About AMA

Suggestions for Journal of International Marketing Authors

Advice to authors considering submissions to the Journal of International Marketing:

1. Define your contribution. It is important to define clearly what differentiates your research from the extant literature. It is always better to state your contribution within the manuscript than to leave it to the reader to "find" your contribution (i.e., stating both the purpose and the findings of the study at the beginning of the paper helps toward this end). Motivating your contribution from a theoretical perspective is often the key to gaining support for your work from the editor and reviewers. For example, a common weakness of articles is defining the contribution as simply "it hasn't been done before." It is important to recognize that simply because it hasn't been done before does not make the project a contribution (e.g., some studies have never been conducted because the results are perceived to be intuitive). For some suggestions in determining contribution, please see Whetten, David (1989), "What Is a Contribution?" Academy of Management Review, 14 (4), 490–95.
   

2. Appropriateness of topic. It is important to understand that JIM focuses on marketing topics within an international context. In JIM, international marketing is conceptualized within two general domains: (1) international (i.e., when marketing activities occur across national boundaries) and (2) cross-cultural (i.e., when comparisons regarding marketing-related issues are made across national boundaries). Both the editor and the reviewers are less positive toward studies that are not deemed to fit within one of these two general domains (e.g., a study of Chinese consumers' perceptions of Chinese brands). If an approach outside the two general domains is undertaken in a study, it is incumbent on the authors to demonstrate clearly the importance of the work to the field of international marketing.
   

3. Replications and contribution. Although the field of marketing strongly believes in the importance of replications (under the perspective of scientific advancement), replications are seldom viewed as substantive contributions in the eyes of the editor and the reviewers. This is particularly important in the field of international marketing, in which studies are often replications of published research conducted in one domestic setting replicated in another domestic setting. For example, although replication in China of a study published in Journal of Marketing (that was conducted in the U.S.), may be interesting, it is seldom viewed positively by the editor or reviewers. Thus, it is important that authors carefully develop their international work to not replicate but rather extend the extant literature.
   

4. Follow current international research standards. The complexities of the international marketplace carry over to the research domain of international marketing. First, it is important to note that JIM welcomes a wide range of methodological approaches. However, although JIM welcomes a range of methodological approaches (provided they are appropriate to the research question), it is important that researchers execute the research to the standards of that approach. Furthermore, there are several issues unique to the international context that should be examined (see, e.g., Douglas, Susan P. and C. Samuel Craig (2006), "On Improving the Conceptual Foundations of International Marketing Research," Journal of International Marketing, 14 (1), 1–22: downloadable at:
   http://www.atypon-link.com/AMA/doi/pdf/10.1509/JIMk.14.1.1).
   
   The following are some of the many issues authors should consider:
   Sample selection: There are several issues pertaining to sample selection that should be considered. For example, it is important to motivate the countries from which the samples are selected from strong research grounds (rather than simply "I had access to the data"). Country-based sample justification should be done on the basis of theoretical grounds (e.g., maximizing national cultural variation if studying culture; see, e.g., Sivakumar, K. and Cheryl Nakata (2001), "The Stampede Toward Hofstede's Framework: Avoiding the Sample Design Pit in Cross-Cultural Research," Journal of International Business Studies, 32 (3), 555–74) or business grounds (e.g., importance of the market to JIM readers). In addition, the samples across countries should be appropriate to the question being posed (i.e., the respondents are the appropriate informants for the question and the approach). For example, two-country comparisons with college-age convenience samples, though potentially interesting, are not likely to be as interesting as multicountry comparisons with random or, at least, quota samples. This is particularly true for cross-sectional rather than experimental research designs. Furthermore, in terms of respondents, there is a matching versus representativeness issue that arises. Specifically, authors sometimes do matching and claim representativeness or alternatively collect representative samples, but they fail to consider equivalence problems when arguing for comparisons. These are but a few of the issues that authors should consider.
   
   Measurement invariance: For survey research, cross-cultural measurement invariance testing has become standard. As such, when survey data are collected from multiple countries, researchers need to conduct and report cross-cultural measurement invariance testing (see, e.g., Steenkamp, Jan-Benedict and Hans Baumgartner (1998), "Assessing Measurement Invariance in Cross-National Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, 25, 78–90; Myers, Matthew B., Roger J. Calantone, Thomas J. Page Jr., and Charles R. Taylor (2000), "An Application of Multiple-Group Causal Models in Assessing Cross-Cultural Measurement Equivalence," Journal of International Marketing, 8 (4), 108-121).
   

5. The importance of managerial implications. JIM's readership not only includes academics but also includes a relatively large segment of practitioners. As such, articles in JIM should have managerial implications. A key criterion for manuscript acceptance is that the study should ultimately influence how international marketers manage or think about interacting in or across national markets. For example, consumer research examining how consumers relate to brands across markets has direct implications for the management of brands in global markets. It is important to emphasize in your work how your article could change managerial actions.
   

6. Executive insights. One aspect of JIM that has set it apart from other journals is its Executive Insights section. JIM will continue to publish executive insights. As the term denotes, JIM wishes to publish insights from executives engaged in international marketing activities. Given the nature of these articles, and the journal, it is suggested that academics collaborate with executives to provide an academically rigorous practitioner examination of a specific marketing topic in an international context (see, e.g., Hanni, David A., John K. Ryans Jr., and Ivan R. Vernon (1995), "Coordinating International Advertising: The Goodyear Case Revisited for Latin America," Journal of International Marketing, 3 (2), 83–98).
   

7. Capturing attention with title and abstract. Your title and abstract are important elements of your paper because they enable you to capture the readers' attention and motivate them to read your work. Given the importance of these elements, time spent on these aspects is time well spent. A well-crafted beginning can greatly increase the impact of your paper.
   

8. Style issues. All journals have their individual styles, but they also have commonalities. There are two key aspects to keep in mind before submitting a manuscript to JIM.
   
   Although the editor and reviewers strive to focus on the central contributions of a work, often their efforts are hampered by issues (e.g., grammatical errors, spelling errors) that could be avoided. Authors are strongly encouraged to have their work carefully proofread before submission. One suggestion is to have a colleague familiar with JIM proofread the manuscript before submission. Another would be to have it edited by a professional copy editor. An extra set of eyes on the paper before submission would help strengthen the work and could increase the likelihood of a more positive review.
   
   Formatting your manuscript to match JIM style signals to the editor and the reviewers that you have made the effort to focus your manuscript to JIM. Because manuscripts often move from one journal to another, failure to adjust the manuscript to JIM style is viewed by some reviewers as signaling that the authors of a manuscript are not really interested in JIM as a publication outlet. As with any journal, adjusting to the journal's style increases the likelihood of a positive initial impression.