Beyond good ideas: Strengthening theoretical contributions and methodological foundations of submissions for Human Relations

IF 4.6 2区管理学 Q1 MANAGEMENT

Human Relations Pub Date : 2025-12-02 DOI:10.1177/00187267251392802

Yasin Rofcanin, Zhijun Chen, Smriti Anand

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

As Human Relations continues to attract an increasing number of quantitative methods-based research submissions from scholars worldwide, ensuring the quality, coherence, and rigor of these contributions remains central to the journal’s mission. This editorial identifies the major challenges we observe in submissions and makes key recommendations for strengthening both theoretical and methodological foundations of quantitative submissions considered by the journal. Structured around two interconnected themes, “Enhancing theoretical rigor and contributions” and “Enhancing methodological rigor and research design”, the editorial encompasses topics ranging from conceptual framing and theoretical positioning to research design and analytic coherence. Drawing on collective editorial experience, we argue that theoretical and methodological rigor are not separate aspirations but joint foundations of impactful scholarship. We analyze past publications from the journal to offer actionable guidance to help authors align conceptual development with empirical execution. Altogether, we aim to demystify the review process, foster integrative thinking, and reaffirm the journal’s commitment to publishing research that is conceptually rich, methodologically robust, and socially meaningful.

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超越好想法：加强人类关系提交的理论贡献和方法基础

随着《人类关系》杂志继续吸引越来越多来自世界各地学者的基于定量方法的研究投稿，确保这些贡献的质量、一致性和严谨性仍然是该杂志的核心使命。这篇社论指出了我们在投稿中观察到的主要挑战，并提出了加强期刊考虑的定量投稿的理论和方法基础的关键建议。该社论围绕两个相互关联的主题，即“加强理论严谨性和贡献”和“加强方法严谨性和研究设计”，涵盖了从概念框架和理论定位到研究设计和分析一致性的主题。根据集体编辑经验，我们认为理论和方法的严谨性不是单独的愿望，而是有影响力的学术的共同基础。我们分析了该杂志过去的出版物，以提供可操作的指导，帮助作者将概念发展与经验执行结合起来。总之，我们的目标是消除审稿过程的神秘性，促进综合思考，并重申期刊对发表概念丰富、方法可靠和具有社会意义的研究的承诺。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Human Relations Multiple-

CiteScore

12.60

自引率

7.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Human Relations is an international peer reviewed journal, which publishes the highest quality original research to advance our understanding of social relationships at and around work through theoretical development and empirical investigation. Scope Human Relations seeks high quality research papers that extend our knowledge of social relationships at work and organizational forms, practices and processes that affect the nature, structure and conditions of work and work organizations. Human Relations welcomes manuscripts that seek to cross disciplinary boundaries in order to develop new perspectives and insights into social relationships and relationships between people and organizations. Human Relations encourages strong empirical contributions that develop and extend theory as well as more conceptual papers that integrate, critique and expand existing theory. Human Relations welcomes critical reviews and essays: - Critical reviews advance a field through new theory, new methods, a novel synthesis of extant evidence, or a combination of two or three of these elements. Reviews that identify new research questions and that make links between management and organizations and the wider social sciences are particularly welcome. Surveys or overviews of a field are unlikely to meet these criteria. - Critical essays address contemporary scholarly issues and debates within the journal''s scope. They are more controversial than conventional papers or reviews, and can be shorter. They argue a point of view, but must meet standards of academic rigour. Anyone with an idea for a critical essay is particularly encouraged to discuss it at an early stage with the Editor-in-Chief. Human Relations encourages research that relates social theory to social practice and translates knowledge about human relations into prospects for social action and policy-making that aims to improve working lives.