journal of Business Research: Scopus, Scope, Metrics & Submission Guide

Quick Answer: What Is the Journal of Business Research?

JBR is a peer-reviewed Elsevier business journal that seeks rigorous, relevant and potentially impactful research capable of informing theory, practice and/or society. Its breadth is organised into named disciplinary tracks rather than a single narrow specialty.

Researchers may consider JBR when their work addresses substantive business questions and speaks to an audience of scholars, researchers, executives or policy makers. Before submitting, compare the manuscript with the official aims and scope, recent articles in the most relevant track, the current guide for authors, and any institutional rules about Scopus or Web of Science indexing.

Key Takeaways

• Publisher: Elsevier; the journal is hosted on ScienceDirect.
• Identifiers: Print ISSN 0148-2963; online ISSN 1873-7978; supplied Scopus Source ID 20550.
• Indexing: Elsevier lists Scopus and the Social Sciences Citation Index among its indexing services.
• Current displayed metrics: ScienceDirect shows CiteScore 25.3 and Impact Factor 9.8; always confirm the current reporting year before formal use.
• Review model: Double anonymized, normally with at least two independent reviewers after editorial suitability screening.
• Publishing model: Hybrid. Open access is available for a currently listed APC of USD 4,420 excluding taxes; the subscription route carries no publication fee charged to authors.
• Manuscript fit matters: A strong paper should connect clearly to one of JBR's business tracks and demonstrate a meaningful theoretical, practical and/or societal contribution.

Journal Information at a Glance

The table below separates verifiable current facts from values that should be checked directly in the latest database record.

What This Page Covers

• JBR aims, scope and disciplinary tracks
• Scopus and Web of Science visibility and current displayed metrics
• article and manuscript requirements
• double-anonymized peer review and post-submission workflow
• open-access options, APC and subscription route
• publication ethics and generative-AI disclosure expectations
• journal-fit decisions for PhD scholars and other researchers
• ethical Contentxprtz support for publication readiness

Methodology and Source Note

This profile prioritizes the official Journal of Business Research page, its current guide for authors, the supplied Scopus source record, and publisher information. Where a value could not be verified from an authoritative current source, this guide does not invent one. Metrics, fees, indexing status, editorial teams and policies can change, so the official source should remain the final check before submission.

Journal of Business Research Aims and Scope

The journal's official aim is to publish business research that is rigorous, relevant and potentially impactful. JBR treats business as an interconnected field: rather than limiting itself to one functional discipline, it examines decisions, processes and activities that can produce insights for theory, practice and society.

Its current scope is organised into disciplinary tracks including advertising and marketing communications; big data and business analytics; business-to-business marketing; consumer behaviour and wellbeing; corporate social responsibility and business ethics; entrepreneurship; innovation marketing and management; interactive marketing and social media; international business; marketing; organisational behaviour and HRM; retailing and multichannel management; sales research; service research; and strategic management.

That breadth can make JBR relevant to interdisciplinary work, but broad scope does not mean every business-themed paper is a fit. A manuscript still needs a clear scholarly problem, a defensible contribution and an audience connection to the track in which it would be evaluated. A descriptive local business case with little theoretical or transferable insight may be less aligned than a study that uses the same setting to test, refine or extend a broader business explanation.

Research Topics That May Fit JBR

Based on the journal's stated scope, manuscripts may potentially address topics such as the following. These are practical fit examples, not an exhaustive official topic list.

• marketing strategy and market response
• consumer decision-making and wellbeing
• digital, interactive and social-media marketing
• business analytics and data-driven decision processes
• business-to-business relationships and selling
• service design, service innovation and service outcomes
• retailing, omnichannel and multichannel behaviour
• innovation adoption and innovation management
• entrepreneurial behaviour, ecosystems and venture outcomes
• international business strategy and cross-border decision-making
• organisational behaviour, leadership and HRM
• corporate social responsibility and business ethics
• strategic management and competitive decision processes
• salesforce behaviour, sales technology and buyer-seller interaction

Understanding JBR Scopus Coverage and Journal Metrics

JBR is currently identified as a Scopus-indexed source, and the supplied Source ID is 20550. Elsevier also lists the Social Sciences Citation Index among its abstracting and indexing services. For researchers working under a formal university requirement, the safest practice is to save or verify the live database record on the date the journal is selected, because database coverage and institutional recognition can change.

CiteScore and Impact Factor

ScienceDirect currently displays a CiteScore of 25.3 and an Impact Factor of 9.8. These figures are useful context for citation visibility, but they should be reported with their applicable reporting cycle. If your university requires a specific year's CiteScore, quartile or Journal Impact Factor, verify that exact year in Scopus Sources or Journal Citation Reports rather than copying an undated number.

SJR, SNIP and quartile

SJR, SNIP and category quartiles are database-dependent, time-dependent measures. Because a current authoritative value was not cleanly verifiable in the source material used here, this article deliberately leaves them as values to confirm in the live Scopus source profile. That is more reliable than reproducing an old or scraped metric.

What Does the Journal Publish?

The JBR guide for authors describes submitted articles and sets detailed manuscript limits, but it does not present a simple long menu of article categories in the section reviewed for this guide. Recent journal content includes empirical, conceptual and review-oriented business research, while special issues are used to develop emerging themes.

For a proposed review, meta-analysis, conceptual paper or other nonstandard design, do not assume suitability from the title alone. Check recent issues and any article-type instructions in the live submission system. The substantive question remains whether the paper creates a rigorous, relevant and potentially impactful contribution for a JBR track.

Is This Journal a Good Match for Your Research?

A sensible fit decision combines scope, contribution, audience and manuscript design. Indexing and metrics are secondary checks, not substitutes for editorial fit.

Practical Journal-Fit Examples

Example 1 — Strong scope match

A researcher tests how AI-enabled business analytics changes marketing decision quality across firms and connects the results to a well-developed decision theory. This aligns plausibly with JBR's big data and business analytics or marketing tracks. The author should still compare the paper with recent JBR work and sharpen the incremental contribution.

Example 2 — Topic is business-related but contribution is too local

A survey describes customer satisfaction in one store without a clear theoretical question or broader implication. The subject is commercial, but a narrow descriptive result may not satisfy JBR's emphasis on rigorous, relevant and potentially impactful research. A more specialised outlet could be a better fit unless the study can support a stronger contribution.

Example 3 — Strong study, weak anonymization

A multi-country strategy paper may fit the journal intellectually, yet the submission can still fail technical checks if the anonymized manuscript contains author names, affiliations or acknowledgements. JBR requires separate title-page and anonymized-manuscript files for double-anonymized review.

Example 4 — ESL manuscript with sound research

If the methods and results are strong but language obscures the argument, academic editing can improve readability, terminology and logical flow. Editing should preserve the author's meaning and must not create unsupported claims or substitute for methodological quality.

Preparing and Submitting a Manuscript to JBR

The official guide sets concrete preparation rules. Submitted articles must not exceed 45 double-spaced pages with one-inch margins and 12-point font, excluding title and abstract pages. It states that final accepted manuscripts typically should be under 8,000 words all inclusive. The abstract must be concise and factual and not exceed 150 words.

Title page and anonymized manuscript

Because review is double anonymized, the title page and anonymized manuscript are submitted separately. The title page should carry article title, author names, affiliations, corresponding-author information and relevant acknowledgements/declarations. The anonymized manuscript should exclude identifying material.

Keywords, highlights, tables and editable files

The guide currently asks for 1–7 English keywords. Highlights are encouraged as a separate editable file and should contain 3–5 bullet points, each no more than 85 characters including spaces. Source files should be editable, such as DOC/DOCX or TeX. Tables should be editable text rather than images and should be cited and numbered in the manuscript.

References

JBR does not impose strict reference formatting at initial submission as long as the style is consistent and the required bibliographic information is present. Its guidance uses APA-style in-text citation conventions and points authors to APA 7th edition. DOI links are encouraged. Reference metadata should be checked carefully because inaccurate details can interfere with linking and indexing.

What Happens After You Submit?

The journal first performs editorial suitability assessment. A manuscript considered suitable is typically sent to at least two independent expert reviewers under a double-anonymized model. Editors make the final decision after considering the reviews and the manuscript.

ScienceDirect currently publishes journal-level timing indicators of 13 days from submission to first decision, 88 days from submission to decision after review, 425 days from submission to acceptance, and 9 days from acceptance to online publication. These are publisher-displayed journal insights, not a promise for an individual paper. Reviewer availability, revision cycles and manuscript complexity can produce materially different timelines.

Responding to reviewer comments

For a revision, prepare a point-by-point response that reproduces each substantive comment, explains the change made and identifies where the manuscript changed. Where you disagree, respond professionally and provide evidence or reasoning. The revised manuscript and response letter should tell the same story.

Open Access, APCs and Publication Fees

JBR uses a hybrid publishing model. ScienceDirect currently lists an open-access APC of USD 4,420 excluding taxes, with the amount potentially reduced during submission depending on applicable circumstances. It also lists a subscription route with no publication fee charged to authors.

Choosing the subscription route does not mean the article becomes open access on publication. Conversely, choosing open access may involve an APC unless an institutional agreement, funder arrangement or other reduction applies. Confirm the live fee and licence options immediately before final submission because publisher charges and agreements can change.

Publication Ethics and Generative-AI Policy

JBR directs authors to Elsevier's publishing-ethics policies. The guide requires original work that is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere, appropriate authorship, disclosure of competing interests and funding, and accountability for the integrity of the submission.

The current guide also requires disclosure when generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used in manuscript preparation beyond basic tools such as grammar, spelling and reference checking. Authors remain responsible for checking accuracy, sources, originality, privacy and intellectual-property implications. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. The journal's guidance also states that reviewers and editors are not currently permitted to use generative-AI tools in peer-review and manuscript evaluation, reflecting confidentiality concerns.

Pre-Submission Checklist for JBR Authors

• Confirm the current JBR aims and scope and identify the relevant track.
• Review several recent JBR articles that speak to the same research conversation.
• Confirm current Scopus/WoS status if your institution requires it.
• Check the 45-page submission limit and the journal's current accepted-manuscript expectations.
• Keep the abstract at or below the current 150-word limit.
• Prepare a separate title page and anonymized manuscript.
• Remove identifying information from the blind file.
• Prepare 1–7 keywords and, if used, compliant highlights.
• Check tables, figures, captions and editable source files.
• Verify every in-text citation against the reference list.
• Complete competing-interest, funding and authorship information.
• Include required generative-AI disclosure if applicable.
• Confirm the current APC only if choosing open access.
• Ensure every author has approved the final submission.

How Researchers Should Evaluate JBR for a PhD or Academic Requirement

JBR may be appropriate for a PhD-derived manuscript when the research fits its scope and the journal satisfies the candidate's institutional rules. A Scopus listing can be important for programmes that explicitly require Scopus-indexed publication, but institutional policies may also specify quartiles, categories, publication dates, corresponding-author status or approved lists.

Do not rely on a screenshot or metric copied months earlier. Verify the live Scopus source page, Clarivate status where applicable, and your university's written policy at the point of submission. If the institution requires a specific quartile or reporting year, document that exact database record.

Planning to Submit Your Research to the Journal of Business Research?

Preparing for JBR involves more than correcting grammar. The manuscript needs a defensible match with a specific business track, a clearly articulated contribution, compliance with double-anonymized submission, a concise abstract, internally consistent references, and complete ethics and disclosure information.

Contentxprtz can support researchers with journal-scope alignment review, manuscript assessment, academic editing, proofreading, language polishing, journal formatting, reference consistency, cover-letter editing, reviewer-response editing and publication-readiness checks. Explore journal publication support.

Contentxprtz does not control editorial decisions and does not guarantee acceptance or publication. All research claims, data, authorship decisions and final submission choices remain the author's responsibility.

Summary: Journal of Business Research

The Journal of Business Research is an Elsevier business journal covering multiple disciplinary tracks across marketing, analytics, consumer behaviour, entrepreneurship, international business, organisation, strategy, sales, services and related areas. It is currently listed by Elsevier as indexed in Scopus and SSCI; the supplied Scopus Source ID is 20550. ScienceDirect currently displays CiteScore 25.3 and Impact Factor 9.8, while the live database record should be used for dated quartile, SJR and SNIP values.

JBR uses double-anonymized peer review, asks for a separate title page and anonymized manuscript, and currently sets a 45 double-spaced page limit for submitted articles, a 150-word abstract maximum, and typical final accepted length below 8,000 words all inclusive. It offers both subscription publishing and an optional open-access route with a currently listed APC of USD 4,420 excluding taxes. The best reason to submit is genuine scope and contribution fit—not a metric alone.