Marketing Science invites authors to submit for peer review high quality marketing-related manuscripts.  These manuscripts should make significant incremental, substantive, theoretical and/or methodological contributions and enhance our understanding of marketing knowledge or practice.

Click here for acceptable manuscript formats.

Please be aware that:  WE NO LONGER ACCEPT RESEARCH NOTES AS FIRST SUBMISSIONS.  All research notes must be invited.

Copyrights

Note: By submitting a manuscript, the author certifies that NO PART of the manuscript is copyrighted and the manuscript is not currently under review for any journal, conference proceedings or other outlet. If the manuscript (or any part of it) has appeared, or will appear in another  publication of any kind, all details must be provided to  the editor-in-chief at the time of submission.  To process a manuscript (copy and distribute), we must have full copyright permission (over figures, abstracts, tables, etc.).

Suggested Length

Unless otherwise noted below, manuscripts must be shorter than 15,500 words on the initial submission and no more than 17,500 words on subsequent submissions (excluding references). 
Please count pages with few words (e.g., figures, tables, mostly mathematical equations) 
as 350 words per page.  Please contact the editor regarding submission of longer manuscripts.

Manuscripts (other than notes) are usually between about 30 and 40 pages (7500 to 10000 words)  including required appendices but excluding abstracts, references, the title page and optional appendices.  [An optional appendix provides information that, although interesting, is superfluous to the manuscript's contribution.  Required proofs are NOT superfluous.].  Occasionally, manuscripts grow to 19,000 words during the review process.  Note that, we can post optional appendices on our website.  Shorter manuscripts are usually easier to read and place less of a burden on reviewers.  The contribution of the manuscript should be commensurate with the length.

Regular or Customary Articles

Our primary focus is on articles that answer important research questions in marketing using empirical or theoretical mathematical modeling. However, we are receptive to a diverse set of scientific approaches. These approaches include surveys, experiments, aggregate data analyses, deductive analyses, comprehensive reviews, well-documented applications and novel implications of developments in other literatures.  Click for more information on Customary Articles.

Fast-Track Articles

We have an option of a “fast track review” for submitted research. Authors with a certain type of submission can request a fast track review on the submission form. We will either completely reject or commit to accept subject to either deletions or minor changes (no additions). The fast track review is appropriate, for example, for manuscripts on extremely timely subjects whose impact depends on prompt publication. Fast track reviews are also appropriate for very “hot” research areas where developments are rapid and multiple teams of researchers are competing to produce findings. Fast track reviews are also appropriate for authors who have limited or no capability to perform revisions.

Chronicle Articles

We consider for publication short “chronicle papers” that document normative applications of models and methods. Chronicle papers should briefly discuss a specific application and provide some general contributions that may relate only to implementation issues. The objective is to allow some research to focus on implementation as a research objective. We should recognize that many organizations are resistant to adopting new marketing methods and processes. This research may address the reasons and possible solutions to overcoming that resistance. Chronicle papers may also explore unforeseen issues in implementations.

Findings Articles

We consider for publication “Findings papers” that, with the use of empirical quantitative methods, produce important general substantive findings (but without any specific contribution to modeling methods). The objective is to allow faster publication of empirical discoveries without the need for methodological advances or elaborate theoretical underpinnings. To be publishable, findings papers must present sufficient empirical evidence that the discovered phenomenon exists. The discovery must be potentially interesting to our target audiences. The discovery must also have potential implications for theory or practice.

Scoop Articles

Scoop papers must be shorter than 1400 words on the initial submission.

Short one or two journal page “scoop papers” that provide a scholarly report of events occurring in either fundamental disciplines or industry that might have important marketing implications. These events may be new initiatives taken by firms (e.g., Crisis Management Teams, Knowledge Management, Sustainable Technology Initiatives, Business Games for training), changes in the environment (e.g., new regulations, changes in technology) or breakthroughs in fundamental disciplines (e.g., Economics of Intellectual Property, Psychology of Fairness, Call Center Management, Nonparametric Multivariate Analysis, Restructuring). Although Scoop papers will be checked for accuracy and relevance, unless they provide an original contribution, they will be published in a new non-refereed-articles section that will include letters and comments. The objective is to provide a constant source of fresh ideas for relevant research.  

Research Notes -- BY INVITATION ONLY -- NO FIRST SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE RESEARCH NOTES

We no longer accept research notes as first submissions.  However, the review team might recommend a revision to a research note.

Research notes in Marketing Science should be short-articles. They should be approximately 15 pages (3750 words) and never exceed 20 pages (5000 words), including required appendices but excluding abstracts, references, the title page and optional appendices.  We can post optional appendices on our website.  There are different types of notes but all notes should be reviewed for accuracy, relevancy and contribution.   

Like a regular article, notes should provide a contribution to the marketing literature. Research notes should have the same rigor, style and tone as full-length research articles. Notes should also identify relevant prior research, clearly articulate their contribution and provide compelling evidence for their arguments.

However, the contribution of a note may differ from a full-length article on one or more of the following: (1) the contribution may have more narrow audience, (2) the contribution may be more technical, or (3) the contribution may be more limited.  For example, notes may focus on technical corrections, proofs, short empirical contributions, replication of prior findings or findings that might not be easily generalized (e.g., analysis of an unusual dataset).  If a manuscript just makes a small contribution, it would be better to either improve the contribution or shorten the manuscript so that the contribution justifies the length.  Although we should publish notes that make a contribution, the Marketing Science prefers high-impact articles to notes.  Manuscripts should not become notes just because the reviewers disagree on the worthiness of the manuscript.

Most research notes are originally submitted a full-length manuscripts.  The become notes at the recommendation of the reviewers.  We prefer full-length manuscripts over notes.

Letters and Commentaries -- BY INVITATION ONLY -- NO FIRST SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE COMMENTARIES

We may occasionally consider letters or short articles outside the usual review process.  For example, rejoinder letters on negative comments may be published in a non-refereed section.  In most cases, at least one reviewer will check these special submissions for objective errors.

Letters must present opinions relevant to most readers of Marketing Science and these opinions must provide these readers with important information. Letters should be polite and scholarly with clear reasoning for all statements made. Letters should be accurate and not confuse opinions with facts. However, opinions may be provocative and contradictory to current beliefs.

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