Journal profile · Multiple
Small Business Economics
ISSN 0921-898X · eISSN 1573-0913 · Springer Nature · 8 issues per year
Small Business Economics: CAS Zone 1 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.78; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; median 343 days to acceptance (50 articles, last 24 months); 163 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Small Business Economics is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences, Firm Innovation and Growth and Corporate Finance and Governance, together about 48.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Small Business Economics: An Entrepreneurship Journal (SBEJ) publishes original, rigorous theoretical and empirical research addressing all aspects of entrepreneurship and small business economics, with a special emphasis on the economic and societal relevance of research findings for scholars, practitioners and policy makers. SBEJ covers a broad scope of topics, ranging from the core themes of the entrepreneurial process and new venture creation to other topics like self-employment, family firms, small and medium-sized enterprises, innovative start-ups, and entrepreneurial finance. SBEJ welcomes scientific studies at different levels of analysis, including individuals (e.g. entrepreneurs' characteristics and occupational choice), firms (e.g., firms’ life courses and performance, innovation, and global issues like digitization), macro level (e.g., institutions and public policies within local, regional, national and international contexts), as well as cross-level dynamics. As a leading entrepreneurship journal, SBEJ welcomes cross-disciplinary research. In addition to publishing traditional research papers, Small Business Economics is open to registered reports and replication studies; thus we encourage the publication of papers internally and externally replicating extant findings in the literature. Officially cited as: Small Bus Econ
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief David B. AudretschPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United States 54, Italy 24, Germany 20, United Kingdom 19, Netherlands 18 (207 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Entrepreneurship Studies and InfluencesBusiness, Management and Accounting21.3%
- Firm Innovation and GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance16.8%
- Corporate Finance and GovernanceBusiness, Management and Accounting10.7%
- Private Equity and Venture CapitalBusiness, Management and Accounting8.7%
- Family Business Performance and SuccessionBusiness, Management and Accounting6.4%
- Innovation and Knowledge ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting3.7%
- Labor market dynamics and wage inequalityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.2%
- Economic Growth and ProductivityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance2.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEEconLitCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, RePEc
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 5.78LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.62LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 246OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,400OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.7OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 61.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 158LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,100,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,144 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 129 | 85 | 92 |
| 2025 | 163 | 109 | 802 |
| 2024 | 130 | 96 | 1,511 |
| 2023 | 143 | 105 | 3,301 |
| 2022 | 133 | 87 | 4,050 |
| 2021 | 141 | 106 | 7,394 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
343 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 226 days – 445 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 379 days
- Sample
- 50 articles with submission and acceptance dates (308 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Colour charges
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs cannot be authors; AI-assisted copy editing need not be declared. Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
Competing interests must be disclosed. Model summary
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Research data should be archived in repositories where possible. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
COPE member; follows COPE guidelines on misconduct. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Small Business Economics, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Authors may suggest or exclude reviewers; suggestions must be independent and verified. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening software may be used. Model summary
the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 8 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0921-898X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-0913
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 67, Issue 2 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Small Business Economics
What CAS zone is Small Business Economics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Small Business Economics is in Zone 1 of Economics, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Business / Economics / Management; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Small Business Economics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.78; CiteScore 14.2, h-index 246.
How long does peer review take at Small Business Economics?
Based on the dates recorded on 50 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 343 days (interquartile range 226–445 days). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Small Business Economics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Small Business Economics based?
Of the 207 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (54), Italy (24) and Germany (20). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Small Business Economics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Small Business Economics is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, EconLit and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Small Business Economics open access, and what is the APC?
Small Business Economics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .