Cultivating the Next Generation of Social Impact Scholars: PhD and Early Career Pathways in Business Research

Call for Papers
Cultivating the Next Generation of Social Impact Scholars: PhD and Early Career Pathways in Business Research

Journal: Journal of Social Impact in Business Research
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 10 August 2026

This special issue focuses on PhD and early‑career researchers (ECRs) in business research, exploring how they can develop and demonstrate social impact through their scholarship. It invites work that examines supervision practices, institutional structures, career trajectories, and methodological approaches that support PhD and ECR scholars in creating meaningful, socially impactful business research.

overview

Guest editors

• Dr Amir Raki, Department of Marketing, University of Liverpool, UK

• Dr Laura Di Pietro, Department of Social and Economic Sciences, Roma Tre University, Italy

• Dr Martina Caic, Aalto University School of Business, Finland

List of suggested topic areas

• PhD and early‑career‑researcher‑led research for social impact: empirical, conceptual, or methodological work led by PhD students and ECRs on impact‑oriented business scholarship

• Supervisory practices for impact‑focused projects: how supervisors and students navigate tensions around timelines, methods, and stakeholder engagement

• Navigating publication pressure and societal value: how PhDs and ECRs reconcile top‑tier publication expectations with applied or impact‑oriented outputs

• Methodological innovations for impact research: e.g., participatory action research, design‑science, longitudinal fieldwork, community‑based methods

• Doctoral identity and career trajectories: how engagement in socially impactful research affects academic identity, job prospects, and transitions into academia, industry, or policy

• Collaborations and partnerships in doctoral/ECR projects: working with businesses, NGOs, governments, and communities

• Institutional systems for enabling PhD/ECR social impact: curricula, reward structures, doctoral‑programme design

• Policy and accreditation frameworks shaping doctoral pathways: role of AACSB‑style standards and funding bodies in embedding social impact into training

Submission information

Submissions are made via ScholarOne Manuscripts:
Submit via ScholarOne

Author guidelines:
https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/jsibr#jlp_author_guidelines

At the step “Please select the issue you are submitting to”, choose the special issue title from the drop‑down menu. Articles must not have been published previously or be under consideration elsewhere while under review.

Important dates

• Opening date for manuscript submissions: 12 February 2026

• Closing date for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2026

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