The Bottom Line: Scopus, Scope, Metrics & Submission Guide
The Bottom Line is an Emerald Publishing journal for multidisciplinary research on management and organizational questions that matter to society, with particular attention to information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation. Researchers searching for “The Bottom Line Scopus”, its quartile, CiteScore, Impact Factor, acceptance rate or submission guidelines are often trying to answer one practical question: does this journal fit the manuscript they actually have?
The answer depends on more than a metric. The journal’s present scope is substantially broader than its historical association with library finance. Its recent content includes research on SMEs, risk management, digital capabilities, sustainability, entrepreneurship, organizational performance, workplace technology and related business questions. Emerald lists the journal in Scopus and the Emerging Sources Citation Index, and reports a 2025 CiteScore of 9.8 and a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 7.3. Authors should still verify the latest metrics, institutional journal-list rules, fees and author instructions immediately before submission because these can change.
Quick Answer: What Is The Bottom Line?
The Bottom Line is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary international journal published by Emerald Publishing. Emerald describes it as addressing conceptual and practical management and organizational issues, especially where information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation intersect with business and society.
The journal uses double-anonymous peer review and sends submissions to at least two independent anonymous reviewers. It is a hybrid journal: authors can publish through the subscription route, choose gold open access after acceptance for an APC, or use Emerald’s green self-archiving route. The journal accepts manuscripts in UK or US English and uses ScholarOne for submission.
Key Takeaways
- Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited.
- Identifiers: print ISSN 0888-045X; online ISSN 2054-1724; supplied Scopus Source ID 145290.
- Current scope: multidisciplinary management and organizational research involving information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation.
- Indexing: Emerald lists Scopus and the Emerging Sources Citation Index, among multiple other services.
- 2025 metrics: CiteScore 9.8; Journal Impact Factor 7.3; five-year Impact Factor 6.4.
- Peer review: double anonymous, with at least two independent anonymous reviewers.
- Article preparation: standard articles are 4,000–8,500 words; structured abstract up to 250 words; Harvard referencing; Microsoft Word required.
- Open access: hybrid, with gold OA subject to the current APC and green self-archiving available without an author fee.
Journal Information at a Glance
| Field | Journal information |
|---|---|
| Journal name | The Bottom Line |
| Source type | Journal |
| Scopus Source ID | 145290 (supplied source record) |
| Print ISSN | 0888-045X |
| Online ISSN | 2054-1724 |
| Publisher | Emerald Publishing Limited |
| Country/region | United Kingdom publisher; international journal |
| Language | UK or US English |
| Current issue evidence | Volume 39, Issue 3, dated 21 April 2026 on Emerald Insight |
| Scopus status | Listed by Emerald as indexed in Scopus |
| Web of Science coverage | Emerging Sources Citation Index listed by Emerald |
| CiteScore | 9.8 (2025) |
| Impact Factor | 7.3 (2025) |
| 5-year Impact Factor | 6.4 (2025) |
| SJR / SNIP | Not reproduced here because a current journal-specific value was not verified from the official Emerald record used for this article |
| SCImago quartile | Q1 in Library and Information Sciences based on SCImago data labelled as based on Scopus data as of March 2025; verify the latest category/year before relying on it |
| Open access | Hybrid; gold and green routes available |
| Submission system | ScholarOne Manuscripts |
Methodology and Sources
This profile was prepared from the journal’s current Emerald Insight landing page, Emerald’s journal-finder/author-guideline record, the supplied Scopus identifier and ISSN, and SCImago only for the category-specific quartile context. Journal metrics, editorial teams, indexing coverage, submission requirements, calls for papers, fees and timelines are time-sensitive; authors should reconfirm them on the official journal and publisher pages before submission.
What Is The Bottom Line’s Aims and Scope?
Emerald currently positions The Bottom Line as a multidisciplinary international journal that publishes research on conceptual and practical management and organizational issues serving society. Its stated focus includes information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation examined through diverse business perspectives.
For researchers, this means the journal is not limited to one narrow management subdiscipline. A manuscript may be relevant when its core research question contributes to management, economics, business, information or technology and explains why the findings matter to organizations, decision-makers or society. The author guidelines explicitly ask researchers to make theoretical and practical contributions clear, justify methods rigorously, discuss results against prior literature, and address broader economic or social implications where applicable.
Potentially relevant themes based on the current scope and recent publication pattern include knowledge management, organizational learning, innovation capabilities, digital transformation, responsible management, sustainability, entrepreneurship and SMEs, business resilience, risk management, financial behavior, human resource management, technology adoption, information management, digital leadership, organizational performance and value creation. These are practical examples derived from the verified scope and recent content, not an exhaustive official topic list.
Subjects and Research Topics That May Fit
| Potentially aligned area | What a manuscript should demonstrate |
|---|---|
| Information and knowledge management | A clear management or organizational contribution, not only a technical description. |
| Innovation and digital transformation | How technology or capabilities influence organizations, performance, strategy, people or society. |
| Sustainability and responsible management | Strong theoretical framing plus practical, managerial, societal or economic implications. |
| SMEs and entrepreneurship | Evidence-based insight into management, resilience, innovation, transfer, risk, finance or organizational development. |
| Organizational behavior and HRM | A meaningful contribution to management knowledge with justified methodology and relevant literature positioning. |
| Risk, finance and value creation | A management-oriented question with clear organizational relevance rather than a purely technical finance treatment. |
Is The Bottom Line Indexed in Scopus?
Yes. Emerald lists Scopus among the journal’s abstracting and indexing services, and the source record supplied for this article identifies Scopus Source ID 145290. The supplied record also gives print ISSN 0888-045X, which matches Emerald’s current journal information. Authors whose university or doctoral programme requires Scopus indexing should still verify the live Scopus source profile at the point when the requirement matters.
Emerald also lists the Emerging Sources Citation Index along with ABI Inform, Academic Search databases, LISA, Library & Information Science Abstracts and other services. Indexing lists can change, so institutional decisions should be based on the database’s current record rather than an old screenshot or third-party journal-ranking page.
Current Journal Metrics and Quartile
Emerald reports a 2025 CiteScore of 9.8, a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 7.3, and a 2025 five-year Impact Factor of 6.4. Emerald also displays a 2026 CiteScore Tracker of 6.6, which is a live in-year tracker rather than a completed annual CiteScore and should not be treated as directly equivalent to the final 2025 value.
For quartile context, SCImago’s Library and Information Sciences ranking lists Bottom Line with an SJR of 0.861 and Q1 status in data labelled as based on Scopus data as of March 2025. Quartiles are category- and year-specific; a journal can appear differently across categories or reporting systems. Researchers should therefore state the database, year and category whenever a quartile is relevant to an institutional requirement.
Publisher and Editorial Leadership
The Bottom Line is published by Emerald Publishing Limited. Emerald’s current journal page names Professor Susanne Durst as editor and provides a broader international editorial team. Because editorial boards change, authors should use the live journal page when they need current names or contact details.
Types of Articles Published
The journal’s submission page lists Article, Regular Column and Book Review as submission types. Within the classification step, authors can select categories such as research paper, viewpoint, technical paper, conceptual paper, case study, literature review and general review. These classifications describe the nature of the manuscript; they do not remove the need to demonstrate a strong fit with the journal’s aims and current editorial direction.
Who Should Consider Submitting?
PhD scholars, faculty members, early-career researchers, interdisciplinary research teams and professionals may consider The Bottom Line when their manuscript addresses a management or organizational problem and can speak to an international research audience. Academic status alone is not a fit criterion. The stronger test is whether the study has a research question, literature base, methods, results and contribution that connect convincingly with the journal’s present focus.
For doctoral publication requirements, verify the live indexing status, the institution’s accepted journal lists, any minimum quartile or Impact Factor rules, and supervisor guidance. Scopus indexing by itself does not make a journal automatically suitable for every PhD manuscript.
How to Decide Whether Your Manuscript Fits
- Compare the research question with the current aims. The paper should address a management or organizational issue, not simply mention business terms.
- Review recent articles. Check several papers from 2025–2026 for topic, theory, methods, contribution style and readership.
- Confirm the article type. Decide whether the manuscript is best treated as a research paper, conceptual paper, literature review, case study, viewpoint or another listed category.
- Check the contribution. The guidelines emphasise theoretical positioning, practical/managerial implications and broader impact where relevant.
- Test methodological fit. Methods should be justified and described sufficiently for readers to understand, evaluate and, where applicable, replicate the research.
Journal-Fit Checklist
- Does my manuscript clearly fall within the journal’s current management and organizational scope?
- Can I explain the contribution to theory, practice, management, economics, business, information or technology?
- Has the journal recently published related work without making my study redundant?
- Does the journal accept my article type?
- Can I meet the 4,000–8,500 word range for an Article?
- Can I prepare the required structured abstract and keywords?
- Can I anonymize the manuscript for double-anonymous review?
- Have I confirmed indexing and metrics needed by my institution?
- Do I understand the subscription, gold OA and green OA options?
- Have all authors approved the submission and declarations?
The Bottom Line Submission Guidelines
Submission is handled through ScholarOne Manuscripts. For standard articles, Emerald’s journal-specific guidance states a length of 4,000 to 8,500 words, including the structured abstract, references, text in tables and figures, and appendices; the guidance advises allowing 280 words for each table or figure. The journal landing page also notes Article up to 8,500 words and Editorial up to 3,000 words.
Article files must be provided in Microsoft Word format. A PDF may accompany the Word file, but a PDF alone is not acceptable. LaTeX can be used only with an accompanying PDF. Author names and affiliations are entered in ScholarOne; biographies and acknowledgements, where used, should be uploaded separately so the review manuscript remains anonymized.
Abstract, Keywords, Tables, Figures and References
The journal-specific guidelines require a structured abstract with six elements: Purpose; Design/methodology/approach; Findings; Originality; Research limitations/implications; and Practical/managerial implications and/or Social/economic implications. The maximum abstract length is 250 words. The detailed journal page currently permits up to 12 short keywords, while another Emerald Insight summary displays up to 6; because these two official surfaces differ, authors should follow the live ScholarOne/journal instruction presented at the time of submission.
Figures should be high-quality and numbered consecutively, with clear captions and permissions where needed. The journal-specific page asks authors to submit tables separately, number them consecutively using Roman numerals and mark their intended position in the manuscript. References should use a recognised Harvard style; Emerald’s own Harvard guide is acceptable, and citations should be complete, accurate and consistent.
Peer-Review Process
The Bottom Line uses double-anonymous peer review. Emerald states that submissions are sent to at least two independent and anonymous reviewers. Authors should therefore remove identifying information from the review manuscript and keep acknowledgements and biographies separate. The editorial process normally includes technical checks, editor assessment, reviewer selection, peer review, revision where requested and a final editorial decision.
Emerald’s metrics page reports 48 days to first decision based on submissions between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. It also reports 36 days from acceptance to publication based on the previous 12 months, last updated April 2025. These are historical journal indicators, not promises for an individual manuscript.
Acceptance Rate
Emerald reports an 18.6% acceptance rate for The Bottom Line, based on submissions between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. An acceptance rate is descriptive, not predictive. A manuscript’s outcome depends on scope fit, quality, originality, methodological rigor, reporting, reviewer feedback and editorial judgment.
Open Access and Publication Fees
The Bottom Line is a hybrid journal. Authors can publish through the subscription route, select gold open access after acceptance, or use green open access/self-archiving. Gold OA makes the version of record openly available and requires an article processing charge. Emerald states that APCs vary by journal and are shown on its current APC price list or in the editorial system. This article does not reproduce an APC amount because a current journal-specific price was not verified from the official record used here.
Emerald’s gold OA articles use a CC BY 4.0 licence. For green OA, Emerald permits the author-accepted manuscript to be made openly available after the article is published, without an author payment and without an embargo period under its current policy. Authors should check funder and institutional requirements before choosing a route.
Publication Ethics and Generative-AI Policy
Emerald states that its research and publishing ethics policies apply to the journal and that it follows COPE guidance. Submissions must be original, not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere, and must disclose conflicts of interest. Authors are responsible for appropriate authorship, permissions, research integrity, ethical approval and informed consent when applicable.
The current journal-specific guidance says large language models cannot be credited as authors. It also distinguishes permissible language-focused copy-editing of author-created text from prohibited uses such as generating article sections or reporting results with a generative-AI tool. Authors remain accountable for the accuracy, integrity and validity of the work and should follow the live Emerald AI policy because publisher rules can evolve.
Common Reasons a Manuscript May Be Unsuitable
These are practical editorial-readiness considerations rather than journal rejection statistics. A manuscript may be a weak candidate if the topic sits outside the current management/organizational scope, the contribution is unclear, the literature review does not establish a meaningful gap, methods are insufficiently justified, results are not interpreted against theory, conclusions overreach the evidence, or the manuscript ignores required formatting and ethical declarations. Strong language editing cannot compensate for a weak research question or unsupported findings.
Practical Journal-Fit Examples
Strong scope match: a study examines how digital capabilities influence sustainability performance in SMEs and makes a clear management contribution. The author should still compare recent TBL articles and explain novelty.
Possible but needs reframing: a technically sophisticated AI model is submitted with no organizational or managerial question. It may fit better after the authors clearly establish why the technology matters for management, decision-making, value creation or society—provided this reflects the actual research rather than cosmetic reframing.
Weak scope match: a purely clinical or laboratory study with no management, organizational, information or technology-management contribution is unlikely to align with the stated scope.
Formatting problem: a strong empirical paper is 11,000 words and lacks the structured abstract. Before submission, the author should reduce it to the journal’s stated range and follow the current abstract format.
Revision stage: after major revisions, authors should answer each reviewer comment point by point, identify manuscript changes precisely and provide evidence when respectfully disagreeing.
Pre-Submission Checklist
| Check | Before submission |
|---|---|
| Scope | Compare the manuscript with the current aims and several recent articles. |
| Indexing | Confirm live Scopus/WoS status if required by your institution. |
| Article type | Select the closest journal-listed type and ScholarOne category. |
| Length | For an Article, confirm 4,000–8,500 words under the current journal-specific rules. |
| Abstract | Use the required structured format and keep within the stated maximum. |
| Anonymity | Remove author-identifying information from the review file. |
| References | Use a recognised Harvard style and verify every citation. |
| Ethics | Include necessary approval, consent, funding and conflict statements. |
| Files | Prepare Word manuscript plus separate/appropriate tables, figures and supplementary files. |
| OA decision | Understand gold APC implications and green self-archiving options. |
| Author approval | Confirm authorship order, affiliations and final approval from all authors. |
How Contentxprtz Can Support Authors Preparing for The Bottom Line
Contentxprtz can support publication readiness through manuscript assessment, academic editing, proofreading, ESL language polishing, title and abstract refinement, journal-formatting checks, reference consistency review, table and figure language review, cover-letter editing, and reviewer-response editing. For this journal specifically, useful support may include checking whether the manuscript communicates a genuine management or organizational contribution, whether the structured abstract reflects the paper accurately, and whether the paper follows the current Emerald presentation requirements.
Professional editing does not guarantee acceptance, peer-review success or publication. Editorial decisions remain solely with The Bottom Line and Emerald. Contentxprtz support is intended to help authors present their own research clearly, accurately, ethically and in line with applicable journal instructions.
Explore Contentxprtz journal publication support
Summary: The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line is an Emerald Publishing journal with a broad contemporary focus on management and organizational issues involving information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation. Emerald lists it in Scopus and the Emerging Sources Citation Index. The 2025 metrics currently displayed by Emerald include CiteScore 9.8, Journal Impact Factor 7.3 and five-year Impact Factor 6.4. The journal uses double-anonymous peer review, reports an 18.6% acceptance rate for the stated 2024–2025 submission window, and offers hybrid open-access publishing.
Researchers should decide on fit by reading the live aims and recent articles, confirming the applicable article type, preparing a methodologically defensible manuscript with a clear theoretical and practical contribution, and following the current Emerald/ScholarOne instructions. Metrics and indexing can support a journal-selection decision, but they should not replace scope, audience and research-quality assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Bottom Line
What is The Bottom Line journal?
The Bottom Line is a multidisciplinary international Emerald Publishing journal covering conceptual and practical management and organizational issues, especially information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation.
Who publishes The Bottom Line?
The journal is published by Emerald Publishing Limited.
Is The Bottom Line indexed in Scopus?
Yes. Emerald lists Scopus among its indexing services, and the supplied source record identifies Scopus Source ID 145290.
What are the ISSNs of The Bottom Line?
The print ISSN is 0888-045X and the online ISSN is 2054-1724.
What is The Bottom Line CiteScore?
Emerald reports a 2025 CiteScore of 9.8. The 2026 tracker is an in-year indicator and should not be confused with the completed 2025 CiteScore.
What is The Bottom Line Impact Factor?
Emerald reports a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 7.3 and a 2025 five-year Impact Factor of 6.4.
What is The Bottom Line quartile?
SCImago lists Bottom Line as Q1 in Library and Information Sciences in data labelled as based on Scopus data as of March 2025. Quartiles vary by year and category, so verify the latest applicable record.
What topics does The Bottom Line cover?
Its current scope includes management and organizational research connected with information, knowledge, innovation, sustainability, technology and value creation. Recent papers also show activity around SMEs, entrepreneurship, risk, digital transformation and organizational performance.
What article types does The Bottom Line accept?
The journal lists Article, Regular Column and Book Review as submission types, with classifications including research paper, viewpoint, technical paper, conceptual paper, case study, literature review and general review.
How long can an article be?
The current journal-specific guidance states 4,000–8,500 words for Articles, including the structured abstract, references, table and figure text, and appendices.
What peer-review model does The Bottom Line use?
It uses double-anonymous peer review and Emerald states that submissions are sent to at least two independent anonymous reviewers.
What is the acceptance rate?
Emerald reports 18.6%, based on submissions between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. This is historical performance information, not a prediction for a particular paper.
How long does review take?
Emerald reports 48 days to first decision for the stated 2024–2025 submission window and 36 days from acceptance to publication based on its previous 12-month data. Individual manuscripts can take longer or shorter.
Is The Bottom Line open access?
It is a hybrid journal. Authors may use the subscription route, choose gold open access after acceptance subject to an APC, or use Emerald’s green self-archiving route.
Does professional editing guarantee acceptance?
No. Editing can improve clarity, consistency and journal readiness, but acceptance and publication decisions remain solely with the journal and publisher.
