Focus and Scope

The core focus of the journal is to provide a publication medium for practitioners/scientists in order to stimulate and publish research in all areas of specialisation of the field of Human Resource Management in South Africa.

In order to succeed in this aim, the Editorial Board of the journal endorses the following values:

• Editorial independence: The journal is not a mouthpiece of any pressure or interest group and is financially independent. All running expenses are covered by both page fees and subscription fees. Members of the Editorial Board provide their services free of charge.
• Scientific integrity: The journal holds in high esteem the objective, scientific methods which may include a wide base of possible methodologies in order to generate research results that are descriptive, explanatory or predictive.
• Practical/innovative: The journal not only favours research that adds practical value to scientific knowledge, but that also introduces new technology or methodology to scientists/practitioners at the same time.
• Educative/developmental: The journal endeavours to continuously inform scientists/practitioners with regard to newer concepts, knowledge and methodologies in order to deepen and broaden knowledge areas in Human Resource Management.

Section Policies

Original Research

The journal has a set of guidelines to authors that should be followed carefully before submitting a manuscript for review. Original research articles should be between 3500 and 7000 words distinguishing between two broad types of articles, namely empirical and non-empirical (theoretical) articles. Empirical articles are grouped into two research traditions, quantitative- and qualitative-based articles.

For full instructions on how to prepare your article, please visit the journal'sauthor guidelines.

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Policy Paper

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Opinion Paper

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Best practice papers

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Special issue: Careers and retention of staff in the 21st century world of work

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Book Review

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Special issue: Evaluation of HR programmes in South Africa

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

The South African Journal of Human Resource Management follows an editorial policy that maintains and promotes scientific standards.

Manuscripts submitted for publication are subjected to a double blind review process. The criteria against which this evaluation takes place are in line with criteria used by other trend-setting journals in the international arena.

If you would like to become a reviewer, please visit the following link for reference on how to conduct a review .

Publication Frequency

SAJHRM publishes manuscripts on a rolling basis throughout the year, i.e. as soon as they are ready for publication. In this way, SAJHRM aims to speed up the process of manuscript publication, from submission to a manuscript’s availability on the website.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Archiving

This journal utilises the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

Historic Overview

Latest developments in the South African higher education sector and also within the respective field of Human Resource Management necessitated the establishment of this journal. Prominent role players in the field of Human Resource Management succeeded in consolidating fragmented interest groups and sub-fields in a single ETQA (Education and Training Quality Assurance body). These events can indeed be viewed as a milestone on the developmental road of Human Resource Management as an independent discipline in South Africa.

The achievement of this milestone largely contributed to the fact that the time was ripe to establish a dedicated subject expert journal in this field. The following contextual variables contributed to this decision:

• That there was no other journal in South Africa at the time that was focused on the broad field of Human Resource Management.
• That there was a pressing need for presenting published research in the field of Human Resource Management in an integrated way.
• That there was also a need at different academic institutions for a relevant journal in which peer-reviewed research contributions could be published.
• That there was pressure mounting to establish and develop the identity of the Human Resource Management profession.
• A journal of this nature would also contribute to the development of a professional image of the Human Resource Management profession.

Against this background, Professor Gert Roodt and colleagues of the Department of Human Resource Management at Rand Afrikaans University started with the initiative to establish the South African Journal of Human Resource Management. A few prominent academics from abroad and esteemed local colleagues were approached to serve on the editorial advisory committee of the journal. Three editions per year will be published and it is planned that the journal will be evaluated for accreditation after a period of three years.

Publishing policy

Guidelines to authors

• The journal acts as a publication channel for Human Resources or related professions.
• The journal has a set of guidelines to authors that should be followed carefully before submitting a manuscript for review.
• The guidelines distinguish between two broad types of articles, namely empirical and non-empirical (theoretical) articles. Empirical articles are grouped according to two research traditions, quantitative- and qualitative-based articles. Different sets of guidelines apply to each of these types of articles.
• Empirically-based manuscripts should be based on sound data that is not fabricated and results may not be falsified or reported in a biased manner.

Submission of manuscripts

• Authors are only permitted to submit articles for publication that have not been submitted for publication elsewhere or that have not already been published elsewhere.
• Authors are permitted to publish manuscripts that have been presented at conferences or that were included in conference proceedings. In the latter case these manuscripts should be substantially re-worked and extended.
• Authors are only permitted to submit the same manuscript to another journal after they have received a written indication of the outcome of the review process from the Editor.
• In cases of multiple authorships a corresponding author should be appointed. When submitting a manuscript, proof of approval for submission by all authors should be attached.
• Authors should attach the permissions obtained from other publishers to publish material from their publications with the manuscript they submit.
• A student should be listed as the principal author on any multiple-authored manuscripts derived from the student’s research, dissertation or thesis.
• Authors are permitted a request withdrawal of their manuscripts from the review process if they discover serious errors or flaws in their documents.
• If authors detect significant errors in their published articles, the onus rests on them to take corrective actions in the form of a correction, published errata, or a request for a retraction in whole.

Review of manuscripts

• All manuscripts submitted for review will undergo a double blind review process.
• Reviewers respect the confidentiality of the review process and the proprietary rights of those who have submitted manuscripts.
• Reviewers must decline a request to review other’s manuscripts if they are aware of a conflict of interest, or they should disclose the nature of the conflict of interest to the Editor.
• Reviewers may decline the request to review the work of others if they believe the process may be biased or if they have questions about the authenticity or integrity of the reported research.
• Reviewers may be asked to re-appraise a manuscript that was referred back to the authors after a first-round review.
• In cases where reviewers provide substantively different ratings, a manuscript will be sent to an arbitrator for a final verdict.

Publishing process

• When submitting a manuscript for final publication, the authors must attach a signed copy of the indemnity declaration provided.
• The Editorial Board may act in the following ways if any of the provisions listed under ‘plagiarism’ or ‘authorship credit’ are violated:
  • The publication of an Editor’s Note to withdraw or retract a published article as well as the reason for doing so.
  • Banning the authors from publishing in the journal for a period of time, depending on the nature and the extent of the transgression.
  • Notifying the professional body or the employing organisation the person is affiliated to.

Plagiarism

• Authors explicitly identify, credit, or reference the author(s) of data or material taken verbatim from another person’s work, regardless of the origin or the format of dissemination of the work.
• Authors explicitly cite other authors' work or ideas, including their own, even if the work or the ideas are not quoted verbatim or paraphrased, regardless of the origin or the format of dissemination of the work.

Authorship credit

• Authors only take responsibility and credit, including authorship credit, for work they have actually undertaken or to which they have contributed.
• Authorship and publication credits are based on the scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved.
• If authors wish to claim only partial credit or authorship, they should explicitly do so by way of a footnote in which they specify the extent of their contribution.

Obtaining permission to use published material from the journal

• A form to request permission to use published material from this journal can be downloaded from this website.

Obtaining permission to use published material from other publishers or authors

• Authors should attach the permissions obtained from other publishers to use any material for their own publications.

Note: The Editor wishes to thank the Academy of Management for using its Code of Ethics in drafting these policy guidelines.

Department of Education Accreditation (South Africa)

Approved South African Journal: SA Journal of Human Resource Management meets all the DOE criteria and has DOE accreditation in the subsidy system for research publications.