Get your Journal of Business Ethics paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to Journal of Business Ethics goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Business Ethics guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Journal of Business Ethics. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Journal of Business Ethics journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Journal of Business Ethics guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Journal of Business Ethics guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through Editorial Manager.
| Element | J Business Ethics requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract of 150 to 250 words required. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references. Note: For some articles (particularly systematic reviews and original research articles), the abstract length can be increased from the 250-word limit to up to 450 words if the topic dictates and to allow full compliance with relevant reporting guidelines |
| Main text | The average length of an article for all sections (other than book review section) is approximately 8,000–10,000 words (including references). Articles should be no longer than 12,000 words. Exemptions may be made for studies based on qualitative data |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 4 to 6 keywords required for indexing purposes |
| References | Author-date citation style (name and year in parentheses), following APA version 7 guidelines. Authors are encouraged to include all authors up to 20 in reference list entries; for larger groups, give the first 19 names followed by an ellipsis and the final author's name. Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author. Journal names and book titles should be italicized. DOIs should be included as full DOI links when available |
| Peer review | Double-blind peer review. Authors remain anonymous to reviewers throughout peer review, and vice versa. Authors must anonymize manuscripts by removing names, affiliations, and potentially identifying information from the manuscript text and accompanying files. A separate Title Page with author information must be submitted. Authors should avoid citing their own work in ways that reveal their identity |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/busi |
Read the Journal of Business Ethics guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Journal of Business Ethics in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Business Ethics papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Journal of Business Ethics journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Business Ethics guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.