Journal of Operations and Supply Chain Management

The flagship journal of the International Conference on Production and Supply Chain Management (SIMPOI) at Getulio Vargas Business School (FGV) in Brazil.

Editorial Mission

The mission of the Journal of Operations and Supply Chain Management (JOSCM) is to advance knowledge and science and to stimulate greater thought and effort in the fields of OM theory and practice by providing readers with:
 • New and helpful information;
 • New OM theory or techniques;
 • Research generalizations about OM thoughts and practices;
 • OM understanding by researchers and practitioners;
 • Creative views and syntheses of dispersed concepts in OM and;
 • Articles in subject areas which have significant current impact on thought and practice in OM, which present challenges for the future.

Regular articles accepted for publication in JOSCM must have clear implications for practitioners who manage product and process design, operations, and supply chains based on one or more of a variety of rigorous research methodologies. Manuscripts accepted for publication must meet the following criteria:

 1. Research papers in the field of OM in manufacturing and services.
 2. Research rigor applied through the scientific theory-building approach.
 3. Managerial relevance.
 4. All manuscripts should be submitted in English. It covers all topics in product and process design, operations, and supply chain management and welcomes papers using any research paradigm.

Content

The focus of articles for the JOSCM should be on the managerial situation or the theory being studied rather than the solution techniques being developed or used. Highest priority is thus given to studies that are anchored in the real world and build, extend or test generalizable theories or frameworks of managerial significance. Most often such studies result from either identifying an actual, new managerial situation for which existing theory is inadequate - thereby resulting in an addition to theory - or else testing multiple existing theories against actual managerial situations to determine their relevance - thereby enhancing theory through subtraction.

Journal articles include four categories of material:
 1. Articles that report empirical research. Such survey research must justify its contribution to the discipline.
 2. Articles that report on the development of methodologies and techniques that can enhance OM decision making.
 3. Articles reporting the application of decision tools to generic or specific OM problems. Such applications must either generalize current insight or extend the application of such decision tools.
 4. Invited articles from acknowledged leaders in the OM discipline.

Scope

General topics covered by the journal, while not exclusive, include the following:
 • Operations management in process, manufacturing and service organizations;
 • Operations strategy and policy;
 • Product and service design and development;
 • Manufacturing and service systems design;
 • Technology management for operations;
 • Multi-site operations management;
 • Capacity planning and analysis;
 • Operations planning, scheduling and control;
 • Project management;
 • Human resource management for operations;
 • Work design, measurement and improvement;
 • Performance measurement and productivity;
 • Quality management;
 • Purchasing/sourcing systems;
 • Materials and inventory management;
 • Logistics, transportation, distribution, and materials handling;
 • Supply Chain management;
 • International and comparative operations;
 • Operations and information management;
 • Environmental issues in operations.

Manuscripts should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words, typically 15-20 double-spaced, typewritten pages. Articles of shorter length are also acceptable. Only rarely will it be possible to publish a manuscript of more than 6,000 words.

Audience

The primary audience includes researchers who are interested in advancing the field and practitioners who manage product and process design, operations, and supply chains. The journal presents to this audience the concepts, theories, and research methods that address currently unresolved issues in operations management.

Review

Articles are considered for publication if they have not been published or accepted for publication elsewhere and are not being concurrently considered elsewhere. Authors will usually be notified of acceptance, rejection, or need for revision within 12 weeks of submission.

When editing by Journal staff is extensive, articles are returned to the author(s) for review prior to being typeset. No manuscript is accepted for the JOSCM until it has been reviewed by the Editor or one of the Associate Editors and at least two outside reviewers who are experts in their respective fields. In most cases, the reviewers are drawn from the Review Board and represent a combination of practitioners and academics. Manuscripts are reviewed simultaneously by geographically separated reviewers.

The author’s name(s) and credentials (i.e., the cover page and “about the authors” page) are removed prior to review to maximize objectivity and ensure that the manuscripts are judged solely on the basis of content, clarity, and contribution to the field. The author’s name(s) should not appear anywhere except the cover page and the “About the Authors” page.

All manuscripts are judged on their contribution to the advancement of the science and/ or practice of OM. JOSCM editors expect all manuscripts to follow accepted standards for scholarly work. Manuscripts are judged not only on depth and scope of ideas presented and their contribution to the field, but also on their clarity, organization, readability, and comprehensibility. Manuscripts should be written in a manner that is interesting and readable to both practitioners and academics. It is beneficial to include a section regarding managerial implications and discussion of the consequences of applying the proposed ideas. Technical terms should be defined.

Manuscript Review Process

Submissions to the editorial office are first evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief for their appropriateness to the mission and objectives of JOSCM. If deemed appropriate, the paper is then sent out for review using a double blind process. The first review of every manuscript is performed by two anonymous referees. In addition, the reviews for every paper submitted are reviewed by a member of the Associate Editor Board. The paper is then either accepted, rejected, or sent back to the author(s) for revision. Revised papers are then sent back to an Associate Editor who makes an evaluation of the acceptability of the revision. Based upon the Associate Editor’s evaluation, the paper is then either accepted, rejected, or returned to the author(s) for another revision. The second revision is then evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief, possibly in consultation with the Associate Editor who handled the original paper and the first revision, for a usually final resolution. The editorial office strives to respond to all authors within three months for the first submission, two months for a revision and one month for a second revision.