Developing Insights through Reviews: Reflecting on the 20th Anniversary of the International Journal of Management Reviews

Abstract

This year marks a change in the editorial team at the International Journal of Management Reviews (IJMR). We bid farewell to Caroline Gatrell, who steps down as Co Editor-in-Chief, having been in post since January 2014. In turn, we welcome Katie Bailey who joins Dermot Breslin as Co Editor-in-Chief of the journal. Since becoming Editor-in-Chief, Caroline has overseen a dramatic increase in the journal’s reach and impact. Downloads of IJMR papers have increased from 204,403 in 2014, to 428,600 in 2018. At the same the journal’s 2-year impact factor (IF) has almost doubled from 3.857 in 2014 to 7.6 in 2018. As IJMR reaches its 20th anniversary, it is good time to reflect on the evolution of the journal, and examine key turning points with regards its positioning, aims and scope. IJMR was founded in 1999 by Cary Cooper and Alan Pearson, as a much-needed outlet for literature reviews in the field of management and organisation studies (MOS). In the early days, authors included both early career/doctoral students publishing literature reviews from their PhD theses, and established scholars taking stock of changes in a specific domain of study. The journal’s positioning has evolved over the past 20 years, and its journey has been particularly shaped by three key changes in editorial strategy.