Format your manuscript to the Journal of International Business Studies requirements — abstract, the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) references, and required declarations — and submit through Editorial Manager without a formatting rejection.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
A strong study can still bounce at Journal of International Business Studies before review if the manuscript ignores the journal’s formatting requirements. This template is built around JIBS’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the JIBS author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to JIBS’s specifications for international business — MNE strategy, cross-border management, and the global economy. Journal of International Business Studies is published by Springer (Palgrave Macmillan) on behalf of the Academy of International Business. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an unstructured abstract of ≤250 words. The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses the JIBS Style Guide (author-date). Close with the declarations block: conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: references that don't follow the JIBS Style Guide and an abstract or contribution statement that doesn't foreground the theoretical advance. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through Editorial Manager — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what JIBS’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the JIBS journal home page. JIBS offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through Editorial Manager, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | JIBS requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an unstructured abstract of ≤250 words |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| Declarations | Conflict of interest, funding, and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | editorialmanager.com/jibs |
Read the JIBS author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent JIBS papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the JIBS author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, the JIBS Style Guide (author-date) references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — references that don't follow the JIBS Style Guide and an abstract or contribution statement that doesn't foreground the theoretical advance. Then submit through Editorial Manager.