Instructions for Authors

1. Manuscript Submission Overview

1.1 Types of Publications

The main article types considered for publication are:

Article: Manuscript length should be between 7,000 and 10,000 words and the norm should be 30 pages. Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract of the article (max. 200 words) and a list of three to five keywords or descriptors. Also add three to five appropriate JEL-codes (example: JEL: J31, J33, J41, M52) under the keywords in brackets. You will find the list of JEL-codes at http://www.aeaweb.org/jel/jel_class_system.php.

Editorial: Editorials are opinion articles from the editor or an invited author. When submitted by an invited contributor, editorials may introduce the subject being brought into focus in a special issue. They should be brief and focused. Editorials may normally be no more than 3 authors. The body of the Editorial can be continuous text or divided into subsections. The total words should not exceed 1000 words. Editorials on topics of current interest are welcome.

Review: This is a comprehensive overview of a specific hot topic aligned with addressing the aims and hypothesis through the literature. They are often written by leaders in a particular discipline. Reviews are often widely read (for example, by researchers looking for a full introduction to a field) and highly cited. Reviews commonly cite approximately 60 primary research articles. The word should not exceed 8000 words.

Research Note: Research notes serve as a platform for disseminating preliminary findings, novel methodologies, insightful observations, and timely updates on ongoing research. They are intended to be succinct and focused, offering a rapid avenue for sharing valuable information with the community. Research notes should typically be between 6000 and 8000 words, and the norm should be 20 pages, including abstract, main text, and references. Tables and figures should be kept to a minimum and be essential for conveying the core message.

Book Review: Book reviews aim to provide a comprehensive and critical assessment of new scholarly works in management. These reviews should not merely summarise the book but offer a nuanced analysis of its contributions to the field. Book reviews should typically range between 1500 and 2000 words.

1.2 Accepted File Formats

Authors may use the Microsoft Word template available on our website to prepare their manuscript. If this requirement presents a problem, please contact the Editorial Office (MRev@imrpress.com). Accepted file formats are:

• Microsoft Word: Manuscripts must be converted into a single file before submission. When preparing manuscripts in Microsoft Word, please ensure the use of the MRev Microsoft Word template in the following formats: Manuscript Template.
• LaTeX: Manuscripts prepared in LaTeX must be collated into one ZIP folder (including all source files and images, so that the Editorial Office can recompile the submitted PDF).
• Figures: Please save and submit figures as jpg. or tif. files (see below Link to 2.4.4 for further details).
• Supplementary Materials: These materials may be in any format, but it is recommended that authors use common, non-proprietary formats where possible (see below Link to 3 for further details).

1.3 Submission Process

• Manuscripts that are ready for submission should be scientifically sound and without significant errors in the formatting and language usage (including spelling, grammar, proper sentence flow, etc.).
• Properly-formatted manuscripts should be submitted using the online submission & editorial system. Figures and Tables should be inserted into the main text close to their first citation and must be numbered following their number of appearance.
• Manuscripts for MRev should be submitted online at online submission & editorial system. The submitting author, who is generally the corresponding author, is responsible for the manuscript during the submission and peer-review process. The submitting author must ensure that all eligible co-authors have been included in the author list and that they have all read and approved the submitted version of the manuscript. To submit your manuscript, register and log in to the submission website.
• ORCID is an optional field which the submitting author can fill in. MRev uses ORCID to clearly link authors and reviewers—and all their name variants—with their research work, by embedding ORCID IDs into their publication metadata and displaying them on finished publications. Therefore, we recommend that the author complete this optional field and keep their Contributor Identification information up to date, ensuring that their identity is uniquely linked to their research
• When a manuscript is submitted, the corresponding author will receive a response within a few days regarding the suitability of the manuscript for publication in MRev. All manuscripts passed desk check will be sent to peer review, and the final acceptance/rejection depends on both reviewers and academic editor's decision.

 

2. Manuscript Preparation

2.1 The First Page – Title Page

General information about an article and its authors is presented on a manuscript title page and usually includes the article title, author information, sources of support, word count, and sometimes the number of tables and figures.

Title. Should contain a concise but informative title, typically not exceeding 110 characters. The use of abbreviations should be avoided. A running title not exceeding 60 letters and spaces should be included.

Author information. The authors' names should be listed below the title, with each author’s full first and middle names. Following the names, provide the full address of the institution(s) where the research was conducted. Affiliations should be listed in standard format, including city, zip code, state/province (if applicable), and country. If the research was conducted at multiple institutions, superscript numbers should follow the authors’ names to correspond with the relevant institution addresses. Contributions of equal significance may be marked with a dagger symbol (†).  At least one author must be designated as the corresponding author, with their full mailing address and other contact details provided.

Please note that the corresponding author should respond promptly to the editor's inquiries and any feedback during the submission and peer review process. They must also cooperate with the journal's requirements to provide any necessary data or other relevant information to prevent issues after the paper is published.

Since February 2025, the journal has not encouraged the listing of more than two co-first authors or co-corresponding authors. If there is a special reason to list more than two corresponding authors, please submit a cover letter providing a reasonable justification.

Availability of data and materials. This section is strongly encouraged that all datasets on which the conclusions of a manuscript depend should be available to readers, unless they are already provided as part of the submitted article. Authors who do not wish to share their data must state this fact, and also provide an explanation as to why the data are unavailable. More information about Availability of Data and Materials Policy.

Author contributions. The individual contributions of authors to the manuscript should be specified, and initials should be used to refer to each author’s contribution, MRev encourages the use of the roles defined in the Contributor Roles Taxonomy from CRediT (CRediT in no way changes the journal’s criteria to qualify for authorship). Although these initial authorship criteria were developed for medical journals, they offer a useful decision-making framework that can be applied broadly. See more details about the criteria to qualify for authorship.

Acknowledgment. This section can be used to recognize any support that is not addressed in the author contribution or funding sections. This may include administrative or technical assistance, as well as in-kind contributions.

Funding. Provide a detailed list of all funding sources that supported the work. As this section includes essential information, and many funding agencies require the inclusion of grant numbers, please ensure the accuracy of the details. Use the standard spelling of funding agency names as listed at https://search.crossref.org/funding, as inaccuracies may impact future funding opportunities.

Conflicts of interest. All authors must disclose any financial or substantive conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of the work. Any sources of financial support should be explicitly disclosed and reported in the appropriate section of the published article. 

This section is mandatory for all manuscripts. If there are no conflicts of interest to declare, please include the following statements:

“The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest.”

The information provided in this section must align with the details in the Declaration of Interests form included in the publishing agreement. For more information, refer to the Conflict of Interest policies.

Declaration of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process. In accordance with COPE’s stated position on AI tools, artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT and similar AI tools based on large language models (LLMs), cannot be listed as an author of a paper. If the author(s) have used AI tools in drafting of the manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, the authors must be transparent concerning the use of AI tools. Furthermore, AI tool use must be disclosed in this section. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those portions produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics. Final decisions concerning whether the use of an AI tool is appropriate, or permissible, in a submitted manuscript lies with the journals’ editors. Specifically, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for decisions concerning regular journal submissions, or an Editorial Board member may be appointed by the Editor-in-Chief to make such judgements in the case of a conflict of interest or for other circumstances.

Word count. Providing a word count for the main text of the manuscript, excluding the abstract, acknowledgments, tables, figure legends, and references, helps editors and reviewers evaluate whether the content justifies the length of the paper and ensures that the submission adheres to the journal’s format and word limits. Additionally, a separate word count for the abstract is required for similar reasons.

Specification of number of figures and tables. Ensuring that each figure and table is properly numbered allows editorial staff and reviewers to verify that all referenced elements are included in the manuscript submission.

2.2 Main Text

• Abstract

Manuscripts should include an abstract not exceeding 200 words, written to be understandable without reference to other sections of the paper. Abbreviations used only once should be spelled out in full. For abbreviations that appear multiple times, provide the definition once and use the abbreviation consistently thereafter. References, figures, tables, websites, equations, or other graphical elements should not be included in the abstract.

IMR Press encourages authors to provide a Graphical Abstract to visually present the core content and key findings of the manuscript. The Graphical Abstract should clearly convey the main message of the paper, attract readers' attention, and be suitable for display in the journal's table of contents. For detailed requirements, please refer to the “Preparing Graphical Abstracts”.

• Keywords

Immediately after the abstract, provide three to five keywords or descriptors. Also add three to five appropriate JEL Codes (example: JEL: J31, J33, J41, M52) under the keywords in brackets. You will find the list of JEL-codes at http://www.aeaweb.org/jel/jel_class_system.php.

• Introduction

The purpose of the study should be clearly stated in relation to existing research in the field, with the research hypothesis made explicit. This section should provide a concise overview, avoiding an extensive review of the literature (typically no longer than 2.5 pages). All information presented must be properly referenced and should engage with the relevant literature.

• Materials and Methods

This section should be clear and sufficiently detailed. Clearly outline the procedures, including a comprehensive explanation of data collection, analysis methods, and statistical approaches used. Specify the sources of any datasets, software, or tools utilized (e.g., database names, software versions, or vendors). If established methodologies are used, cite relevant references instead of providing extensive descriptions. Ensure clarity and precision in the presentation of methods.

• Results

Results can be presented in tables or figures, with a particular emphasis on figures to improve reader accessibility. However, many straightforward findings may be presented directly in the text. Results should be clearly separated from the discussion, and it is recommended to avoid repeating results in the text that are already presented in figures or tables.

Tables must have a clear title and should be placed on separate pages following the reference section of the main manuscript. They must be understandable without reference to the main text. Abbreviations and detailed explanations (such as the number of replicates or statistical interpretations) should be provided in the footnotes.

• Discussion

The discussion should be presented separately from the results and focus on interpreting the findings rather than restating them. Avoid excessive speculation and ensure that relevant literature is cited to support the interpretation. Toward the end of the discussion, briefly address the strengths and weaknesses of the research.

• Conclusions

Make sure that you split the discussion of your results and the overall conclusion of your study into two separate sections.

2.3 Cover Letter

Summarize briefly the important points of the submitted work including a brief description of the study to be submitted, that it is an original study presenting novel work, that it has not been previously submitted to or accepted by any other journal, that is has been approved by all authors. Please note that working papers or grey literature that have been assigned DOIs will not be considered for publication, and such submissions will be rejected.

2.4 Format of Manuscript

  2.4.1 General Formatting Guidelines

• Format, revise, and correct the manuscript and save it as a MS Word document (not as a text or any other type of file). It is important that manuscripts should be written in clear, concise English and should be submitted free of grammar, spelling or scientific errors. Subsequent to submission of the manuscript, please do not send any other revised form of the same document. Such documents will not be used.
• If you are including or referring to previously published text, tables, or figures, please obtain permission from the publisher by contacting them and add the comment "Reproduced with permission from, (ref #)" to the text, figure, or table legend.
• Please do not use automatic numbering in sections, sub-sections, titles, subtitles or references. The numbering used by Word is proprietary and does not allow conversion to HTML documents. Please remove automatic numbering and manually number numbered items in text.
• All supplementary materials (where applicable) should be submitted through online submission & editorial system as separated files. All supplementary figures and tables must be referred to by sequential numbers in text.
• Do not include footnotes directly within the main text. If footnotes are present, handle them as follows: reference-related footnotes should be replaced with standard in-text citations consistent with the reference list. Explanatory footnotes should retain the superscript number, and the explanatory note should appear immediately after the superscript within the main text. 
• All files must be scanned for viruses prior to submission.
• Page Layout: General.
• Times New Roman. Font size 10.5. 1.2 line spacing. Alignment Justified.
• The first line indents 2 characters of a new paragraph.
• Sub-headings and general headings should be presented in upper case letters (capitalize the initials of all substantives).
• Use either British English or American English spelling throughout your manuscript, but not both.
• Do not use page breaks in your manuscript.
• Divide your article into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ...), 1.2, etc. Use this numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text'. Any subsection may be given a brief heading.
• Figure Legends (do not place the reference to figure legends in sections and sub-sections).
• Tables (do not place the references to tables in sections and sub-sections).

Note:

• Place a hard return after each paragraph.

  2.4.2 References

In-Text Citations should include the author's surname and year of publication, e.g., (Smith, 2020). If citing multiple sources, list them in alphabetical order by the author's surname and separate them with semicolons, e.g., (Smith, 2020; Johnson, 2019; Lee et al., 2018). For sources with more than three authors, list the first author and followed by "et al." in all citations, e.g., (Smith et al., 2020). 

(1) Journal:

① Less than 6 authors

Pettit TJ, Fiksel J, Croxton KL. Ensuring supply chain resilience: development of a conceptual framework. Journal of business logistics. 2010; 31: 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2158-1592.2010.tb00125.x

② More than 6 authors

Martínez-Peláez R, Ochoa-Brust A, Rivera S, Félix VG, Ostos R, Brito H, et al. Role of Digital Transformation for Achieving Sustainability: Mediated Role of Stakeholders, Key Capabilities, and Technology. Sustainability. 2023; 15: 11221. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411221

(2) Book:

① Books:

Robbins SP, Coulter M. Management. 12th edn. Pearson: New York. 2014.

② Chapter in books

Eccles JS, Adler TF, Futterman R, Goff SB, Kaczala CM, Meece JL, et al. Expectancies, values, and academic behaviors. In Spence JT (ed.) Achievement and achievement motives (pp. 75–146). W.H. Freeman: San Francisco. 1983.

(3) Patent:

Harsell D, Armbrecht J, inventors; Intapp Inc., assignee. Enforcing security policies across heterogeneous systems. USA: United States patent US8490163B1. 16 July 2013.

(4) If there are non-English journals in the reference, please insert the journal language as the ending:

Zhao S. Differences in human resource management among Chinese, American and European enterprises and the application of human resource management in Chinese local enterprises. Journal of Management. 2012, 9: 380–387. (In Chinese)

(5) Websites:

Kehoe C, Pitkow J, Morton K. GVU's 8th WWW user survey. 1997. Available at: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/survey-1997-10/ (Accessed: 8 August 2000).

Please use a new line for every reference.

  2.4.3 Abbreviations

New abbreviations must be defined at first usage within the manuscript, and the abstract, text, and figures/tables should each spell them out fully the first time they appear.

  2.4.4 Tables and Figures

Keep the number of figures and tables to a minimum. Figures and tables should help the reader better to understand your research framework, results and argumentation. Refer to each table and figure in your text. Explain in a few sentences what the figure or table shows. The reader should understand the text without the figure or table as they only supplement it.

Table 1. Table Caption in Title Cases.

Column Head	Column Head	Column Head	Column Head
Row 1	123	456	789
Row 2	987	654	321
Row 3	112	223	334
Row 4	332	445	665

Note. Explain, qualify or provide information about the table.

For figures, a number and a title with a legend and caption are also placed above the visual display:

Figure 1. Figure Capture in Sentence Cases.

   2.4.5 Label Styles, Units and Symbols

Labels must be prepared according to our in‐house style, be phrased in accordance with the manuscript, and be free of spelling and other language errors.

*: Correspondence.

†: These authors contributed equally.

§: The author's own special request.

The SI system of units is preferred. For detailed advice please refer to the guidelines in Baron DN, Clark HM. Units, Symbols, and Abbreviations: A Guide for Authors and Editors in Medicine and Related Sciences, 6th edn (2008). CRC Press, ISBN 9781853156243. 

Notes:

• Always use a leading zero (0) before decimal points: 0.5 NOT .5.
• Decimal points must use a full stop/period (.) NOT a comma (,).
• A space must be inserted before measurement units: 132 bp NOT 132bp, 5 mm NOT 5mm, 1 h NOT 1h.

 

3. Supplementary Materials

Additional data and files can be uploaded as "Supplementary Files" during the manuscript submission process. The supplementary files will also be available to the referees as part of the peer-review process. Any file format is acceptable, however, we recommend that common, non-proprietary formats are used where possible.

 

4. Multimedia Materials

The author may submit all relevant multimedia materials with the initial submission to enhance the manuscript's dynamism and readability. For more details, please refer to "Preparing Multimedia Materials".

 

5. Research and Publication Ethics

5.1 Publication Ethics Statement

Authors of the manuscript are obligated to:

• Refrain from plagiarism (total or partial submission of the work of others).
• Refrain from fabricating (falsifying) data.
• Refrain from dishonesty (altering or suppressing information).
• Refrain from submitting information previously published or under consideration for publication in another journal.
• Describe the work accurately.
• Provide the details necessary for the duplication of the data by other investigators.
• Include all the data even if they do not support a given hypothesis.
• Cite all the relevant contributions of other investigators and references that allow interpretation of the results.
• If errors and inaccuracies are found by the authors after publication of their paper, these issues need to be promptly communicated to the editors of this journal so that appropriate actions can be taken. Please refer to our policy regarding publication of publishing addenda and corrections.

5.2 Neutrality

Potential disputes over borders and territories may have particular relevance for authors in describing their research or in an author or editor correspondence address, and such issues should be respected. Content decisions are an editorial matter and where there is a potential or perceived dispute or complaint, the editorial team will attempt to come to a resolution that satisfies all parties involved.

MRev stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

5.3 Citation

Research articles and non-research articles (e.g., Opinion, Review, and Commentary articles) must cite appropriate and relevant literature in support of the claims made, see more guidelines about Citation. 

 

6. Authorship

The individual contributions of authors to the manuscript should be specified, and initials should be used to refer to each author’s contribution, MRev encourages the use of the roles defined in the Contributor Roles Taxonomy from CRediT (CRediT in no way changes the journal’s criteria to qualify for authorship). Although these initial authorship criteria were developed for medical journals, they offer a useful decision-making framework that can be applied broadly. See more details about the criteria to qualify for authorship.

 

7. Copyright/Open Access

Starting from January 2025, all MRev content is available online. Articles published beginning from Volume 36 Issue 1 (2025) will continue to be available as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. The copyright is retained by the author(s).

IMR Press will insert the following note in the footer of the first page of the published text:

© Year The Author(s). Published by IMR Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.

 

8. Reviewer Recommendation

Authors can recommend two peers who could potentially be called upon to review the submitted manuscript. Recommended reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Please be aware of any conflicts of interest when recommending reviewers. Examples of conflicts of interest include (but are not limited to):

• The reviewer has prior knowledge of your submission.
• The reviewer has recently collaborated with any of the authors.
• Nominees from the same institution as any of the authors are not permitted.
• Please nominate peers who you do not wish to review your manuscript (i.e., opposed reviewers).

Please note that the Editors are not obliged to invite/reject any recommended/opposed reviewers to assess your manuscript.

Journal editors will check to make sure there are no conflicts of interest before contacting reviewers, and will not consider those with competing interests. Reviewers are asked to declare any conflicts of interest. The editorial team will respect opposed reviewer requests as long as this does not interfere with the objective and thorough assessment of the submission.

 

9. Conflict of Interest

All authors should disclose in their paper any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation in the paper. In particular, any sources of financial support must be disclosed and reported in the appropriate section of the published version.

 

10. Editorial Process and Peer-Review

IMR operates rigorous and transparent peer-review process and editorial process that aims to maximize quality. Peer-review is handled by researchers and scholars. For more details, see our Editorial Process.

 

11. Editorial Independence

MRev is consistent with the principles of editorial independence. For more details, see our Editorial Policies.

 

12. Process for in-House Submissions

MRev requires that editorial staff or editors not be involved in processing their own academic work.

A conflict-of-interest section is required for all manuscripts. If there are no interests to declare for an Editorial Board member’s manuscript, please use the following wording: “Given their role as Editor [in Chief]/Editorial Board member, <NAME of Editor> had no involvement in the peer-review of this article and has no access to information regarding its peer-review. Full responsibility for the editorial process for this article was delegated to <NAME of delegated editor>”. See more details about Process for in-House Submissions.

 

13. Promoting Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness within MRev

Our Managing Editors encourage the Editors-in-Chief to appoint diverse and expert Editorial Boards. We are proud to create equal opportunities without regard to gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religion, or socio-economic status. There is no place for discrimination in our workplace, and editors of MRev are to uphold these principles in high regard.

 

14. Refund Policy

Article Processing Charges are required after a manuscript has been accepted for publication. The journal will not issue refunds of any kind after the acceptance of the manuscript.

 

15. Special Issues & Supplements Policy

Management Revue publishes Special Issues and Supplements to provide critical analyses and comprehensive overviews of significant contemporary topics within the journal's scope. For more details, see our Special Issues & Supplements Policy.

 

Updated on 4 November 2025