Production and Operations Management: Author Guide

Production and Operations Management (commonly abbreviated as POM) is the flagship research journal dedicated to scientific inquiry across manufacturing operations, service systems, supply chains, and digital transformation. Published by SAGE Publications on behalf of the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), the journal serves as a primary outlet for scholars addressing operational challenges confronting enterprise leaders and supply chain executives.

Often referenced colloquially as the journal of production and operations management, POM occupies an elite tier in business school scholarship alongside Management Science and Operations Research. Authors also encounter the closely named variant journal of operations and production management—shorthand for the UK-based International Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM)—making structural disambiguation essential for effective submission targeting.

What It Is

Production and Operations Management is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1992 (NLM Unique ID 101734130; print ISSN 1059-1478; electronic ISSN 1937-5956). With nearly 4,000 peer-reviewed articles registered through Crossref DOI persistent identifiers, POM maintains an unbroken record of scholarly communication spanning more than three decades.

The core mission of the journal is publishing scientific research that addresses real-world operational problems encountered by managers overseeing product design, process engineering, capacity planning, and logistics. POM embraces methodological diversity, welcoming analytical models, econometric evaluations, behavioral lab experiments, qualitative field studies, and computational algorithms that demonstrate both methodological rigor and practical relevance.

POM functions under a hybrid journal framework. Accepted articles appear within subscription issues for institutional subscribers and POMS members, while authors may elect open access dissemination through publisher fee-based arrangements (SAGE Choice). Citation performance is tracked through Clarivate Journal Citation Reports and SCImago Journal Rank metrics.

Who Runs It and What It Covers

The journal is governed by the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS), founded in 1989. Founded by Professor Kalyan Singhal of the University of Baltimore (Founder and Editor-in-Chief), editorial direction is co-led by Professor Subodha Kumar of Temple University (Co-Editor-in-Chief) and Professor Jaya Singhal (Executive Editor), supported by an international board of Department Editors.

POM is formally included on the Financial Times 50 (FT50) journal list utilized for global business school research rankings. It is also an anchor publication on the University of Texas at Dallas Top 24 (UTD 24) list, holds an A* rating on the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) list, and appeared on the Business Week Top 20 list.

Submissions are evaluated across 18 specialized departments:

• Operations & Supply Chains: Manufacturing Operations; Service Operations; Supply Chain Management; Revenue Management.
• Technology & Innovation: Digital Platforms; Disruptive Technologies; Management of Technology; Product Innovation.
• Societal & Public Systems: Behavioral Operations; Healthcare Operations; Operations and Society; Sustainable Operations; Not-for-Profit Operations; Industry Studies.
• Interfaces & Analytics: Data Analytics, plus interface departments with Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Marketing, and Software Engineering.

Disambiguation: POM vs. IJOPM

Authors frequently question the distinction between the journal of production and operations management and the journal of operations and production management. While both represent premier outlets, they are distinct publications:

• Production and Operations Management (POM): The flagship journal of POMS, published by SAGE Publications (ISSN 1059-1478; eISSN 1937-5956). Headquartered in the United States, it is tracked on both the FT50 and UTD 24 lists.
• International Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM): Published by Emerald Publishing for the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) (ISSN 0144-3577). IJOPM is a UK-based European flagship emphasizing empirical, case-based operations management.

How to Search or Use It

Authors preparing manuscripts for Production and Operations Management must navigate specific procedural and formatting requirements established by POMS and SAGE Publications:

1. Select Department Editor: Review the 18 editorial departments and select the specific Department Editor whose domain aligns with your paper’s core contributions.
2. Enforce the 32-Page Ceiling: Initial submissions and all revisions cannot exceed 32 pages in total, including title, abstract, text, exhibits, appendices, and references. Formatting requires 1.5 line spacing, 11-point font, and 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins.
3. Segregate Proofs into an E-Companion: Isolate extended mathematical proofs, secondary lemmas, technical tables, and survey instruments into a separate document titled “E-Companion”. Upload this file under the designated “E-Companion” file type. There is no page limit on the E-Companion, which is published online as supplementary material.
4. Format Abstract and Citations: Restrict the title to 25 words. Limit the abstract to 350 words in mini-paper format without formulas, abbreviations, or citations. Provide 1 to 6 keywords. Format citations using author-date parentheses (Author Year) with an alphabetical reference list.
5. Mask for Double-Blind Review: Implement comprehensive blinding to comply with double-anonymized peer review standards. Remove all author names, affiliations, emails, grant numbers, and identifying citations from the main document.
6. Draft Required Disclosures in Cover Letter: Prepare a formal cover letter for journal submission addressed to the chosen Department Editor. Disclose all related prior manuscripts, overlapping datasets, and state whether any prior version was previously submitted to POM.
7. Submit via Manuscript Central: Upload blinded files and E-Companion documents through ScholarOne at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/poms.

Strengths and Limits

Evaluating Production and Operations Management requires weighing its distinctive standing against its selectivity and formatting constraints.

Key Strengths

• Top-Tier Standing: Inclusion in the FT50 and UTD 24 lists makes POM an elite outlet recognized for tenure, promotion, and institutional rankings globally.
• Broad Methodological Scope: POM welcomes optimization, game theory, econometrics, behavioral experiments, and field-based studies.
• Structured Supplementary Hosting: The unlimited E-Companion allows authors to preserve full proofs and empirical appendices without cluttering the main paper.
• Specialized Departmental Review: Submissions are evaluated by Department Editors possessing deep domain expertise in specific subdisciplines.

Editorial Limits

• Strict 32-Page Hard Cap: The 32-page limit at 1.5 spacing leaves minimal room for extensive literature reviews in the main paper.
• Prohibition on Resubmissions: POMS prohibits resubmission of rejected manuscripts across departments or between regular and special issues, unless explicitly invited.
• Multi-Round Evaluation: Double-blind evaluation of complex analytical or empirical contributions often involves multiple rigorous revision rounds.
• High Selectivity: Acceptance rates are competitive, requiring theoretical contributions paired with practical relevance.

Alternatives

The table below compares POM with premier alternative journals across editorial focus, publisher, indexing, and format constraints:

Journal Name	Publisher / Society	Methodological Focus	Length Rules	Key Indexing Lists
Production and Operations Management (POM)	SAGE Publications / POMS	Operations in manufacturing and services; analytical, empirical, and behavioral paradigms	32 pages maximum (1.5 spaced, 11pt, 1-inch margins) plus separate E-Companion	FT50, UTD 24, ABDC A*
Management Science	INFORMS	Broad management science, operations, finance, strategy, accounting, data analytics	32 pages maximum (double-spaced, 11pt) plus electronic companion	FT50, UTD 24, ABDC A*
Operations Research	INFORMS	Mathematical programming, stochastic processes, decision theory, optimization algorithms	35 pages standard length plus online appendix	FT50, UTD 24, ABDC A*
Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (M&SOM)	INFORMS	Operations management, supply chain networks, service systems, retail operations	32 pages maximum plus online supplementary material	FT50, UTD 24, ABDC A*
International Journal of Operations and Production Management (IJOPM)	Emerald Publishing / EurOMA	Empirical, case-based, qualitative, and survey-based operations and supply chain management	8,000 to 10,000 words typical word limit	ABDC A*, ABS/AJG 4, Scopus Q1

FAQ

Is Production and Operations Management included on the FT50 and UTD 24 lists?

Yes. Production and Operations Management is formally indexed on both the Financial Times Top 50 (FT50) journal list and the University of Texas at Dallas Top 24 (UTD 24) Business School Research Rankings.

What is the difference between POM and IJOPM?

POM (Production and Operations Management) is published by SAGE Publications for POMS in the United States and is tracked on FT50 and UTD 24. IJOPM (International Journal of Operations and Production Management) is published by Emerald for EurOMA in the United Kingdom, emphasizing empirical operations management.

What is the page limit for submissions to Production and Operations Management?

Submissions are limited to 32 pages for initial and revised manuscripts, including title, abstract, text, tables, figures, appendices, and references (1.5 spacing, 11-point font, 1-inch margins). Technical proofs may be placed in an unconstrained E-Companion file.

Can a rejected paper be resubmitted to a different POM department?

No. POMS guidelines forbid resubmitting a rejected paper to another department or between regular and special issues, unless explicitly invited by the decision letter.

What peer review model does Production and Operations Management use?

The journal operates under double-blind peer review. Authors must redact all names, affiliations, grant numbers, and self-identifying citations prior to submission.

Sources

• Production and Operations Management Society (POMS): Instructions for Contributors and Author Guidelines. Editorial policies, page limits, E-Companion specifications, and ethical guidelines. Read November 8, 2026. https://poms.org/journal/author_instructions
• Production and Operations Management Society (POMS): POM Journal Overview, Governance, and Departments. Mission, leadership, and 18-department review structure. Read November 8, 2026. https://poms.org/pomjournal
• Crossref REST API: Journal Metadata Record for Production and Operations Management (ISSN 1059-1478). DOIs registered, publisher history (SAGE Publications), and publication timeline. Read November 8, 2026. https://api.crossref.org/journals/1059-1478
• U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM Catalog): Catalog Record for Production and Operations Management (NLM Unique ID 101734130). Serial records, ISSNs, and imprint details. Read November 8, 2026. https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=nlmcatalog&id=101734130&retmode=json