Johan Wiklund’s Editorial Leadership Results in 4* Rating for Influential Entrepreneurship Journal

Johan Wiklund has always had a strong connection to Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ETP), a highly influential scholarly journal sharing valuable research in entrepreneurship. It was, in fact, where his first paper on entrepreneurship was published early in his career. Since then, Wiklund, who is the AI Berg Chair and professor of entrepreneurship at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, continued to contribute to the journal, eventually joining its editorial board as an action editor. In 2018, he was hired as editor-in-chief of ETP with the mission of preserving its legacy while positioning the journal as the leading entrepreneurship journal among entrepreneurship and management scholars. His work has paid off, as ETP recently obtained a 4* rating—the highest given—on the 2024 Association of Business School’s (ABS) list, published by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. This means that ETP is recognized internationally as the top journal within its field and publishes research of exceptional quality having significant impact on the development of theory, practice and policy.

“I’ve always known that ETP was an important vehicle for changing and improving the field of entrepreneurship, but I also felt that it needed some improvement in both the submission process and rigor of content. I’m very proud of what we have accomplished over the past eight years,” he says.

A member of the Whitman faculty since 2008, Wiklund’s research interests focus on entrepreneurship, neurodiversity and mental well-being. He is considered a leading authority in his field with over 100 articles published in leading journals and more than 55,000 citations to his research, as well as numerous international awards and honors. In addition, he is a dedicated advisor to the Ph.D. students at Whitman.

“The Whitman School and the entrepreneurship department are proud of the work Johan has done to bring the ETP to a 4* ranking,” says Michel Benaroch, Whitman associate dean for research and Ph.D. programs. “To have a Whitman entrepreneurship faculty member lead a journal to this level is remarkable and certainly impacts the research reputation and rankings of the School.”

One of Wiklund’s main goals for ETP has been establishing a smoother review process. That starts with the over 1,000 submissions that land on Wiklund’s desk annually, where he scans each—usually within a week—giving desk rejects to almost half and passing the remainder to one of his 30 action editors. They then ask three reviewers to provide comments on the manuscripts.

“We have developed a faster process than other journals at ETP with fewer rounds of revisions before accepting papers. This means less pain for authors, reviewers and editors alike. It also retains the author’s voice,” Wiklund explains, noting that only about 5% of submissions are ultimately published. “A lot of journals say they strive for fewer review rounds, but not many implement this. ETP does, and our 49-day average to final decision is evidence of our progress.”

The quick turnaround and the heightened expectations for quality research are drawing attention. Academic journals are constantly ranked and evaluated against each other. Apart from being upgraded to ABS 4* rating, ETP ranks among the top business publications and the No. 1 in entrepreneurship according to most rankings and evaluations.

While Wiklund is certainly pleased with the progress and results, he has no shortage of other goals for improving ETP, including working with the Center for Open Science to increase transparency in publication; reaching better global representation of research; and enhancing the relevance of entrepreneurship research.

Artificial intelligence (AI) poses challenges for the publication industry. Wiklund embraces its use as it allows academics around the world to improve their English language writing skills and helps them better present their research.

“Some journals are overly cautious about how researchers are allowed to use AI in their research. I believe it can be a great equalizer, leveling the playing field between native and non-native English speakers and overall improving the quality of research. ETP is all for it, within reason of course,” he says.

Wiklund plans to continue ETP’s upward trajectory. “We’re in the middle of some massive changes, and I want to see them through,” he says. “Looking at my career, I hope my main legacy in this field will be the people I have impacted as a mentor and the work I’ve accomplished to make ETP a more highly regarded source of research in the field of entrepreneurship.”