Here is my promised summary of responses to my questions about journal turnaround times. This is based on 14 respondents. However, it is a start, as they are mainly highly published and aware of norms, and eight are currently journal editors or associate editors. I have simply listed all responses; the variance for some questions is apparent.
The journals currently in the SSCI, alphabetically:
Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, current impact factor 1.521, 5 year factor 1.826. I received limited responses:
Speed of first decision: mid range; quality of reviews “excellent” with a perception of “high rejection rates.”
Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 1.726, 3.327:
Speed of first decision: fast, within two months, three months, variable: within 60 days generally but sometimes 120-150 days, within three months, 2-4 months.
How many revisions: 3 with the 3rd minor (from two respondents), two, no more than three, one major and one minor, usually one but up to three
Time to appear in print:
Special issues quickly (two respondents), special issues slow and regular issues fast (one respondent), up to two or three years for regular issues, 12-24 months, one year, up to a year, a few months to a few years
Reviewing quality: about 75% are helpful, 4 on a 5 point scale, “some… very helpful while others are very short and fail to identify core issues”, “very useful”, “generally pretty good”, “first class”
Family Business Review, 1.357, n/a (too new in SSCI):
35-40 days to decision; two to three revisions, online quickly and in print within three months
International Small Business Journal, 1.729, 1.664. I received no responses about this journal.
Journal of Business Venturing, 2.143, 3.857:
Speed of decision: “fast”, three months, within three months, 2-4 months.
Number of revisions: three with the third minor, one major and one minor, usually one but up to three.
Time to appear in print: three years, 1.25 years, within a year, a few months to a few years, 12-24 months.
Reviewing quality: 4 on a 5 point scale, “very useful”, “generally pretty good”
Journal of Small Business Management, 0.875, 1.554:
Speed of decision: slow, 2-4 months
Number of revisions: one to three
Time to appear in print: three years, as long as two years, 12-24 months
Reviewing quality: “excellent.. and detailed”
Small Business Economics, 1.415, 1.710. I received little information on SBE.
Speed of decision: mid range
Time to appear in print: faster than most.
Not currently in the SSCI but a good candidate, I would imagine, and the other journal with the most responses:
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal:
Speed of decision: slow, within two months, currently about 60 days, 60 days or less, 2-4 months, 6 weeks
Number of revisions: two to three, no more than three, one major and one minor
Time to appear in print: 6 months and 9 at most, about 6 months, 12-24 months, about six months
Reviewing quality: “weak”, “constructive”, “detailed and very helpful”, “very constructive, detailed and clear”
The other journals receiving some comments:
International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal: under two months to a decision; conditional decision generally made on first submission; appears online in three months and in print in 18-24 months. Apparently desk rejections are not uncommon.
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation: a one year turnaround (to final decision, I believe); reviews are “generally good”
International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research: "now a very difficult journal to get into. Plenty of encouragement"; an experience of four reviews (three revisions) followed by rejection (but this respondent is positive about the journal)
Journal of Enterprising Culture: one respondent had submitted two manuscripts with frustrating results, with very long waits and little communication.
New England Journal of Entrepreneurship: about two years from submission to print; “very supportive and good reviews.”
A few general comments, perhaps idiosyncratic but interesting:
The better journals such as ET&P, FBR,JBV, and SEJ (one respondent’s list) generally move manuscripts through faster with better reviews.
There is increasing pressure from universities for publication in SSCI journals, particularly those with impact factors over 1.2 or so (which is to say all of them with the possible exception of JSBM). This leads to increasing manuscript flow at those journals and makes it easier to publish in the other journals. (This observation should be compared with the view that IJEBR is now quite selective, and of course SEJ is not – yet – in the SSCI.)
Even the better journals can sometimes have a difficult time determining whether a submission is really within the entrepreneurship field. They also have some reviewers with good reputations but perhaps not the level of method training one would like.
The maximum number of iterations reported: five (but with the last couple very minor).
Alex
Alex Stewart, Ph.D.
Coleman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Office: 414 288-7188
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