Tier 1

These are the journals we all should aspire to publish in, but it is not expected that many scholars in Australia will have more than one or two articles in these journals. Those that do will have a deservedly outstanding reputation as the best in their field. These journals are highly rated by more than one source, are listed in the Journal Citation Reports, and have an Impact Factor (average number of citations per article in the two years following publication) greater than 1.2.

Top tier journals cross most of our interdisciplinary management areas. Examples from various fields include: Academy of Management Journal , Administrative Science Quarterly, Accounting Review, American Economic Review, Journal of Consumer Research, Review of Financial Studies, and Discourse & Society.

Tier 2

These are still top quality journals, and cover a broad range of fields, but they are not strictly in the tip tier. Good scholars can be expected to publish fairly often at this level. These journals must be listed in the Journal Citation Reports with an Impact Factor generally in the range 0.6 to 1.2 and at least one other notable database. This tier includes two categories:

1. Internationally recognised journals in of the top-tier. Examples are: Abacus, Communication Research, Industrial Relations, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Communication, Journal of Financial Intermediation, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Public Administration and Development.
2. Top-tier professional journals. These include only the top internationally recognised professional journals such as California Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Organizational Dynamics. and Sloan Management Review.

Tier 3

Journals in this group are still very high quality publication outlets, and they are likely to constitute the majority of publications for most of us. Many are included in the Journal Citation Reports, but their Impact Factors are generally less than 0.6. This group is the broadest. It includes mainly second-level international journals in established fields, along with the top-level journals in developing fields. It also covers the leading national journals in Australia and New Zealand (many of which are not listed in JCR). There are four categories at this level:

1. Second-level internationally recognised journals examples include: Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, British Accounting Review, Business Horizons, Long Range Planning, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Consumer Affairs, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.
2. Top-level national journals. Examples include: Accounting and Finance, Australian Journal of Psychology, Economic Record, Prometheus.
3. Top-level journals in developing fields. This group includes journals in areas such as Tourism and Hospitality Management, e.g., Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Management.
4. Second-level professional journals. For example, the Academy of Management Executive.

Tier 4

Quality is lower in these journals than in Tiers 2 and 3; although they do try to maintain quality standards though peer reviewing. Some are newly established journals, still developing their reputation. Publication in these journals will be less frequent for established scholars, and more frequent for early career researchers. These journals are well regarded nationally, but they are not likely to be included in the Journal Citation Reports. This group includes three categories:

1. Second-level national journals in any related field. Examples include: Australian Accounting Review, Australian Journal of Public Administration, Journal of Industrial Relations and Journal of Sociology (formerly ANZ Journal of Sociology).
2. Third-level international journals, often sourced from the UK and Europe . Examples include: Journal of Business and Psychology, Business & Professional Ethics Journal, European Finance Review, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Management Development, Studies in Comparative International Development.
3. National professional journals. An example is the Mt. Eliza Business Review.

Tier 5

These journals ostensibly maintain quality standards though refereeing, but that's all that can be said for them. Publication in these journals should be kept to a minimum. They are rarely included in the Journal Citation Reports. This group includes two categories:

1. Local house journals. These are journals edited and published in national universities. Examples include Accounting, Accountability & Performance ( Griffith ) and Bond Law Review.
2. Entrepreneurial publishers. This refers principally to MCB University Press (now known as Emerald Press) and Haworth Press. There are some 140 journals in the MCB list. While some of these titles have gained a little respectability and are listed in other higher tiers, MCB journals, often with impressive-sounding titles, generally represent the lower end of the quality spectrum. An example is The Australian Journal of Hospitality Management (also a house journal at UQ Ipswich). Haworth Press is not quite as aggressive as MCB, but takes a similar approach to development of its journal list. An example in our discipline is the Journal of Marketing for Higher Education.
3. E-journals. The status of e-journals is uncertain. With a few exceptions, however, they are still regarded as lower in quality then their hard-copy counterparts, even when peer-reviewed.