Indian Journal of Marketing
The Indian Journal of Marketing is a double-blind, peer-reviewed, refereed monthly journal published in English since 1968 (ISSN: 0973-8703), indexed in Scopus (Q3), UGC-CARE (Group II), and ABDC (Rating: C). Submissions are accepted exclusively through the Editorial Scholar portal. Every manuscript undergoes a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation process to ensure the highest standards of scholarly quality and integrity.
Initial Desk Review
Upon submission via Editorial Scholar, the editorial team assesses the manuscript for suitability — scope alignment, formatting compliance, and minimum scholarly standards. Papers that do not meet these criteria are rejected at this stage without being sent for peer review, and the author is notified.
Plagiarism and Integrity Check
All manuscripts are screened using specialised anti-plagiarism software. Submissions with unacceptable levels of similarity to existing published work are rejected outright. In addition to similarity screening, manuscripts may be screened for indicators of undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI in the writing or data of the manuscript, image or data manipulation, and other markers associated with paper mills or fabricated research.
Assignment to Reviewers
Manuscripts that pass the desk review and integrity checks are assigned to a minimum of two independent subject-matter experts. Both author and reviewer identities are concealed throughout the process (double-blind).
The Editorial Team maintains a broad, subject-matter-qualified, and geographically diverse pool of reviewers, and selects reviewers on the basis of relevant expertise and absence of conflict of interest, without regard to institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, or other personal characteristics.
Expert Peer Review
Reviewers evaluate the manuscript against the Review Criteria (given below) and provide structured, objective feedback, free of personal criticism of the author, with clearly supported arguments. Reviewers recommend one of the following outcomes: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.
Editorial Decision
The Editor-in-Chief reviews the consolidated reviewer feedback and makes an editorial decision. Where reviewer recommendations diverge significantly, a third independent reviewer is consulted before a final decision is made.
Revision Rounds
Accepted-with-revisions manuscripts typically undergo 2–3 rounds of revision. Authors are required to address all points raised by the Editor and Reviewers and to clearly highlight major revisions in the manuscript using red font colour only (see Revision Guidelines below).
Revised Manuscript Re-review
Revised submissions with major revisions are sent back to the original reviewers to assess whether the requested changes have been adequately addressed. This cycle continues until the manuscript is deemed acceptable. Revised manuscripts are re-screened for plagiarism/similarity before final acceptance.
Final Acceptance
Once all reviewers and the Editor are satisfied with the manuscript, a formal letter of acceptance is issued to the corresponding author.
Copy Editing & Production
The accepted manuscript undergoes professional copy editing to ensure compliance with the journal's language, style, and formatting standards before typesetting.
Publication
The final typeset manuscript is assigned a DOI (registered with Crossref) and published in the relevant monthly issue of the journal.
Manuscripts are reviewed against the following criteria:
Contribution to Marketing
The extent to which the manuscript advances knowledge in marketing, management, or related disciplines and offers actionable insights.
Originality
Whether the study presents a genuinely novel research question, methodology, or finding not previously published or substantially reproduced.
Literature Review
Adequacy and currency of the literature reviewed, and correct positioning within the existing body of knowledge.
Conceptual & Methodological Rigour
Soundness of the conceptual framework, research design, data collection, statistical analysis, and validity of conclusions.
Quality of Writing
Clarity, coherence, and logical organization, including abstract quality, language standards, and adherence to the journal's style guidelines.
Managerial Implications
Practical relevance of the findings for marketing practitioners, business managers, and policy-makers, in addition to the academic contribution.
Ethical Disclosures
Appropriate disclosure of funding sources, conflicts of interest, institutional ethics approvals (where applicable), and data availability statements.
Scope Alignment
Whether the manuscript fits within the stated aims and scope of the journal.
Where generative AI tools are used to assist with the revision (e.g., language polishing of new text), this should be disclosed consistent with the journal's Declaration of AI Use requirement.
An author who believes a manuscript was unfairly rejected, or who wishes to raise a concern about the review process, may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief/Editorial Director, setting out the specific grounds for the appeal, within 30 days of the decision. Appeals are considered by the Editor-in-Chief, normally in consultation with an Editorial Board member not previously involved with the manuscript, and the outcome is communicated to the author in writing. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee reversal of the original decision. Complaints about the conduct of the review process itself are handled under the Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement.