Organized by the Center of Excellence for Consumer & Market Studies in Emerging Economies
Mumbai, February 28th, 2025: K J Somaiya Institute of Management recently organised an insightful webinar titled "Meet the Editors: Master the Art of Publishing in Top Journals." The session featured Dr. George S. Spais, Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Consumer Behaviour and Dr. Weng Marc Lim, Associate Editor of the Journal of Business Research, with Dr. Rashmi Jain, Associate Professor of Marketing and International Business, as the moderator.
Dr. Lim provided practical guidance on publishing business research, emphasising the importance of choosing reputable journals. He highlighted key publishers such as Financial Times, CABS, ABDC, Clarivate Web of Science and Scopus. He also pointed out that research publications have doubled in the last eight years, making journal selection crucial.
He advised researchers to use diverse sample groups instead of relying solely on student participants. He reassured attendees that the peer review process is fair and encouraged clear, concise writing with structured abstracts, strong introductions, well-researched literature reviews, clear methodologies and detailed findings. Proper referencing and avoiding redundancy were also emphasised.
Dr. Lim stressed the importance of addressing gaps in existing research and balancing qualitative and quantitative methods. He advised researchers to provide detailed and transparent responses to reviewers' comments during revisions. On the role of AI in research, he stated that tools like Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s grammar checker are acceptable but emphasized that AI cannot generate original research, hence authenticity and meaningful insights remain the researcher’s responsibility.
He also explained that theories strengthen research by serving as foundations for future studies. Though writing a theory development paper is challenging, it adds significant value to academic work.
In the next hour, Dr. Spais began by congratulating Dr. Lim and reinforcing the idea that "The beginning is the most important part of work." He highlighted the direct link between a strong publication record and career progression in academia. Key metrics such as the number of publications, total citations, H-index and impact factor play a significant role in measuring academic success.
Beyond professional growth, he touched upon personal satisfaction and societal perceptions of career achievements in academia. He acknowledged the challenges young scholars face in publishing their research, emphasising the need for supportive academic frameworks to help them navigate these obstacles.
Dr. Spais also stressed the importance of clear and accessible writing. He advised against excessive jargon, as well-communicated research can have a broader impact beyond academia. He strongly cautioned against plagiarism, warning that it could damage academic careers and lead to blacklisting. Ethical research practices and originality, he noted, are key to maintaining credibility.
The event concluded with a call for greater awareness of publication challenges and proactive measures to make academic publishing more inclusive. The speakers encouraged participants to engage in continuous learning, interdisciplinary collaboration and ethical research practices.
