On the aims and scope of the Asia Pacific Journal of Management: What does APJM really seek to publish?

Abstract

In recent editorial articles in the Asia Pacific Journal of Management (APJM),Inoted that APJM receives numerous submissions that fall outside of our aims andscope, which is to publish theory-based research that advances the understanding ofmanagement and organizational success with emphasis on the Asia Pacific region ofthe world (Ahlstrom, 2010a, b, c). Those editorials were concerned with the mainfocus of papers as well as related topics such as crafting a paper carefully andpositioning it for APJM. Those editorial articles also discussed the characteristicsand importance of clear and answerable research questions (Ahlstrom, 2010a),avoiding common problems such as submitting a paper that is outside of thejournal’s aims and scope, and the related problem of submitting papers that arewritten for a discipline other than management and organization studies (Ahlstrom,2010b, c)—problems that all authors should try to avoid.Appropriateness for APJMOver the years, I have regularly communicated with many editors at conferences tolearn of their experiences editing journals and assisting authors in improving theirwork. I also read widely on editing and reviewing, and the research process ingeneral (e.g., Baruch, Konrad, Aguinis, & Starbuck, 2008; Starbuck, 2006; Van deVen, 2007). In doing so, I have found that one of the pet peeves of editorseverywhere is that very often, prospective authors do not bother to read the journal’s