The end of an era: farewell to the Journal Quality list

Saying good-bye to the Journal Quality List after 26 years and 72 editions - why I started it, how it was received, why I stopped offering it, and what is next?

Anne-Wil Harzing - (updated Mon 20 Jul 2026 17:24)

I'd never thought I'd see the day that I would write a blogpost on this. But there we are... I have taken the rather difficult decision to step back from one of my many long-standing academic volunteering initiatives. In fact, it is the first major initiative that I ever started: the Journal Quality List.

The JQL was launched back in 2000, at a time where I was technically still an Early Career Researcher. Since then, I have published no less than 72 editions of this collation of a wide range of journal rankings. Over the years more than 20 different rankings have been included.

The latest ranking was published last month and will remain available: 72nd edition of the Journal Quality List online. As most of the major rankings included in the JQL were updated in 2024 or 2025, the JQL should retain its currency for a few more years.

Of course I couldn't really take this decision without giving the JQL a proper farewell. So my white paper The Journal Quality List (2000-2026) offers an answer to the following four questions:

  • Why did I create the JQL?
  • How was the JQL received of the years?
  • Why did I decide to stop updating the JQL?
  • What's next in terms of free resources and support?

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Copyright © 2026 Anne-Wil Harzing. All rights reserved. Page last modified on Mon 20 Jul 2026 17:24

Anne-Wil Harzing is Emerita Professor of International Management at Middlesex University, London. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business, a select group of distinguished AIB members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the scholarly development of the field of international business. In addition to her academic duties, she also maintains the Journal Quality List and is the driving force behind the popular Publish or Perish software program.

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