Propose a journal

Guidelines for proposing a new journal

Some key considerations for proposing editors

• What is your rationale for launch?
• Is there a gap in the academic field? How do you see the subject field evolving over the next 5-10 years?
• What is the proposed editorial scope and coverage of the journal?
• How will you attract submissions to the proposed journal?
• Who will be the journal’s target audience, both in terms of authors and users?
• Who would you seek to invite on to the Editorial Board of the journal?
• What is the estimated size of the research community working in the field of this title?
• How will it position itself amongst the competition?
• Where and how can the journal be effectively promoted?
  

Key criteria for successful new journal launch

• The Editor must be enthusiastic and have an established network of contacts
• A strong subject matter, identifying a need not currently satisfied by existing publications
• Clear differentiation from other journals/products in the field
• A clearly defined and easy-to-reach target market
• Tangible benefits for the end-user
• International contributions and target market
• An available source of high-quality content.
  

The proposal form should be completed as fully as possible to enable proper and considered evaluation. We have made available resources to guide you:

• "How to write a journal proposal"
• Recommendations from recent new launch editors

An example of a good proposal is available upon request.

What will happen to your proposal once submitted?

The proposal will be evaluated by our team and relevant internal Emerald staff. We will then work with you to refine the proposal, based on our feedback and that of external experts in the given field. This process can take three months. Once completed, a decision will be made whether to recommend the journal for launch. The final decision lies with the Emerald Board of Directors.

We recommend at least twelve months between a new launch journal being approved by the Emerald Board and the first issue being published. This ensures maximum promotional opportunities and sufficient time to attract papers.

What are the benefits of being an Editor at Emerald?

• Professional and close support from a dedicated Publishing team
• Annual honorarium for editing the journal and annual conference allowance
• ScholarOne Manuscripts online submission and review system
• A quality-assured in-house production service
• Production of promotional literature and dedicated journal home page
• Access (via Emerald) to the Emerald Literati database for promotional messages, consisting of more than 20,000 researchers and scholars worldwide
• Support and practical help and advice on getting the journals listed on abstracting & indexing services and rankings such as ISI
• Journal published in hard copy and online
• Inclusion of the new title in the Emerald full text database, EMPlus and relevant portfolio collection.
  

Testimonials

“We received interest from several publishers but we were particularly impressed with the response to our proposal from Emerald, which was both enthusiastic and professional. Extensive support was provided during the pre-launch phase and provided a strong platform for publicity and delivery of Issue 1. The New Launch team and in-house ScholarOne team have been extremely helpful throughout the pre-launch phase. Any queries we raised were dealt with professionally and in a timely fashion. The whole team was supportive and friendly. Thank you!

The journal web pages, early A&I inclusion, a comprehensive ScholarOne site at launch, and a high degree of interest from potential authors, including Guests Editors that identified timely topics, are all examples of how successful the pre-launch phase has been.”

– Professor Dilanthi Amaratunga and Dr Richard Haigh, Editors of the International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment.

“The support we received from the launch editor(s) and others at Emerald was excellent. The full [inaugural] issue as published was excellent. The production quality was excellent. We (editors) feel confident that the quality of content was excellent and have received numerous compliments on that issue and the subsequent one (volume 1, issue 2).”

– Professor Brian Jones, Editor of the Journal of Historical Research in Marketing.

“The Emerald staff I have dealt with in all stages to date have been very professional and helpful.”

– Professor Carol Adams, Editor of Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal.