Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe selected journals in logistics management in terms of: the proportion of different “empirical” contributions; the proportion of national versus international research data; the geographical origin of research data; and the authors' geographical affiliations. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of “top” scholarly journals in logistics management is selected on the basis of previous research, expert opinion and journal ranking lists. The selection includes the International Journal of Logistics Management (IJLM), the International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management (IJPDLM), and the Journal of Business Logistics (JBL). The research considers all available papers (a total of 657) published in these journals over an eight-year period from 2000 to 2007. Findings – The “empirical characteristics” and “geocentricity” were found to be variable across the studied journals in logistics management. Research limitations/implications – The present research is limited to the “empirical characteristics” and “geocentricity” of “top” journals in logistics management. It provides opportunity for further research. Practical implications – The present research provides valuable insights into the nature of academic publishing in the area of top journals of logistics management. The findings presented may be used by authors to direct their submissions to the proper journal. Originality/value – Scholars will benefit from insights into the “empirical characteristics” and “geocentricity” of the “top” journals in logistics management. Specifically, scholars can note the particular features of individual journals. Further studies of the “empirical characteristics” and “geocentricity” of individual research journals are required in other related journals to the field of logistics management.