Journal of Circular Economy

About the Journal

The Journal of Circular Economy publishes circular economy research which provides practical advice for businesses, policymakers, and civil society to accelerate the transition towards a more circular economy. Specific subject areas include, but are not limited to:

Circular business models, circular start-ups, circular business model experimentation
Dynamic capabilities for a circular economy
Circular supply chains, reverse logistics
Circular economy policies and governance
Barriers and enablers to the circular economy
Sustainability transition theory and circular economy
Social, environmental and economic impacts of circular economy
Circular rebound
Circular degrowth
Circular economy terminology

And more…

Any disciplinary approach is welcome. Any methodological approach is welcome.

Publication formats

Articles published in the Journal of Circular Economy aim to be particularly succinct to reach both academic and practical audiences. Accordingly, no article published in this journal exceeds 6,000 words; and any article published in the Journal of Circular Economy must include implications for circular economy practice. The following types of articles are published in Circular Economy:

Research article: Standard research papers of 3,500 – 6,000 words in length, excluding tables, illustrations, and references. Length exceptions may be granted by the Handling Editor on a case by case basis. Length exceptions may be granted by the Handling Editor on a case by case basis.

Review: Articles which summarize the state-of-the-art circular economy research in a particular sub-field. Narrative reviews, meta-syntheses and meta-analyses are considered. 4,500 – 6,000 words in length, excluding tables, illustrations and references.

Perspective: Papers in an “op-ed” style that share a particular perspective on circular economy. Usually 800-1,000 words excluding tables, illustrations, and references. Length exceptions may be granted by the Handling Editor on a case by case basis.

Any article published in the Journal of Circular Economy is accompanied by an abstract that is ca. 150 words. Suggested structure of Research articles and Reviews: Introduction, theoretical framing, methods, results, discussion, recommendations. There is no suggested structure for Perspectives.

We encourage you to publish any original data that your article is based on alongside your article.

Formatting information for authors

Extended ethics statement

Publication Fees

The Journal of Circular Economy aims to be a low-cost publisher. We continuously attempt to undercut publication fees of comparable academic journals also publishing on circular economy by at least 70%. All journal operations are financed by Article Processing Charges (APC model) which vary depending on the article format and an unconditional grant by Roskilde University.

Our current publication charges for authors (applicable only upon acceptance of their article):

– Research article: 440 EUR
– Review article: 440 EUR
– Perspective: 340 EUR

Discounts are possible for students publishing their research with us, for independent scholars and/or authors from the Global South as well as any other authors from groups that are typically marginalized in the academy. Discounts are currently provided on a case-by-case basis.

We kindly ask you to reach out to our editorial team to discuss further details: editor@circulareconomyjournal.org

Peer-Review

This journal operates a double-blind peer-review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by an editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of one independent expert reviewer to assess the scientific quality of the paper. Reviewers are encouraged to submit their review within seven days upon receipt of the paper. We are the very first academic journal, as far as we are aware, that pays an honorarium to its reviewers. Authors are asked to revise their paper, if possible, within fourteen days. The Journal of Circular Economy considers iteration as central to hone the quality of academic work. Multiple rounds of review are thus possible and, in our view, also desirable. We encourage authors to already publish their work in preprint servers such as SocArXiv, while it is under review with the Journal of Circular Economy.

We evaluate submitted manuscripts based on their methodological rigor and high ethical standards, regardless of perceived novelty. Accordingly, we publish works that are replication studies as well as studies that report negative and null results. Overall, the aim of the Journal of Circular Economy is to help authors to improve their manuscript so that it becomes publishable in a respected academic outlet. Accordingly, the Journal of Circular Economy is not a gatekeeper to publishing circular economy research, but an ally to those dedicated to circular economy scholarship and practice. Articles are published once accepted. This also includes articles that are part of a special issue.

For questions about the editorial process, please contact:
editor@circulareconomyjournal.org

Open Access

The Journal of Circular Economy applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to works we publish. Under this license, authors agree to make articles legally available for reuse, without permission or fees, for virtually any purpose. Anyone may copy, distribute, or reuse these articles, if the author and original source are properly cited.

Indexing

The Journal of Circular Economy is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and is currently also registering with the Web of Science (WoS) database. Additional indexing will follow in the next couple of months.

Declaration of Competing Interests

Corresponding authors, on behalf of all the authors of a submission, must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence their work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding.