Author Guidelines

The Studies in Business and Economics (SBE) journal publishes high-quality research manuscripts that advance knowledge in the fields of business, management, and economics. Submitted papers must be of interest to specialists in applied management, and must contribute theoretically, empirically or methodologically to their field, and have clear implications for contemporary organisational, managerial, economic or policy issues. The journal invites interdisciplinary research as long as it provides relevant contributions to the business and economic sciences.

Types of Manuscripts Accepted:

Studies in Business and Economics (SBE) allows for the following modes of submission:

  • Original Research Articles:

Papers describing empirical, theoretical or methodological research with notable new results that contribute to knowledge in the field.

  • Review Articles:

These manuscripts could be systematic or scoping reviews, or, in some cases, critical reviews of the literature, which combine research findings and highlight directions for future studies.

  • Conceptual Papers:

Contributions that extend and develop new theoretical perspectives.

  • Methodological Papers:

Works on research methods applied to business and economics, including new or improved techniques.

  • Policy or Practice-Oriented Papers:

Studies that have obvious interest for policymakers, managers, or practitioners, underpinned by rigorous analysis.

  • Commentaries:

Scholarly opinion papers that engage critically and constructively with existing research, evolving debates, or policy-relevant issues that match the journal's research focus.

  • Research Notes:

Brief scholarly papers that present novel insights, preliminary findings, or focused empirical results that match the journal's research focus.

All types of articles/manuscripts must be academically rigorous and, where appropriate, contribute to the literature.

Originality and Publication Ethics:

Manuscript submissions should be original works that have not been published elsewhere or are under review by another journal/publisher. The author(s) must ensure that their submitted manuscripts are in accordance with the publication ethics related to it.

Studies in Business and Economics (SBE) adheres to the rules of academic integrity, e.g.:

  • Proper citation of all sources used.
  • Truthful and appropriate depiction of data and results.
  • Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Obtaining the relevant ethical approval and/or IBR approval for any research manuscripts involving human participants (when applicable).

The journal will not consider manuscripts that contain plagiarism (including self-plagiarism), data fabrication, falsification and/or redundant publication. Such manuscripts will be rejected and might be subject to further editorial action. 

Manuscript Preparation:

Language and Style:

Manuscripts should be written in clear, well-written academic English. The manuscript should be written in either American or British English, not a mixture of both, and authors must be consistent throughout. The writing style needs to be formal, objective and suitable for the journal's global audience.

Manuscript Length:

Although the Studies in Business and Economics (SBE) allow for a reasonable level of flexibility in accordance with manuscript length, the following indicative manuscript lengths apply (not including references in the word count):

  • Research and theoretical papers: 6000 to 9000 words
  • Review articles: 10000 words (with close attention to length).
  • Methodological and policy manuscripts: 5000 to 8000 words.
  • Commentaries: 1500 to 3000 words.
  • Research Notes: 3000 to 5000 words.

Formatting Requirements:

  • Manuscripts should be prepared using MS Word format.
  • Use Arial font.
  • Use a 16-point font size for the manuscript title.
  • Use a 12-point font size for the body of the manuscript.
  • Use a 14 Bold font size for the main titles within the manuscript.
  • Use a 12 Bold Italic font size for the subsidiary titles within the manuscript.
  • Use 1.5 spacing throughout the manuscript.
  • Use single spacing for references, tables, and figure captions.
  • Pages should be numbered consecutively.

Structured Abstract:

The journal requires a brief, structured abstract of approximately 250-350 words. The abstract has to be self-contained and should consist of the following labelled parts:

  • Objectives: The overall purpose or research question the study sought to address.
  • Design/Methodology/Approach: The research design, source(s) of data, and type of statistical analyses.
  • Results: The most important findings of the investigation.
  • Theoretical Implications (if applicable): illustrating contribution to theory or understanding at a conceptual level.
  • Practical Implications: This refers to the relevance for managers, practitioners, or even policymakers.
  • Originality/Value: Illustrating the novelty, importance and significance of the study.
  • Keywords: Provide 4-6 keywords that reflect the content of the research correctly and help other scholars in reaching it.

Main Text Structure

Submitted manuscript to Studies in Business and Economics (SBE) should be organised as follows (variations are acceptable where academically justified):

  • Introduction:

In the introduction, provide a solid entry point to the research and clearly outline the main examined variables, the research problem, research aim, research objectives, research questions, research importance, and significance.

  • Literature Review and Theoretical Background:

Provide a clear theoretical background for the research, including leading theories relevant to the study and the phenomena under examination. Also, critically review the relevant literature to identify existing research gaps and establish the theoretical foundation of the study.

  • Methodology:

Presents a clear research design, explanation of the adopted methodology, data collection procedure, ethical approval and ethical issues, research variables and sub-variables, and methods of data analysis (giving adequate information to enable the study to be duplicated).

  • Results/Findings:

Presents the findings and results of the research clearly, impartially and objectively. Use tables and figures whenever possible to support your discussion and illustrations.

  • Discussion:

Interprets the findings in relation to existing literature and theory.

  • Conclusion:

Summarises the key understandings generated from the research, outlines implications, acknowledges limitations, and suggests directions for future research.

  • Acknowledgements:

Acknowledge any conflict of interest and provide funding toward the completion of the research. 

Tables and Figures:

  • Tables and figures should be sequentially numbered and cited in the text.
  • Each table and figure should include an informative title.
  • Notes and references should be given where appropriate.
  • The authors are responsible for submitting figures of suitable quality.

Referencing Style:

Studies in Business and Economics (SBE) adopts the APA referencing style.

In-Text Citations:

Citations in the text should follow the author/date format, for example:

  • Single-author sources should be cited as (Smith, 2021).
  • Two authors' sources should be cited as (Smith & Jones, 2020).
  • Sources by three or more authors should be cited as (Smith et al., 2019).

Direct Quotations:

Authors should refer to the original source and page number for direct quotes.

Secondary Citations:

Secondary citations should be avoided whenever possible. When unavoidable, secondary citations should be cited as follows: (Smith, 1990, as cited in Johnson, 2018)

Meanwhile, only the secondary source (Johnson, 2018) should appear in the reference list.

Online Sources and Web-Based Reports:

If an author is available, use the author's name; otherwise, use the organisation.

Reference List:

  • All sources cited in the manuscript text must be added to the reference list.
  • The reference list needs to be presented in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author.
  • The author(s) must ensure accuracy and completeness of all references.
  • For all online sources, both the source URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and the access date must be included in the reference.

Ethical Considerations and Data Transparency

Where applicable, authors should:

  • Indicate that ethical approval for studies involving human participants has been obtained.
  • Describe informed consent procedures.
  • Provide transparency regarding data sources and analytical methods.
  • Be prepared to make data or materials available upon reasonable request, subject to legal or ethical constraints.

Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure:

Authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the research. All sources of funding should be clearly acknowledged in a dedicated section at the end of the manuscript.