Journal of Financial Economics: Scopus, Metrics, Scope & Submission Guide

Key Takeaways

• Publisher: Elsevier; the journal is hosted on ScienceDirect and associated with the North-Holland imprint.
• Scopus: indexed under Source ID 24379; print ISSN 0304-405X and online ISSN 1879-2774.
• Scope: financial economics and theory of the firm, including capital markets, institutions, corporate finance, governance and organizational economics.
• 2025 metrics reported by the journal-facing site: CiteScore 20.7, Impact Factor 8.8, SJR 18.748, SJR quartile Q1.
• Peer review: double anonymized, requiring a separate title page and anonymized manuscript.
• Fees: US$850 submission fee for unsolicited new manuscripts; optional open-access APC currently listed as US$5,210, both subject to current publisher terms and taxes.
• Author preparation: editable source files, abstract up to 250 words, 1–7 English keywords, numbered references, disclosure statements and a careful fit check are central current requirements.

Journal Information at a Glance

The table below separates stable identifiers from time-sensitive metrics and policies. Time-sensitive values should be reconfirmed on the linked official sources before submission.

What This Page Covers

• Aims, scope and subject fit
• Scopus and other indexing
• 2025 journal metrics
• Publisher and editorial leadership
• Manuscript preparation rules
• Submission fees and open access
• Peer review and workflow
• Publication ethics and AI
• Journal-fit examples

Methodology and Source Note

This profile was prepared by matching the supplied source record — Journal of Financial Economics, Scopus Source ID 24379, ISSN 0304-405X, Elsevier — against current journal and publisher information. Priority was given to the official ScienceDirect journal page, the official Guide for Authors, Elsevier's editorial-board and journal-insights pages, the supplied Scopus source profile, and the journal-facing JFE site for its 2025 metric display.

Metrics, editorial teams, fees, submission-system URLs and publisher policies can change. This page therefore distinguishes verified journal facts from practical interpretation and general publication-readiness guidance. If a live official figure could not be independently confirmed, it is not estimated. Authors using journal data for a PhD rule, promotion, grant or institutional assessment should capture the current official database record on the date of their decision.

Journal of Financial Economics Aims, Scope and Subject Areas

JFE's official scope centers on theoretical and empirical questions in financial economics and the theory of the firm. The publisher identifies five major areas: capital markets, financial institutions, corporate finance, corporate governance, and the economics of organizations. The journal also describes analytical, empirical and clinical contributions as central forms of research contribution.

For researchers evaluating fit, that wording matters. A manuscript does not become a JFE paper simply because it contains financial variables or an econometric model. The central research question should speak to a financial-economics problem, and the paper should make a contribution that is meaningful to scholars studying financial markets, firms, institutions, governance, financing or closely related organizational mechanisms.

Based on the stated scope, potentially relevant research themes include asset pricing and return predictability; institutional and household investing; market liquidity and microstructure; banking and credit markets; corporate investment and financing; capital structure; payout policy; mergers and acquisitions; ownership and control; boards and governance; executive incentives; financial contracting; private equity and venture capital; information disclosure; financial regulation; risk transfer; organizational design; labor and finance; fintech and payment systems; and interactions between firms, markets and financial institutions. This is publication-fit guidance derived from the journal's scope, not an official exhaustive topic list.

A strong pre-submission step is to read several recent JFE articles in the nearest topic area. Recent issues show work spanning investment demand, household finance, banking, debt markets, corporate distress, currency markets, market execution and financial technology. The purpose of this reading is not to manufacture citations to the target journal; it is to assess whether the manuscript addresses a question, audience and level of contribution that resembles the journal's current conversation.

Scopus Indexing, Impact Factor, CiteScore, SJR and Quartile

The Journal of Financial Economics is indexed in Scopus as Source ID 24379. Elsevier also lists the journal in the Social Sciences Citation Index and shows subject areas including Accounting, Finance, Economics and Econometrics, and Strategy and Management. These indexing signals support discoverability, but they should not be treated as a substitute for evaluating manuscript fit.

Metrics should always be tied to a reporting year. During research, an older Elsevier snapshot still displayed a CiteScore of 22.0 and Impact Factor of 12.0, while the journal-facing site showed the newer 2025 figures above. That difference is a useful reminder that cached publisher pages, third-party databases and annual metrics can be out of sync. For a formal claim such as “the journal meets my university's Q1 requirement,” use the current database and category your institution explicitly recognizes.

Publisher, Publication Model and Editorial Leadership

Elsevier publishes the Journal of Financial Economics, and Elsevier's shop associates it with the North-Holland imprint. The journal is hosted on ScienceDirect. Elsevier currently lists 12 issues annually, while the journal-facing JFE site traces the journal's establishment to 1974.

The current editorial-board page lists Toni Whited of the University of Michigan as Editor-in-Chief. Co-Editors include Dimitris Papanikolaou, Nikolai L. Roussanov and Philipp Schnabl. The page also identifies advisory editors, associate editors, a data editor and an editorial assistant. Editorial membership can change, so authors should consult the live board rather than relying on saved lists.

For journal selection, publisher identity and editorial structure are useful transparency signals. They do not imply that a specific manuscript will be reviewed or accepted. Fit, contribution, methods, reporting quality and editorial judgement remain manuscript-specific.

Who Should Consider Submitting — and How to Decide Whether Your Manuscript Fits

Researchers should consider JFE when financial economics is the manuscript's primary intellectual home and the paper offers a substantial analytical, empirical or closely related contribution to the journal's readership. Academic status by itself is not the deciding factor: a PhD scholar, professor, early-career researcher or professional research team should apply the same fit test.

1. Match the research question to the official scope. Identify the financial-economics problem in one sentence and map it to the journal's major areas.
2. Check recent publication patterns. Read recent articles closest to your topic, methods and type of contribution.
3. Define the contribution for JFE readers. Explain what the paper changes in current understanding of markets, firms, institutions, governance or organizational economics.
4. Check methodological credibility. Ask whether identification, theory, measurement, robustness and interpretation are strong enough for the claim being made.
5. Confirm practical eligibility. Review the current submission fee, author guidelines, double-anonymized file requirements and institutional journal rules.

Submission Guidelines and Manuscript Preparation Requirements

The official Guide for Authors provides the controlling submission requirements. The current system accepts online submission and requires editable source files. Word submissions should use .doc or .docx and a single-column layout; LaTeX submissions use editable .tex sources. A PDF is not accepted as the sole source file for production.

Because JFE uses double-anonymized review, authors should prepare a separate title page and anonymized manuscript. The title page should include the article title, author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, declaration of interest, and the corresponding author's full address and email. The anonymized manuscript should contain the main body, references, figures and tables but no identifying names or affiliations.

The journal's submission checklist also expects a designated corresponding author with full contact information, complete upload of required files and supplementary material, spelling and grammar checks, consistency between in-text citations and the reference list, and permission for copyrighted third-party material. Authors selecting open access should ensure that all authors understand potential APC responsibility if the paper is accepted.

As a publication-readiness step, authors should compare the final manuscript against the live Guide for Authors line by line. This is especially important for anonymization: acknowledgements, self-identifying file metadata, affiliations embedded in appendices, or revealing data-repository text can undermine a double-anonymized submission even when the main title page is separated correctly.

Peer Review, Editorial Screening and Publication Workflow

JFE uses double-anonymized peer review. The Guide for Authors states that an editor first assesses whether the submission is suitable for the journal. A manuscript may therefore be rejected before external review. Papers that proceed are evaluated under the journal's review process, and the editor remains responsible for the publication decision.

A practical workflow is: prepare the manuscript and anonymized files; submit online and pay the applicable submission fee; undergo technical and editorial screening; enter external peer review if selected; respond to revision requests; receive a final editorial decision; and, if accepted, provide final editable production files, proofs and any publication-option information.

Elsevier's journal insights page publishes descriptive timeline statistics such as submission to first decision, decision after review, submission to acceptance and acceptance to online publication. These are journal-level historical indicators, not promises for an individual manuscript. The current Guide for Authors adds a distinctive fee policy: submission fees are refunded for decisions rendered after 120 days, according to the stated terms. Authors should check the live policy because refund conditions can change.

When responding to reviewers, copy each substantive comment into a response document, answer point by point, identify where the manuscript changed, and explain respectfully when a suggestion is not implemented. Do not claim that revision guarantees acceptance. Major revisions can still lead to rejection when the core concern is unresolved.

Open Access, APC, Submission Fee and Other Publication Charges

The Journal of Financial Economics supports a hybrid publication model. Authors may choose open access after acceptance under the publisher's available options, or use the subscription route. Elsevier's journal page currently lists an open-access article publishing charge of US$5,210 excluding taxes. Under the subscription option, Elsevier states that no publication fee is charged to authors for the standard route.

Separate from the APC, the Guide for Authors currently states a US$850 submission fee excluding VAT for unsolicited new manuscripts. Submissions are considered after the fee is paid. The guide also describes a partial refund after some desk rejections and other refund conditions, and states that there are no page charges. Because submission fees, APCs, taxes, waivers, institutional agreements and refund rules can change, authors should verify the live fee text immediately before payment.

Publication Ethics, Authorship, Competing Interests and Generative AI

JFE's Guide for Authors incorporates Elsevier's publishing-ethics policies. Submission implies that the work has not been published previously except in allowed forms such as a preprint, abstract, published lecture, academic thesis or registered report; that it is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere; and that all authors and responsible authorities have approved submission. The publisher may use screening tools to check compliance.

Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contribution, participation in drafting or critical revision, final approval, and accountability for the work. The guide says authorship order should be finalized at original submission and that changes are generally restricted. Competing financial or personal interests must be disclosed, funding should be reported, and authors should maintain accurate data, references and permissions.

Elsevier's generative-AI policy, updated in June 2026, permits responsible AI assistance in manuscript preparation with human oversight but requires disclosure when AI tools make substantive contributions to manuscript preparation. Authors remain responsible for verifying accuracy, references, originality, privacy and intellectual-property implications. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Basic spelling, grammar and punctuation checks do not require an AI declaration under the current policy.

The policy also protects peer-review confidentiality: reviewers should not upload submitted manuscripts into public generative-AI tools. Authors should likewise avoid placing confidential or unpublished data into tools whose terms permit retention or training use. Where AI is used in research methods rather than only manuscript preparation, it should be described appropriately in the methods section.

Practical Journal-Fit Examples

Journal-Fit and Pre-Submission Checklist

How Contentxprtz Can Support JFE Publication Readiness

Contentxprtz can ethically support authors preparing for journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics by improving how their own research is presented. Depending on the manuscript, support may include journal-scope alignment review, manuscript assessment, academic editing, ESL language polishing, proofreading, title and abstract refinement, structural editing, journal formatting, reference checking, figure and table language review, cover-letter editing, submission-document review and reviewer-response editing.

For JFE specifically, publication-readiness work may focus on whether the financial-economics contribution is explicit, whether the abstract communicates purpose, method, main result and contribution concisely, whether anonymization is complete, whether numbered references are consistent, and whether declarations and submission files match the current Guide for Authors.

Contentxprtz does not control editorial decisions and does not guarantee acceptance or publication. Professional support is intended to help researchers communicate their own work clearly, accurately, ethically and in accordance with applicable journal requirements.