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GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

Harvard Business Review

The Harvard Business Review has one goal: to be the source of the best new ideas for
people creating, leading, and transforming business. Since its founding in 1922, HBR has had
a proud tradition as the world's preeminent management magazine, publishing cutting-edge,
authoritative thinking on the key issues facing executives.

HBR's articles cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to different industries,
management functions, and geographic locations. They focus on such areas as leadership,
organizational change, negotiation, strategy, operations, marketing, finance, and managing
people. While the topics may vary, all HBR articles share certain characteristics. They are
written for senior managers by experts whose authority comes from careful analysis, study,
and experience. The ideas presented in these articles can be translated into action and have
been tested in the real world of business. Proposals for articles demonstrating fresh thinking
that advances previous knowledgewhose practical application has been thought through in
clear, jargon-free languageare those most likely to meet our readers' needs. When evaluating
an idea, our editors often look for two things firstwhat they call the aha!How compelling is the
insight?and the so what?How much does this idea benefit managers in practice?

The best way to inquire about HBR's potential interest in a topic is to prepare a proposal. It
can be submitted by mail or electronically and should answer the following questions:
From:
1. What is the central message of the article you propose to write (the "aha")? What is
1
important, useful, new, or counterintuitive about your idea? Why do managers need to
know about it?
2
2. How can your idea be applied in business today (the "so what")?
3. For which kinds of companies would the idea NOT work well? For which kinds of 3
companies would it work especially well? Why?
4. What research have you conducted to support the argument in your article? 4
5. On what previous work (either of your own or of others) does this idea build?
6. What is the source of your authority? What academic, professional, or personal 5
experience will you draw on?

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It need not be long and it certainly need not be written in question-and-answer format. The 6
important point is to cover the topics the questions raise.
7
Then please write a two-to-three page (500-750 word) narrative outline laying out the
8
structure of your article and describing each important point in a separate paragraph. Give us
a sense not just of the ground you will cover but of how the logic will flow. Please illustrate 9

your points with real-world examples or provide one extended, detailed example.
10

Some of the questions we will ask ourselves when evaluating your proposals are:

1. Is this idea new? If not, does it offer a new and useful perspective on an existing idea?
2. What is it based on? What are its antecedents?
3. Did it persuade me?
4. Did I find it interesting? Would HBR readers find it interesting?
5. Does it address an issue that matters to managers?
6. Could it be put into practice?
7. Is the author trying to sell the reader something? To use the insights in the article, would
the reader need to consult the author?
8. Are there good illustrations? Have I seen the same company examples used to illustrate a
multitude of other models, theses, or points of view?
9. Where are the holes in the thinking?

Each issue of HBR contains both feature articles and departments:

Each feature is an in-depth, rigorous presentation of a significant advance in management

thinking and its application in the real world of business. These articles help business leaders
establish an intellectual agenda for discussion - and change - within their companies.

Each issue also has a spotlight section which includes feature articles on a particular topic.

Idea Watch is the opening section of the magazine that focuses on new ideas and research
in progress. It is largely data driven and highly visual. The section leads with a timely piece,
about 1,000 words with accompanying visuals, that represents a thought-provoking, often
surprising new idea in business. Shorter pieces, about 200 to 600 words with accompanying
data visuals follow. Each month we’ll also ask a researcher to “Defend Your Research” for
research that includes surprising, sometimes counterintuitive findings. Each month also
features a two-page information graphic called “Vision Statement” which presents an
immersive, visual representation of business and management data and ideas.

The Big Idea features one article on a profound, up-and-coming idea which could have
groundbreaking repercussions in the world of business.

The Globe features one article in every issue on - and, usually, from - countries outside the
US. These articles are either macro or micro-focused, but they will all be of practical
relevance to senior executives the world over.

How I Did It is a first-person account by a CEO of the inside story of a tipping point moment
or decision for his or her company. The goal of How I Did It is not a rose-colored view of a
past glory, but rather a peer forum for CEOs to share experiences learned the hard way.

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The HBR Case Study is a fictional account of a business dilemma with advice from several
experts suggesting how to solve that dilemma.

Managing Yourself explores new ideas about the personal development of managers and
leaders.

Life’s Work is a short interview with an extraordinary figure from the worlds of art, science,
sport, and politics about his or her career, focusing on decisions, challenges, and experiences
that resonate for business leaders.

A word on attributions: HBR has its roots in the world of academic journals, where detailed
citations are de rigueur. HBR articles should be similarly punctilious about giving credit to all
direct quotations, paraphrased statements, and borrowed ideas. To improve the flow of the
prose, we prefer to incorporate attributions into the text whenever we can. In the meantime,
please be sure we understand exactly which ideas, and what language, are yours and which
ones are drawn from someone else. We would rather see source notes than not, for example.
Then, if your submission is accepted for publication, we will work with you to determine which
sources need to be cited and in what way.

In addition, please tell us about any financial relationship you may have with companies cited
in the proposed article. We need to know if you have a consulting relationship, for example, or
if you serve on a board of directors.

Nearly all HBR articles undergo extensive editing and rewriting, and HBR typically holds
copyright on the finished product. Authors continue to own the underlying ideas in the article.

Please e-mail your proposal to hbr_editorial@hbr.org or mail it to Christine Jack, Harvard

Business Review, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163.

If you think your idea is better suited for a blog post, please forward a brief proposal or 500-
800 word draft to Meghan Ennes at mennes (at) hbr (dot) org.

HBR deeply appreciates the time and energy required to prepare a proposal for our
publication, and we are grateful to you for that investment. We are always looking for new
sources of solid, useful ideas that can improve the practice of management. Because of the
volume of submissions we receive, we are not able to respond substantively to every one, but
we do read them all closely, and we will do our best to respond within six to eight weeks. We
thank you again for your interest.

The Editors

INSIDE THE STORE

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