Behind every accepted paper is an editorial board making judgment calls that go well beyond a simple accept-or-reject checklist. Understanding how editorial boards actually operate — what they’re evaluating, and at what stage — helps authors submit stronger, better-targeted manuscripts.
What an Editorial Board Actually Does
An editorial board typically combines a mix of roles: an editor-in-chief who sets overall direction and makes final calls on contested decisions, associate or section editors who handle submissions in their specific area of expertise, and a broader board of scholars who lend credibility, occasionally review manuscripts directly, and help shape the journal’s long-term direction.
Editors Read Differently Than Reviewers
While peer reviewers focus deeply on methodological and technical rigor within their subfield, editors are also weighing a manuscript’s fit with the journal’s overall scope and readership, its likely resonance with reviewers they’d need to recruit, and how it complements the journal’s recent publication mix. Confirming your paper’s alignment with the journal’s stated scope before submitting addresses the first of these directly.
What Editors Consistently Look For
Across most economics and management journals, a few qualities consistently stand out to editors at the screening stage:
- A clearly stated contribution that’s evident within the first page
- Methodological rigor appropriate to the research question
- Fit with the journal’s scope and readership, rather than a generic submission sent broadly across many outlets
- Professional presentation — correct formatting, careful proofreading, complete citations
How Editors Match Papers to Reviewers
Precise subfield framing in your title, abstract, and keywords directly shapes how accurately an editor can match your paper to reviewers with the right expertise. Vague or overly broad framing often leads to a mismatch that slows review or results in less useful feedback.
Editorial Boards Evolve With the Field
Journals periodically expand or refresh editorial board membership to reflect emerging subfields and methods — which is part of why journal scope statements are reviewed and updated over time rather than fixed permanently. Checking a journal’s current scope and recent publication history, rather than relying on assumptions from years past, gives a more accurate read of current editorial priorities.
Building a Relationship With a Journal Over Time
Authors who publish successfully with a journal once often find subsequent submissions and interactions smoother — not because of favoritism, but because they’ve internalized the journal’s expectations around scope, rigor, and presentation. Reviewing your own past submissions (accepted or not) alongside the journal’s current scope is a useful exercise before submitting again.
For general guidance on how academic editorial boards typically operate across the publishing landscape, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for editors offer a widely referenced, discipline-neutral overview.
Considering where your next manuscript might fit? Review the scope of Journal of Economics and Management and begin your submission on the paper submission page.