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Papers / Materials Acceptable for Publication in SAJM
This note provides guidance to prospective authors on the types of scholarly materials
considered for publication in the South Asian Journal of Management (SAJM).
SAJM publishes only original contributions and considers the following
five categories of manuscripts:
- Empirical Research Papers
- Conceptual / Review Papers
- Research Notes
- Case Studies
- Book Reviews
A brief description of the expected content, structure, and scholarly rigor for each
category is provided below.
1. Empirical Research Papers
An empirical research paper should investigate a problem relevant to
management theory and practice through systematic analysis of
primary and/or secondary data.
Such papers are expected to be structured around the following sections
(or their conceptual equivalents):
| Section |
Expectations |
| Introduction |
Clearly explains the research problem, objectives, and their practical and theoretical
context.
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| Literature Review |
Builds the theoretical argument for the study, establishes the research gap, and supports
the development of hypotheses. The review should be analytical and integrative, not a
mere listing of prior studies or textbook summaries.
|
| Hypotheses / Research Questions |
Clearly stated and logically derived from the literature review and practical experience,
with explicit research goals.
|
| Methodology |
Justifies the choice of data, instruments, sampling, and analytical techniques. Reliability
and validity of measures must be well established.
|
| Findings / Results |
Explains results with reference to hypotheses, theory, and expectations from prior studies.
Unexpected findings should be critically examined.
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| Implications for Theory and Practice |
Discussed in two parts: (a) theoretical implications and (b) practical implications.
Recommendations must be strictly grounded in the study’s findings and should not
resemble broad consultant-style prescriptions.
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Authors should also clearly state the limitations of the study and indicate
directions for future research.
2. Conceptual / Review Papers
Conceptual papers aim to extend the frontiers of knowledge in a particular
area of management by integrating, synthesizing, and/or reinterpreting findings from
prior studies.
While such papers do not involve original data collection or analysis, they must:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive and focused review of relevant literature
- Integrate existing findings into a coherent theoretical framework
- Offer new perspectives, models, or paradigms
Authors are encouraged to present theoretical propositions, particularly
contingency-based propositions, that can be empirically tested by future researchers.
3. Research Notes
Research notes are empirical contributions evaluated with the same rigor
as full empirical research papers. They differ only in scale or scope,
not in methodological quality.
A manuscript may be considered a research note if:
- The research addresses a relatively simple or exploratory theme
- The study is based on a limited sample
- The primary focus is on developing or refining a research method or analytical technique
Although research notes are usually shorter than empirical papers, their
structure and writing style should closely follow that of empirical research papers.
4. Case Studies
Case studies should present real organizational situations drawn from
corporate, entrepreneurial, government, non-profit, or service-sector organizations.
Key expectations for case studies include:
- Focus on specific problems, issues, strategies, processes, or actions
- Avoid general descriptions of organizational structure or functions
- Normally disclose the identity of the organization concerned
It is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain written permission
from the organization to publish the case study, even if the organization’s identity
is disguised. SAJM may request documentary evidence of such permission.
Where the central theme of the case is not immediately evident, authors should provide
a Teaching Note. Where industry-specific knowledge is required to interpret
the case, an Industry Note should also be included.
If a case (or set of cases) is subjected to qualitative or quantitative analysis aimed
at theory development or testing, it will be treated as an
empirical research paper and must follow the corresponding guidelines.
5. Book Reviews
Book reviews are published primarily to introduce recently published books
to SAJM’s readership, particularly those addressing new themes, practices, methods,
or innovative presentation styles.
A book review should go beyond summarizing content and must include a
critical evaluation of both the book and the underlying theme.
Contents of a Book Review
- Full bibliographic details at the beginning (title, author, publisher, place, year, ISBN, pages, price)
- Brief background of the book’s theme from the reviewer’s perspective
- Highlights or outline of the book’s contents
- Critical assessment and appreciation of the book
- Reviewer’s recommendations, if any
- Reviewer’s name, designation, institution, city, and email address at the end
To support the critique, reviewers may cite up to five key references, where necessary.
Interested reviewers may contact:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
for details.
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