The International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (IJMPB) is a peer-reviewed academic journal focused on project management and the wider field of project studies. Published by Emerald Publishing, it aims to connect rigorous academic research with insights that are relevant to project-management practice.
For researchers considering IJMPB as a publication venue, the journal's name provides only part of the picture. Its scope extends beyond conventional project planning techniques into areas such as governance, organisational behaviour, strategy, leadership, projectification and societal projects. Understanding that scope—as well as its current indexing, metrics and manuscript requirements—is important before preparing a submission.
The International Journal of Managing Projects in Business is a scholarly journal published by Emerald Publishing for research relating to project management and project studies.
Emerald describes the journal as a bridge between academia and project-management practice. Its stated aim is to publish rigorous, practice-informed work that advances theory, methods and professional understanding rather than focusing only on operational project-management tools.
The journal began publication in 2008, and Emerald's 2026 issue archive currently shows Volume 19.
Rather than functioning as a practical project-management magazine, IJMPB is an academic research journal. Papers are expected to make a scholarly contribution while retaining relevance to the project-management field.
The journal's scope is considerably broader than schedules, budgets, critical paths or project-management software.
According to the official IJMPB journal page, the journal seeks high-quality theoretical and empirical research that improves understanding of project management and generates new insights using multidisciplinary approaches rooted in the social sciences.
That can include research into areas such as:
The common thread is not simply that a study happens inside a project. The work should contribute meaningfully to knowledge about projects, project organising or project management.
Recent IJMPB special-issue activity also reflects this broad interpretation. Current themes include data science in project management, projectification and identity, multimodality in project studies, and project closure and long-term outcomes.
IJMPB is published by Emerald Publishing, an academic publisher that manages the journal's editorial platform, peer-review infrastructure, production and publication process.
Articles appear through Emerald Insight, while manuscript submission is handled through the journal's ScholarOne system.
Emerald also manages the journal's author policies, publishing ethics requirements, open-access options and production process after acceptance.
For authors, this means the official Emerald pages—not third-party journal directories—should be treated as the primary source for current manuscript requirements, metrics and submission information.
As listed on Emerald's current IJMPB editorial board, the journal has two Editors-in-Chief:
The founding editor is Professor Derek Walker of RMIT University, Australia.
The journal also has associate editors and broader executive and advisory boards drawn from institutions in several countries, including Tampere University, Delft University of Technology, the University of Johannesburg and BI Norwegian Business School.
Editorial appointments can change, so researchers checking a potential submission should use the current Emerald editorial-board page rather than relying on older citations or third-party journal profiles.
IJMPB does not provide a single rigid list of acceptable research topics. Its stated scope and publication activity instead point toward a wide range of project-studies questions.
The journal's orientation toward multidisciplinary social-science research means that studies may draw on fields such as organisation studies, sociology, strategy, leadership, governance and innovation rather than remaining within a narrowly technical project-management tradition.
This is important when assessing fit. A technically sophisticated study may still be outside scope if it does not produce a meaningful project-management or project-studies contribution.
Yes. IJMPB uses a formal peer-review process.
Emerald states that each submission is first screened by the journal's editorial office. At this stage, a manuscript can be declined or returned if it does not fit the journal's aims, submission policies or expected manuscript quality.
A submission considered potentially suitable is then sent to at least two independent referees for double-anonymous peer review.
Double-anonymous review means that the manuscript is prepared so that reviewers are not given the authors' identities, while authors are not told the reviewers' identities. Authors are therefore instructed to remove identifying information from the manuscript and upload items such as acknowledgements separately.
After receiving reviewer feedback, the editor may:
Peer review therefore evaluates the individual paper; journal indexing or citation metrics do not guarantee that a particular submission will be accepted.
Emerald currently lists IJMPB as ranked by both Scopus and Clarivate Analytics' Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI).
The journal's official indexing and metrics page also lists services and databases including:
IJMPB also appears in several journal-ranking systems, including the Chartered Association of Business Schools Academic Journal Guide, Australian Business Deans Council list and FNEGE ranking system.
Indexing should be understood as one factor when assessing a journal. Being indexed in Scopus or SSCI establishes visibility within those databases, but researchers should still consider subject fit, editorial scope, readership and the research contribution required by the journal.
Citation and publication metrics change over time, so they should always be reported with the relevant year or measurement period.
Emerald currently reports:
The figures are not all measured over exactly the same period.
Emerald states that the 15.2% acceptance rate and 35-day first-decision figure are based on submissions received between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. Its acceptance-to-publication figure uses the publisher's stated preceding reporting period.
These figures should therefore be treated as journal-level historical indicators rather than promises. A particular paper may move through peer review more quickly or considerably more slowly depending on reviewer availability, revisions and editorial decisions.
Researchers should check the current Emerald journal page before using these metrics in promotion, evaluation or publication decisions.
The journal accommodates more than one type of scholarly contribution.
Current IJMPB submission options include:
Emerald's journal guidance also recognises manuscript classifications such as empirical research papers, conceptual papers, case studies, literature reviews, general reviews, viewpoints and technical papers where appropriate.
That means IJMPB is not restricted to one methodology. Quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, conceptual and review-based work may all potentially fit the journal.
The more important issue is whether the manuscript produces a clear contribution to project studies and is consistent with the journal's aims and scope.
Researchers whose work directly advances understanding of projects or project-based organising may find IJMPB relevant.
Potential areas include project governance, leadership, programme and portfolio management, construction projects, organisational transformation, sustainability, project strategy, digital project management and project-based organisations.
However, simply studying something that happens during a project is not sufficient.
For example, a technical engineering analysis conducted on a construction project may be useful research without necessarily making a contribution to project-management scholarship. The author should be able to explain what the study adds to theory, empirical understanding or management practice within project studies.
Reading recent articles and current special issues before submission is therefore more useful than judging suitability from the journal title alone.
Researchers should always consult the current Emerald guidance immediately before submission, because requirements can change.
Under the current IJMPB requirements, articles should generally be 8,000 to 12,000 words, including the structured abstract, references, text in tables and figures, and appendices. Emerald also asks authors to allow 250 words within the count for each figure or table.
The journal requires a structured abstract containing:
Where relevant, authors can also include:
The maximum abstract length is currently 250 words, including keywords and article classification.
IJMPB currently allows up to 12 appropriate keywords under its journal-specific requirements.
Submissions must be original. A manuscript should not already have been published in the same or substantially similar form or be under consideration by another publication at the same time.
Authors should remove identifying information from the submitted manuscript for double-anonymous review. Biographies and acknowledgements should be uploaded separately where included.
The journal accepts recognised Harvard referencing styles, with Emerald providing its own Harvard style as a reference.
The safest source for current formatting and submission rules is the journal's official Emerald author guidance.
The publication process begins with submission by the corresponding author through the journal's ScholarOne system.
Emerald specifically instructs authors to submit directly rather than sending manuscripts by email or through third-party submission services.
A simplified process is:
Prepare manuscript → ScholarOne submission → Editorial screening → Double-anonymous peer review → Editorial decision → Revision where required → Acceptance → Production → Publication
The editorial office first checks whether the manuscript fits the journal's scope and submission requirements.
Suitable papers move to at least two independent reviewers. After their reports are received, the editor decides whether the paper should be accepted, revised or declined.
If accepted, the manuscript then moves through licensing, copyediting, typesetting and proof review before online publication. Articles can appear online before their final assignment to a specific journal issue.
Authors should therefore distinguish between time to first decision, which includes the initial review cycle, and the time required to reach final acceptance after one or more rounds of revision.
IJMPB provides open-access options through Emerald rather than operating solely as a fully open-access journal.
Emerald currently offers two main routes across its journals:
Authors can choose to make the publisher's final version of record openly accessible. An Article Processing Charge may apply, although institutional agreements, funding arrangements or waivers can affect what an individual author pays.
Because APCs can change, authors should verify the current charge when making the publication decision rather than relying on a figure quoted in an older article.
Emerald also permits self-archiving of the author-accepted manuscript under its current policy. Its author guidance explains the conditions for this route.
Authors whose research funding includes open-access requirements should check both the journal policy and their funder's current conditions before submission.
There are several established academic journals dealing with projects, and the decision between them should be based primarily on scope rather than headline metrics alone.
IJMPB's current positioning has several identifiable characteristics:
Researchers may also encounter journals such as the International Journal of Project Management and Project Management Journal when evaluating publication venues.
That does not make one journal universally better than another. A paper is more likely to be suitable when its research question, theoretical framing, methodology and contribution align naturally with the specific journal's readership and editorial scope.
Before formatting a manuscript specifically for IJMPB, authors should first assess whether the underlying research belongs in the journal.
A useful fit check is:
✓ The research is fundamentally concerned with projects or project-based organising
✓ The manuscript offers a clear theoretical, empirical or practice-informed contribution
✓ The research engages meaningfully with project-studies literature
✓ The methodology is appropriate to the research question
✓ The contribution extends beyond describing one project or organisation
✓ Practical implications are credible where relevant
✓ The manuscript aligns with the journal's multidisciplinary orientation
✓ Current Emerald submission requirements can be met
Scope fit matters because technically sound research can still be desk-rejected when its central contribution belongs to another discipline.
Authors should therefore read recent IJMPB papers and current calls for submissions before finalising a manuscript for the journal.
The journal's current calls for papers provide useful evidence of where its research community is developing.
As of 2026, IJMPB has current or recent calls dealing with areas including:
For example, the journal's 2026 call on data science emphasises managerial and theoretical insight rather than purely algorithmic novelty. This illustrates IJMPB's broader orientation: technology can be part of the research, but the contribution should remain meaningful to project-management scholarship.
Special issues should not be mistaken for permanent limits on the journal's scope. They highlight selected emerging themes while the journal continues to accept relevant submissions across its wider aims.
The International Journal of Managing Projects in Business is a specialised academic publication for research that advances understanding of projects, project-based organising and project-management practice.
For potential authors, the most useful decision sequence is:
Research question → Contribution → Journal scope → Author requirements → Submission
Citation metrics and indexing can help evaluate a journal, but they do not replace scope fit. A strong submission should make a clear contribution to project studies and align with the journal's theoretical, empirical and practice-informed orientation.
Researchers considering submission should use the official IJMPB page on Emerald for the latest metrics, editorial information, calls for papers and author requirements.
The International Journal of Managing Projects in Business is a peer-reviewed Emerald Publishing journal focused on project management and the broader field of project studies. It publishes theoretical and empirical research with an explicit interest in connecting scholarship and practice.
Yes. Emerald currently lists IJMPB as ranked by Scopus on its official indexing and metrics page.
Emerald currently reports a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 3.1 and a five-year Impact Factor of 3.4. These metrics are updated over time, so researchers should verify the current figures before using them.
Yes. Suitable manuscripts are sent to at least two independent referees under a double-anonymous peer-review process after initial editorial screening.
Emerald currently reports an acceptance rate of 15.2%, based on submissions received between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Emerald currently reports 35 days to first decision for its stated reporting period. This is a journal-level average rather than a guaranteed review time for an individual manuscript.
Authors should check the journal's scope and current manuscript requirements, prepare an anonymised submission, and submit directly through the ScholarOne system linked from the official IJMPB journal page.
.jpg)
%20Calculated%20Accurately.jpg)