Journal of Family Business Strategy: Scopus, Metrics, Scope & Submission Guide
Journal of Family Business Strategy is an international Elsevier journal devoted to research on how families shape businesses and how businesses, in turn, affect families. Its centre of gravity is strategy, but the journal deliberately crosses disciplinary boundaries: governance, entrepreneurship, ownership, organizational behaviour, finance, economics, psychology, sociology and related fields can all be relevant when they illuminate family-business strategy.
For authors, the journal is most useful to evaluate as a fit decision rather than as a metrics-only target. It is indexed in Scopus and the Social Sciences Citation Index, publishes four issues per year, and currently displays a CiteScore of 16.6 and an Impact Factor of 6.1 on its official ScienceDirect page. Those indicators suggest strong scholarly visibility, but they do not establish whether a particular manuscript belongs in the journal.
This guide separates verified journal facts from practical publication guidance. Metrics, fees, timelines, editorial roles and indexing can change, so they should be reconfirmed on the official journal pages before submission or institutional reporting.
Quick Answer: What Is Journal of Family Business Strategy?
Journal of Family Business Strategy is a peer-reviewed international journal published by Elsevier. It publishes research that advances knowledge of family business, especially work explaining strategic choices, governance, ownership, performance, entrepreneurship and the interaction between family systems and business systems.
The journal is covered by Scopus and SSCI. The supplied source record identifies Scopus Source ID 19600161806. Official journal information lists print ISSN 1877-8585 and online ISSN 1877-8593. It supports both subscription publication and optional gold open access.
Researchers should consider it when their paper makes a clear contribution to family-business scholarship and speaks to strategy or closely related management questions. Before submitting, compare the manuscript with the journal’s current aims and scope, recent issues, author instructions and active calls for papers.
Key Takeaways
- Publisher: Elsevier.
- Scopus: indexed; supplied Scopus Source ID 19600161806.
- ISSN: 1877-8585 (print); Online ISSN: 1877-8593.
- Current displayed metrics: CiteScore 16.6 and Impact Factor 6.1 on the official ScienceDirect page; verify the reporting year before formal use.
- Frequency: four issues per year.
- Publishing model: hybrid; subscription route has no open-access publication fee, while optional gold OA currently lists an APC of USD 3,830 excluding taxes.
- Editor-in-Chief: T. M. Pieper, as listed on the official editorial board page.
- Acceptance rate: not publicly stated on the official pages reviewed.
Journal Information at a Glance
| Field | Journal information |
|---|---|
| Journal name | Journal of Family Business Strategy |
| Source type | Journal |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Scopus Source ID | 19600161806 |
| Print ISSN | 1877-8585 |
| Online ISSN | 1877-8593 |
| Established | 2010 (Volume 1) |
| Publication frequency | Quarterly / 4 issues per year |
| Primary official subject areas | Business and International Management; Management of Technology and Innovation; Strategy and Management |
| Scopus | Indexed |
| SSCI | Indexed, as listed by Elsevier |
| CiteScore | 16.6 currently displayed by Elsevier; verify latest reporting year |
| Impact Factor | 6.1 currently displayed by Elsevier; verify applicable JCR year |
| SJR / SNIP | Elsevier lists these among journal impact/indexing information, but a current numeric value was not independently verified for this guide |
| Quartile | Verify current year/category directly in Scopus or applicable ranking database |
| Open access | Hybrid: gold open access or subscription |
| OA APC | USD 3,830 excluding taxes, currently listed by Elsevier; personalized pricing may vary |
| Acceptance rate | Not publicly stated on official pages reviewed |
| Official website | ScienceDirect journal page |
| Scopus profile | Scopus Source ID 19600161806 |
What This Page Covers
- the journal’s aims, scope and subject fit
- Scopus, SSCI and current journal metrics
- article types and research approaches represented
- editorial leadership and publication frequency
- open access, subscription publishing and APC information
- reported review and publication timelines
- manuscript-fit and submission-readiness checks
- ethical ways Contentxprtz can support manuscript preparation
Methodology and Sources
This profile was prepared from the official ScienceDirect journal page, Elsevier journal insights, the official editorial board, the journal’s open-access information, Elsevier publishing-ethics policies, and the supplied Scopus source record. Information that could not be verified from these authoritative sources is labelled as unavailable or requiring current confirmation.
Because indexing, metrics, fees, editorial teams, timelines and policies change, treat this page as a publication-readiness resource rather than a substitute for the journal’s live author instructions.
What Does the Journal Aim to Publish?
The journal’s official scope is broad within a clearly defined domain: research should advance understanding of family business. Its core question is the two-way influence between family and business, with strategy functioning as an important organizing lens. This allows the journal to host studies at several levels of analysis, from individual and family dynamics to firm governance, competitive behaviour and public-policy implications.
Officially highlighted topics include family-business performance, strategy and performance relationships, branding, long-term growth and survival, corporate entrepreneurship, new-venture strategy, ownership effects on strategic processes, formal planning, financial and non-financial goals, networks, governance, boards, top-management teams, executive compensation, professional non-family management, family groups in developing economies and strategy-as-practice.
Interdisciplinary work is explicitly welcome
The journal positions family business as a field that benefits from multiple disciplines. Organizational behaviour and theory, sociology, anthropology, psychology and social psychology, strategic management, economics, finance and industrial relations are all named in the journal’s description. A manuscript can therefore use theory from outside conventional strategy research, provided the family-business contribution remains central and convincing.
Methods can vary
Elsevier states that the journal publishes quantitative research, qualitative research and theoretical or conceptual work. Recent published articles also illustrate systematic reviews, experiments, case-oriented scholarship and other designs. The practical implication is that methodology alone is unlikely to determine fit; the more important test is whether the chosen method produces a rigorous contribution to a family-business question the journal’s readership cares about.
Understanding Its Scopus Coverage and Journal Metrics
Elsevier lists Scopus among the journal’s abstracting and indexing services, together with the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), SJR, SNIP and the Australian Business Deans Council list. The source record supplied for this task identifies Scopus Source ID 19600161806. For universities that require Scopus-listed journals, this is a relevant visibility indicator; however, institutional policies may also specify coverage years, quartiles, subject categories or minimum metric thresholds.
The official ScienceDirect page currently displays a CiteScore of 16.6 and an Impact Factor of 6.1. These values are time-sensitive. Before entering them in a doctoral progress report, promotion dossier or funding application, verify the reporting year in the database your institution recognises.
A current numeric SJR, SNIP and quartile were not independently verified from an authoritative live database page while preparing this guide. That is preferable to presenting an undated or third-party value as current. Quartiles can also differ by year and category, so a bare statement such as “the journal is Q1” is incomplete unless the database, category and year are clear.
How Established and International Is the Journal?
The journal began with Volume 1 in 2010 and now publishes one volume with four issues annually. Its editorial board is international: the official board page lists members across numerous countries and regions. T. M. Pieper of UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business is currently listed as Editor-in-Chief.
Its international positioning is also visible in the subject matter. The journal does not restrict family-business research to one national system, and its scope specifically notes developing economies alongside broader strategic and governance questions. For authors, that means a single-country study can still fit, but the manuscript should explain why the setting advances theory or understanding beyond being merely descriptive.
What Types of Manuscripts and Contributions Fit?
The official aims and scope supports several forms of scholarship:
- Theoretical and conceptual papers that develop or challenge explanations of family-business strategy.
- Empirical research articles using quantitative, qualitative or mixed approaches where appropriate.
- Research notes designed as focused contributions to a family-business strategy subtopic.
- Reflective book reviews that help readers judge a book’s significance to family-business research.
Recent issues show research articles on succession, financing, conflict, technology adoption, family offices, corporate venturing, private-equity perceptions and family values. This breadth is useful evidence of topical variety, but recent publication is not proof that the journal will accept another paper on the same subject. A stronger submission explains what is theoretically or empirically new.
Is This Journal a Good Match for Your Research?
A practical fit test begins with contribution, not keywords. A paper mentioning “family firm” can still be out of scope if family involvement is only a control variable or contextual detail. Conversely, a paper on governance, entrepreneurship, innovation or finance may fit well if it demonstrates how family influence changes strategic mechanisms, decisions or outcomes.
Strong fit signals
- The research question centrally concerns family ownership, family involvement, business families or family-firm behaviour.
- The manuscript explains a strategic, governance, entrepreneurial, financial or organizational mechanism rather than only reporting correlations.
- Theoretical framing contributes to family-business scholarship, not merely to a neighbouring field.
- The paper engages literature that readers of this journal are likely to recognise.
- The method is rigorous enough to support the claimed contribution.
Possible mismatch signals
- Family business appears only as a sample characteristic with no theoretical role.
- The manuscript is primarily a generic SME, entrepreneurship or corporate-finance paper and does not explain why family influence matters.
- The contribution is local description without a wider conceptual or empirical implication.
- The research repeats a well-covered question without a meaningful new theory, setting, design or evidence base.
Preparing a Manuscript Before Submission
The live Guide for Authors should control final formatting and file preparation. Because detailed technical instructions can change, avoid relying on an old downloaded template or a third-party summary. As a publication-readiness step, prepare the manuscript so the editor can quickly see the research problem, family-business relevance, theoretical contribution, method, results and implications.
Clarify the contribution early
The abstract and introduction should make clear why the question belongs in family-business strategy. Explain what prior literature cannot yet answer and what the new study changes in theory or understanding. Do not overstate novelty; a precise, defensible contribution is stronger than a broad claim of being the “first ever” study unless that claim has been thoroughly verified.
Use recent journal articles as alignment evidence
Review several recent papers from the journal that are close to your topic or method. Compare how they frame contributions, define family involvement, report samples, position theory and discuss limitations. This is general publication guidance rather than an official formatting requirement, but it is one of the best ways to test whether your manuscript speaks the journal’s scholarly language.
Verify references and declarations
References should be accurate, traceable and relevant. Authors should also check Elsevier’s current requirements for competing-interest declarations, funding statements, research data, ethics approvals where relevant, authorship, AI-assisted writing disclosures and any other required submission statements.
What Happens After You Submit?
Elsevier’s publishing-ethics policy states that research articles are typically reviewed by at least two external and independent reviewers, while the editor remains responsible for publication decisions. Journal-specific editorial handling can vary, so the current Guide for Authors and submission system should be treated as the operational source.
The journal’s official insights currently report median or average-style publication indicators of 15 days from submission to first decision, 116 days from submission to decision after review, 334 days from submission to acceptance and 30 days from acceptance to online publication. These figures describe journal-level experience; they are not promises for an individual manuscript. A paper requiring multiple revisions, specialist reviewers or extensive ethical checks can take longer.
The journal does not publicly state an acceptance rate on the official pages reviewed for this guide. No responsible estimate can be derived from the timelines or metrics.
Open Access, Subscription Publishing and Fees
Journal of Family Business Strategy uses a hybrid model. Under the subscription route, Elsevier states that no open-access publication fee is charged to authors, and the article is available to subscribers and eligible access-program users. Under gold open access, the article becomes immediately and permanently open under an available Creative Commons licence.
The official journal open-access page currently lists an APC of USD 3,830 excluding taxes for open-access articles. Elsevier notes that agreements, affiliation, country and other circumstances may affect the personalized charge shown during the publication process. Authors should therefore confirm the final price presented to them rather than budgeting from an old third-party fee table.
Elsevier also states that the choice between open access and subscription publication has no effect on peer review or acceptance.
Publication Ethics and Research Integrity
Elsevier’s publishing-ethics framework covers responsibilities for editors, reviewers and authors. Core expectations include accurate reporting, appropriate authorship, originality, avoidance of duplicate submission, accurate citation, disclosure of conflicts of interest, confidentiality in peer review and correction of the scholarly record when necessary.
For authors using generative AI or AI-assisted technologies, the current Elsevier policy should be checked directly before submission because disclosure and permitted-use rules can change. AI tools should not be treated as authors, and authors remain responsible for the accuracy, integrity and originality of submitted work.
Contentxprtz support should remain within those boundaries: editing, clarity, formatting, reference consistency and readiness checks can assist an author, but fabricated citations, invented data, deceptive authorship or attempts to influence peer review are incompatible with responsible publication practice.
A Journal-Fit and Publication-Readiness Checklist
Scope and contribution
- Family influence is central to the research question.
- The manuscript has a clear strategy, governance, entrepreneurship, finance, organizational or related family-business contribution.
- Recent Journal of Family Business Strategy articles have been reviewed for topical and methodological fit.
Evidence and methods
- The sample, measures, analytical decisions and limitations are reported transparently.
- Claims match the data and cited literature.
- References are authentic and checked against original sources.
Submission readiness
- The current Guide for Authors has been checked.
- Required declarations, authorship details and files are complete.
- Open-access funding has been considered if the OA route is desired.
- The manuscript has been proofread for clarity, consistency and professional academic English.
How Contentxprtz Can Support Publication Readiness
For a manuscript already developed by the research team, Contentxprtz can provide ethical support with academic editing, journal-aligned language polishing, manuscript assessment, formatting, references and citations, cover-letter editing, reviewer-response editing and publication-readiness checks. The goal is to make the author’s work clearer and more compliant without changing who owns the ideas, evidence or conclusions.
Support can be particularly useful when an otherwise strong study has inconsistent terminology, unclear contribution statements, weak transitions, reference-format problems or language issues that make the research harder to evaluate. It cannot create genuine novelty, repair invalid methods by wording alone, or guarantee an editorial outcome.
Useful Official Links Before You Submit
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Journal of Family Business Strategy indexed in Scopus?
Yes. Elsevier’s journal insights page lists Scopus among the journal’s abstracting and indexing services. The supplied source record identifies Scopus Source ID 19600161806. Authors should still reconfirm current indexing in Scopus before relying on it for institutional requirements.
Who publishes Journal of Family Business Strategy?
Journal of Family Business Strategy is published by Elsevier. The official ScienceDirect journal page identifies Elsevier as the publisher and provides the journal’s aims, metrics, editorial information and publishing options.
What are the ISSN and EISSN?
The print ISSN is 1877-8585 and the online ISSN is 1877-8593, according to the official ScienceDirect journal information.
What subjects does Journal of Family Business Strategy cover?
The journal focuses on family business strategy and related questions involving governance, ownership, entrepreneurship, performance, branding, strategic planning, networks, management teams, finance and the interaction between family and business systems. Its interdisciplinary framing also draws on management, economics, finance, sociology, psychology and related fields.
What is the current CiteScore?
The current value displayed on the official ScienceDirect journal page at the time this guide was prepared is 16.6. Journal metrics change over time, so authors should verify the latest reporting year and value before using it in formal evaluation.
Does the journal have an Impact Factor?
Yes. The official ScienceDirect page currently displays an Impact Factor of 6.1. Authors should confirm the applicable Journal Citation Reports year before citing the metric in institutional paperwork.
What is the journal quartile?
A current quartile was not independently verified from an authoritative live Scopus or Journal Citation Reports category page for this article. Because quartiles vary by database, year and subject category, researchers should check the latest applicable source directly.
Is Journal of Family Business Strategy open access?
It is a hybrid journal. Authors can choose gold open access or the subscription route. Elsevier states that the publication choice does not affect peer review or acceptance decisions.
What is the open-access APC?
Elsevier’s official open-access page currently lists an APC of USD 3,830 excluding taxes for open-access publication. The amount may be reduced depending on agreements or author circumstances, so the personalized price shown during submission should be treated as final.
What types of manuscripts does the journal publish?
The official aims and scope describe theoretical and empirical papers, quantitative studies, qualitative studies, conceptual papers, research notes and reflective book reviews. Recent issues also show research articles that include systematic reviews and other rigorous research designs.
How long does publication take?
Elsevier’s journal insights currently report 15 days from submission to first decision, 116 days to decision after review, 334 days from submission to acceptance and 30 days from acceptance to online publication. These are reported journal insights, not guarantees for an individual manuscript.
What is the acceptance rate?
The journal does not publicly state an acceptance rate on the official pages reviewed for this guide. It should not be estimated from review timelines, metrics or article counts.
Who is the Editor-in-Chief?
The official editorial board page lists T. M. Pieper of UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business as Editor-in-Chief.
Is the journal suitable for PhD researchers and early-career authors?
Potentially, if the manuscript makes a clear contribution to family business strategy and fits the journal’s theoretical, empirical or methodological expectations. The journal’s scope explicitly welcomes new work from younger family-business scholars as well as established researchers, but career stage does not substitute for fit and research quality.
Can Contentxprtz guarantee acceptance in this journal?
No. Ethical editing, formatting, reference checking and publication-readiness support can improve clarity and compliance, but acceptance depends on editorial assessment, peer review, originality, methodological quality, scope fit and the journal’s independent decisions.
Conclusion: Should You Consider Journal of Family Business Strategy?
Journal of Family Business Strategy is a credible, internationally oriented Elsevier journal for scholarship in which family influence is genuinely central to strategic and organizational explanation. Its Scopus and SSCI coverage, established publication record and strong current citation metrics may make it attractive to researchers whose institutions value recognised indexing.
The stronger reason to submit, however, is journal fit. A manuscript should engage the family-business conversation directly, make a defensible theoretical or empirical contribution, and be prepared according to the current author instructions. Before submission, reconfirm metrics, fees, editorial information and technical requirements on the official journal site.
Professional editing or publication-readiness support can help strengthen clarity and compliance, but editorial decisions remain entirely with the journal and its peer-review process.
