Aims and Scope
International Small Business Journal (ISBJ) provides a forum and focus for the discussion and dissemination of views and research on the small business sector throughout the world.The emphasis is on systematic studies which help to improve the general understanding of small business and so contribute to more effective policies for and management of small business. Articles cover theoretical and methodological developments, empirical studies,practical applications and reviews of relevant literature.The journal is intended for academics and teachers, policymakers at all levels,trade and business associations, financial institutions,small firms 'representative bodies,and planning and industrial development authorities.
How to submit your manuscript
International Small Business Journal is hosted on ScholarOne™ Manuscripts, a web based online submission and peer review system - SAGE track. Please read the Manuscript Submission guidelines below, and then simply visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/isbj to login and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is possible that you will have had an account created.
All papers must be submitted via the online system. If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, please refer to the contact details below.
Robert Blackburn, Editor-in-Chief, ISBJ, Small Business Research Centre, Kingston Business School, Kingston University, Kingston Hill, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB, UK. Email: r.blackburn@kingston.ac.uk and v.thorne@kingston.ac.uk.
Manuscript and Submission Guidelines
All ISBJ manuscripts are screened initially by the Editor-in-Chief and a Consulting Editor. Only those papers that meet the scientific and editorial standards, and fit within the aims and scope of the ISBJ, will be sent for full blind peer review. Those sent for full review will be sent to at least two expert referees. The ISBJ adheres to a rigorous double-blind reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewers and author(s) are always concealed from both parties.
Articles should be in English and double-spaced in a MS Word or Word Perfect format and be 6000 to 8000 words, together with up to four keywords, although longer or shorter contributions are not necessarily excluded. For example, short research notes including a response to an earlier paper, empirical contributions, or reviews, are also welcome. Submissions should include: a covering letter with author(s) full name, affiliation and contact details; up to four keywords; a confirmation that all authors have agreed to the submission and that the article is not currently being considered for publication by any other journal; and suggested names of up to four individuals, who may be suitable to serve as referees, but the Editors are under no obligation to use all or any of these individuals as reviewers. Upon receipt, manuscripts will receive a reference number to enable authors and editors to track the paper. If papers pass initial screening, full-referees are asked to submit their reports within six weeks although currently this may vary depending on the flow of copy.
Format of MSS Each manuscript should contain:(i)title page with full title and subtitle (if any).For the purposes of blind refereeing,full name of each author with current affiliation and full address/phone/fax/email details plus short biographical note should be supplied on a separate sheet..(ii)abstract of 100-150 words (iii)up to 10 key words (iv)main text and word count.Text to be clearly organized,with a clear hierarchy of headings and subheadings and quotations exceeding 40 words displayed,indented,in the text (v)end notes,if necessary, should be signalled by superscript numbers in the main text and listed at the end of the text before the references (vi)references in both the text and end notes should follow Harvard style. References are cited in the text thus:(author,date:page)(vii) an alphabetical references section should follow the text (and end notes if any),using the Harvard system.Examples below:
Book: Surname,X.X.and Surname,Y.(year)Title with Initial Caps.Subtitle with Inital Caps .Place:Publisher.
Article in book: Surname,X.X.(year)'Title of Chapter ',in X. Surname and Y.Surname (eds)Title of Book ,pp.xxx -xxx.
Place: Publisher. Journal article :Surname,X.X.(year)'Title of Article ',Name of
Journal ,vol.no.(issue no.):xx -xx [page range ].
Paper: Surname,X.X.(year)'Title of Paper ',paper presented at Name of Conference,City,Month of presentation.
Website: Surname,X.(year)'Title of Article ',Name of Journal vol.no.(issue no.),URL (consulted Month,Year): http:/xxxx.xxxx.xx.xx/xxxx/xxxx
Tables: tables should be typed (double line-spaced)on separate sheets and their position indicated by a marginal note in the text.All tables should have short descriptive captions with footnotes and their source(s)typed below the tables.
Illustrations: all line diagrams and photographs are termed 'Figures'and should be referred to as such in the manuscript. They should be numbered consecutively.Line diagrams should be presented in a form suitable for immediate reproduction (i.e.not requiring redrawing),each on a separate A4 sheet.They should be reproducible to a final printed text area of 120 mm x 190 mm.Illustrations on disk should be supplied as tiff or eps files at high resolution.Photographs should preferably be submitted as clear,glossy,unmounted black and white prints with a good range of contrast.Slides are also acceptable.All figures should have short descriptive captions typed on a separate sheet.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations,tables,figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere.Permission letters must be supplied to SAGE.
Style: use a clear readable style,avoiding jargon.If technical terms or acronyms must be included,define them when first used.Use non-racist,non-sexist language and plurals rather than he/she.
Spellings: UK or US spellings may be used with '-ize ' spellings as given in the Oxford English Dictionary (e.g.organize, recognize).
Punctuation: use single quotation marks with double quotes inside single quotes.Present dates in the form 1 May 1998. Do not use points in abbreviations,contractions or acronyms (e.g.AD,USA,Dr,PhD)
Disks: on acceptance of your manuscript for publication,you will be asked to supply another diskette (preferably IBM-compatible)of the final version.
Proofs and offprints: authors will receive proofs of their articles and be asked to send corrections to the publisher within 2 weeks. Authors will receive electronic offprints of their article and a complimentary journal copy. A maximum of 5 journal copies will be supplied for multi-authored articles. These will be supplied to the main author.
Books for review and manuscripts of reviews should be sent to Friederike Welter,
Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, SE-551 11 Sweden. Email:
Friederike.Welter@ihh.hj.se
English Language Editing Services: Please click here for information on professional English language editing services recommended by SAGE.
