50 Journals used in the FT Research Rank

Md. Ahsanul Islam | Monday, Apr 27, 2026 min read

The FT50 list is a compilation of 50 prestigious academic and practitioner journals used by the Financial Times to calculate the Research Rank for various MBA and business school rankings. Journals are chosen based on their perceived quality, impact, and relevance to the business school community.

The list originally contained 45 journals. In 2016, the Financial Times expanded the list to 50 following a comprehensive review and consultation with business schools worldwide.

While the FT periodically surveys schools to review the list, the “FT50” remains the gold standard for the Research Rank in the current ranking cycle. The following list contains the 50 journals in alphabetical order, each linked to its official homepage or publisher page.

  1. Academy of Management Journal
  2. Academy of Management Review
  3. Accounting, Organizations and Society
  4. Administrative Science Quarterly
  5. American Economic Review
  6. Contemporary Accounting Research
  7. Econometrica
  8. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
  9. Harvard Business Review
  10. Human Relations
  11. Human Resource Management
  12. Information Systems Research
  13. Journal of Accounting Research
  14. Journal of Accounting and Economics
  15. Journal of Applied Psychology
  16. Journal of Business Ethics
  17. Journal of Business Venturing
  18. Journal of Consumer Psychology
  19. Journal of Consumer Research
  20. Journal of Finance
  21. Journal of Financial Economics
  22. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis
  23. Journal of International Business Studies
  24. Journal of Management
  25. Journal of Management Information Systems
  26. Journal of Management Studies
  27. Journal of Marketing
  28. Journal of Marketing Research
  29. Journal of Operations Management
  30. Journal of Political Economy
  31. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
  32. MIS Quarterly
  33. MIT Sloan Management Review
  34. Management Science
  35. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
  36. Marketing Science
  37. Operations Research
  38. Organization Science
  39. Organization Studies
  40. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
  41. Production and Operations Management
  42. Quarterly Journal of Economics
  43. Research Policy
  44. Review of Accounting Studies
  45. Review of Economic Studies
  46. Review of Finance
  47. Review of Financial Studies
  48. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
  49. Strategic Management Journal
  50. The Accounting Review

Discipline Breakdown

Accounting

Finance & Economics

Management & Strategy

Marketing

Operations & Information Systems

Psychology, Sociology & Ethics

Entrepreneurship

Why the FT50 Matters

  1. Business School Rankings: A significant portion of a school’s overall rank depends on faculty publication volume in these specific journals.
  2. Faculty Tenure & Promotion: Many business schools use the FT50 as a benchmark for evaluating faculty research productivity for tenure and promotion decisions.
  3. Institutional Prestige: Appearing frequently in these journals signals that a school is a hub for world-class research and thought leadership.

References

  1. Official FT50 List Announcement (2012 Published, 2016 Revision): Financial Times: 50 Journals Used in FT Research Rank
  2. FT Ranking Methodology: Financial Times Ranking Methodology and Definitions
  3. McMaster University Libraries Research Guides: How do I find the 50 Journals used in the FT Research Rank?: The FT top 50