Strategic Management of Organizational Knowledge

Strategic Management of Organizational Knowledge

Authors Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Research Ethics Principles and Requirements

Authors are required to thoroughly review the Research Ethics Guidelines and regulations concerning scientific misconduct published on the journal’s official website before submitting their manuscript:
https://jkm.ihu.ac.ir/journal/process?ethics

Strategic Organizational Knowledge Management is fully committed to publication ethics and adheres to the principles, standards, and requirements established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All editorial and publication processes are conducted in accordance with the Executive Regulation of the Law on the Prevention and Combating of Fraud in Scientific Works.

Every submitted manuscript must be based on scientific originality, research integrity, and faithful citation of sources. Under no circumstances may a manuscript have been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal. Any form of data fabrication, result falsification, manipulation of analyses, paraphrasing intended to conceal plagiarism, use of unreliable sources, or presentation of misleading information constitutes research misconduct. Such violations will be handled in accordance with the ethical guidelines issued by the Ministry of Science.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the research process is permissible only to the extent that such tools do not contribute to the generation of content, data, analyses, scientific interpretations, modeling, extraction of results, or the preparation of theoretical and empirical sections of the manuscript. AI tools may be used in a limited capacity for language editing or improving clarity of expression. However, authors retain full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the final content.

Any use of AI tools must be transparently disclosed in either the Acknowledgments section or the Methodology section of the manuscript. Under no circumstances may AI tools be listed as authors in the author byline. Authors should be aware that the journal employs similarity-detection software to assess textual originality, and all consequences arising from violations of research ethics principles remain the sole responsibility of the authors.

https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author?ct=t(member-insight-ai-feb-2023)

Publication Ethics Principles

  • Submitted manuscripts must not be under review by another journal simultaneously and must not have been previously published elsewhere.

  • Authors are responsible for the scientific originality of the manuscript, the accuracy of data, compliance with intellectual property rights, and avoidance of plagiarism.

  • Submitted manuscripts may be examined using plagiarism and similarity-detection systems.

  • Any form of data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, plagiarism, unjustified addition or removal of authors, or concealment of conflicts of interest constitutes research misconduct and may result in manuscript rejection or ethical investigation.

  • Authors must report their research objectively, accurately, fairly, and free from personal or organizational bias.

Scope of Strategic Organizational Knowledge Management

According to the journal’s official scope statement:
https://jkm.ihu.ac.ir/journal/aim_scope

Strategic Organizational Knowledge Management publishes only manuscripts that fall within the specialized field of organizational knowledge management and its related domains.

Primary areas of interest include:

  • Organizational Knowledge Management

  • Knowledge Strategies

  • Knowledge Planning and Architecture

  • Knowledge Management Technologies

  • Lessons Learned and Experience Documentation

  • Organizational Intelligence

  • Knowledge Needs Assessment

  • Knowledge Mapping

  • Knowledge Culture

  • Organizational Learning

  • Organizational Thinking and Research

  • Think Tanks and Knowledge Centers Management

  • Knowledge-Based Policy and Decision Support Systems

Manuscripts lacking a clear, direct, and scholarly connection to one or more of these subject areas will be rejected during the initial editorial screening.

Types of Manuscripts Accepted by the Journal

The journal accepts three main categories of scholarly articles:

1. Original Research Articles

Articles presenting novel findings, innovative analyses, and contributions that extend the boundaries of knowledge in the field of knowledge management.

2. Case Studies

Studies designed to analyze the application of a model, theory, framework, or management tool within a real organizational or practical context.

3. Review Articles

Articles aimed at synthesizing existing research, analyzing emerging trends, and conducting systematic reviews or meta-analyses of previous studies.

Each submission must demonstrate scientific rigor, a clear methodological framework, and a strong connection to the journal’s thematic areas.

Authors may not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals. Manuscripts must be entirely original and free from any unauthorized textual similarity.

https://www.elsevier.com/subject/next/guide-for-authors

Changes to Submission Information After Manuscript Submission

Once a manuscript has been registered in the submission system, no changes to the author list—including addition, removal, or reordering of authors—will be accepted.

At least one author must hold the academic rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Full Professor.

All author information, including institutional affiliation, email address, academic position, and research role, must be accurate and verifiable.

Any discrepancy or attempt to modify author information after the review process has commenced will be considered an administrative violation.

Revisions, Corrections, and Evaluation Process

If reviewers or members of the Editorial Board request revisions, the corresponding author must submit a revised version of the manuscript along with a comprehensive and detailed response report.

The response report must clearly demonstrate how each reviewer comment has been addressed, revised, or justified.

Complete information regarding the peer-review process, revision procedures, and operational policies is available on the journal’s official website:

https://jkm.ihu.ac.ir/journal/process

Incomplete responses, superficial revisions, or failure to adequately address reviewer comments may result in manuscript rejection.

The journal reserves the right to make scientific, linguistic, and technical edits to ensure publication quality.

Structure and Essential Components of a Manuscript

Before submitting a manuscript, authors are strongly advised to carefully study these guidelines and prepare their manuscript in accordance with the journal’s scientific, structural, and formatting requirements.

Compliance with these guidelines facilitates the review process, reduces formatting revisions, and improves overall manuscript quality.

The primary criterion for initial acceptance is the alignment of the manuscript with the objectives, disciplinary scope, and scientific themes of Strategic Organizational Knowledge Management.

The manuscript should address topics such as:

  • Knowledge Management

  • Organizational Knowledge

  • Knowledge Strategies

  • Organizational Learning

  • Intellectual Capital

  • Knowledge Innovation

  • Knowledge Governance

  • Knowledge Systems

  • Policies and Processes Supporting Knowledge Management

  • Other knowledge-related issues within organizations

Originality, innovation, scientific quality, and practical relevance constitute the principal criteria for manuscript evaluation.

A manuscript must present:

  • A clearly defined research problem

  • A well-articulated knowledge gap

  • A valid research methodology

  • Well-supported findings

  • Defensible theoretical and/or practical contributions

Submitted manuscripts should be grounded in reliable, current, and relevant sources. The use of recent domestic and international literature, especially articles indexed in reputable scientific databases, is strongly recommended.

All cited sources must appear both in the text and in the reference list according to APA style.

Manuscripts should be prepared as:

  • Original Research Articles

  • Review Articles

  • Case Studies

Review articles will be considered for peer review only when they are comprehensive, analytical, methodologically rigorous, and provide a critical synthesis of the literature.

Article Title

The title should be concise, precise, clear, and reflective of the main content of the research.

It should communicate:

  • The research problem

  • The primary objective

  • The key variables or concepts

  • The principal findings

Authors should avoid overly general, ambiguous, promotional, or excessively lengthy titles.

Persian titles should preferably contain between 10 and 20 words.

Abbreviations should not be used unless they are universally recognized.

Author Information

During submission, the full names of all authors must be provided.

Adding a new author after the review process has begun is generally not permitted unless exceptional circumstances exist and approval is granted by the Editor-in-Chief.

The following information must be provided for each author:

  • Academic rank

  • Department or research group

  • Faculty or research center

  • University or organization

  • City

  • Country

  • Email address

The corresponding author must be clearly identified and will be responsible for all scientific and administrative communications regarding the manuscript.

Abstract

The abstract must contain between 150 and 250 words and should be structured.

It should accurately represent the entire manuscript by concisely presenting the research problem, objective, methodology, principal findings, discussion, and conclusions.

Structure of the Abstract

Purpose:
Clearly state the research problem, knowledge gap or practical need, and the main objective of the study.

Methodology:
Briefly describe the type of research, research approach, population or participants, sampling method, data collection instruments, data analysis methods, and validity/reliability criteria.

Findings:
Report the most important results directly and in relation to the research objectives or questions without extensive interpretation.

Discussion:
Interpret the findings in relation to the literature, theoretical framework, and research gap, and explain their theoretical, managerial, or practical implications.

Conclusion:
Present the main message, final contribution, scientific value-added, and, where appropriate, limitations and future recommendations.

References, footnotes, unnecessary abbreviations, and information not discussed in the manuscript should not be included in the abstract.

Keywords

Provide at least five precise and indexable keywords.

Keywords should:

  • Reflect the main concepts of the manuscript.

  • Avoid duplication of words used in the title whenever possible.

  • Avoid overly broad, ambiguous, or non-specialized terms.

Main Structure of the Manuscript

Articles submitted to Strategic Organizational Knowledge Management must follow the structure outlined below:

1. Introduction

The Introduction is the first substantive section of the manuscript and should provide the necessary context for understanding the research problem.

The section should:

  • Introduce the research problem.

  • Explain its theoretical, practical, organizational, or policy significance.

  • Clarify why the study was undertaken.

  • Identify the knowledge gap or unresolved issue.

  • Explain how the study addresses that gap.

Recommended Structure of the Introduction

  • Statement of the research problem and general context

  • Explanation of scientific, organizational, or practical significance

  • Brief overview of the current state of knowledge

  • Identification of the research gap or practical need

  • Presentation of research objectives, questions, or hypotheses

  • Explanation of the study’s novelty and scientific contribution

  • Brief description of the remaining sections of the manuscript

The Introduction should not become an extensive literature review nor present research findings.

2. Theoretical Background and Literature Review

This section should be analytical, problem-oriented, and closely aligned with the research objectives.

Its purpose is not merely to summarize sources but to organize existing knowledge, critically evaluate previous studies, and establish the research gap.

The section should examine:

  • Key concepts

  • Relevant theories

  • Approaches

  • Models

  • Domestic and international studies

Authors should explain how each concept or theory relates to the research problem and contributes to the development of the theoretical or conceptual framework.

Previous studies should be reviewed according to a coherent structure, such as:

  • Thematic

  • Chronological

  • Methodological

  • Theoretical

  • Hybrid approaches

Merely listing studies is insufficient.

Authors should critically analyze:

  • Strengths

  • Weaknesses

  • Limitations

  • Contradictions

  • Research gaps

A summary table of previous studies is recommended.

Such a table may include:

  • Author and publication year

  • Research objective

  • Methodology

  • Population or data

  • Key findings

  • Relevance to the present study

The section should conclude with a clear statement of the research gap and the manuscript’s theoretical, methodological, or practical contribution.

3. Methodology

The methodology section should clearly, accurately, and systematically describe the research process so that readers and reviewers can evaluate methodological rigor, validity, and appropriateness.

The section should address:

  • Research type

  • Research philosophy and approach

  • Research strategy

  • Population or participants

  • Sampling method

  • Sample size or number of participants

  • Data collection instruments and procedures

  • Research implementation stages

  • Data analysis methods

  • Software utilized

  • Validity, reliability, credibility, or trustworthiness criteria

  • Research ethics considerations

Specific requirements for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies should be reported accordingly.

4. results 

This section presents the results obtained from data analysis.

Findings should be:

  • Accurate

  • Systematic

  • Evidence-based

  • Consistent with research objectives, questions, or hypotheses

Authors should avoid extensive interpretation, value judgments, or conclusions beyond the data.

Quantitative studies should report:

  • Descriptive statistics

  • Statistical test results

  • Coefficients

  • Significant relationships

  • Effects

  • Tested models

Qualitative studies may present:

  • Codes

  • Themes

  • Categories

  • Dimensions

  • Conceptual patterns

  • Final models

  • Selected participant quotations

Tables and figures should appear as close as possible to their first citation in the text.

All tables and figures must be cited within the manuscript.

Table titles should appear above tables, while figure and chart titles should appear below them.

5. Discussion

The Discussion section is devoted to interpreting findings and explaining their significance in relation to the research problem, theoretical literature, and previous studies.

Authors should explain:

  • How findings address the research gap

  • How findings align with or differ from previous studies

  • Theoretical implications

  • Managerial implications

  • Strategic implications

  • Practical implications

The Discussion should not merely repeat the Findings section.

Unsupported generalizations and claims beyond the evidence should be avoided.

Unexpected or contradictory findings should be explained using sound scholarly reasoning.

6. Conclusion

The Conclusion should provide a coherent and purposeful synthesis of the entire manuscript.

No new data, findings, or references should be introduced.

Recommended Structure

Paragraph 1: Brief review of the research objective and key findings.

Paragraph 2: Main message, scientific contribution, and theoretical or practical implications.

Paragraph 3: Limitations, future research directions, and practical recommendations.

The conclusion should be concise, clear, and grounded in the study findings.

7. Acknowledgments

Authors may acknowledge individuals or organizations that provided scientific, technical, organizational, or administrative support but do not meet authorship criteria.

Acknowledgments should be concise, accurate, and free of exaggeration.

8. Funding

Authors must disclose all financial support, grants, contracts, and institutional sponsorship associated with the research.

If no funding was received, the following statement may be used:

"This research received no financial support from any public, private, or non-profit funding agency."

9. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, organizational, professional, personal, or intellectual conflicts of interest related to the research.

If none exist, the following statement may be used:

"The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding this article."

10. Author Contributions

The specific contribution of each author must be clearly stated.

Use of the CRediT taxonomy is recommended.

Author roles should comply with the journal’s authorship guidelines:

https://jkm.ihu.ac.ir/page_59.html

Possible roles include:

  • Conceptualization

  • Methodology

  • Data Collection

  • Data Analysis

  • Original Draft Preparation

  • Review and Editing

  • Visualization

  • Supervision

  • Project Administration

11. References

All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list.

Likewise, no source should appear in the reference list unless cited in the text.

References must follow APA style.

The use of current, peer-reviewed, and reputable sources is strongly recommended.

Where available, DOI numbers or valid URLs must be included.

Persian references should be presented in English translation or transliteration within the References section and followed by the notation: (In Persian).

12. Appendices

When necessary, research instruments, questionnaires, interview protocols, supplementary tables, statistical details, coding schemes, or additional explanations may be included as appendices.

Appendices must be directly relevant to the manuscript and contribute to a better understanding of the study.

Guidelines for Tables, Figures, and Charts

  • All tables, figures, and charts must be numbered separately.

  • Table titles must appear above the table.

  • Figure and chart titles must appear below the figure or chart.

  • Tables must be editable and should not be inserted as images.

  • Figures and charts must be of publication-quality resolution suitable for both print and electronic dissemination.

  • All tables and figures must be cited within the text.

  • Explanatory notes should appear below the table or figure, not in the title footnote.

  • Figure titles should not be embedded within image files and must instead appear in the manuscript text.

Final Submission Requirements

Before submission, authors must ensure full compliance with the journal format and guidelines.

The manuscript should be carefully reviewed for:

  • Language and grammar

  • Spelling

  • Referencing

  • Numbering of tables and figures

  • Abstract quality

  • Keywords

  • Reference list accuracy

The corresponding author bears responsibility for the accuracy of:

  • Author information

  • Author order

  • Institutional affiliations

  • Email addresses

  • References

  • Data

  • Supplementary files

Manuscripts that fail to comply with the journal’s structural, formatting, writing-quality, or research ethics requirements will be returned to the authors for correction before entering the peer-review process.

Units, Equations, Footnotes, Figures, and Tables

Research measurements and units must conform to the International System of Units (SI).

Equations should be provided in editable format and sequentially numbered.

Footnotes should be used sparingly and numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript.

Figures should contain independent titles and explanatory captions, and unnecessary text within figures should be avoided.

Tables must be editable, free of vertical lines and shading, and numbered according to their order of appearance in the text.