Guest Article by Jenny van Doorn, Best JSR Reviewer 2019
I was asked to share some thoughts about what I think makes a good paper that is likely to be published in service journals. Here’s my – very personal – top 5:
1. Contribution, contribution, contribution
An impactful paper shows convincingly something that we did not know before that will change at least thinking, preferably also action within the service community consisting of academics and practitioners. That does not have to be something I am in full agreement with. On the contrary, articles that challenge the way I look at things are probably the most interesting ones. As an author, do not shy away from counterintuitive effects, but rather embrace them and build a convincing story around them. Be careful in areas where a lot of research has already been done (my personal rule of thumb: If a meta-analysis exists, I’m extra careful in checking whether my paper contributes above and beyond that extensive body of research).
2. Focus
It is tempting to do a lot in one paper. Yet, my advice is to keep the storyline comparably simple, which makes it also easier to remember and therewith cite your paper. Yet, develop what you do in depth. Testing main effects only is often not so interesting. Given the complexity of the services world, there are usually contingencies that determine whether a phenomenon is weaker or stronger that make your story more interesting. Presenting your work at conferences and pitching it to other service researchers is a great way of checking points 1 and 2.
3. Know your literature
While the service community embraces papers from different disciplines – that’s what makes this community such a great community to be part of! – as an author you should know what has been published on a topic and cite the key papers. It is your job to craft a convincing contribution that goes above and beyond these papers.
4. Theory
A good paper departs from theory. Ideally, you start out with a conceptual framework based on one (or two) core theory (theories) and derive all the constructs in your conceptual model based on that theory. Make sure that you are complete (i.e. you cannot just ignore a construct that is an important part of that theory) and at the same time stay focused. To the reader, it should become crystal clear why you investigate precisely these constructs and their relation to one another, and not others.
5. Data and methods
Given that delivering and receiving services is part of everyday life, challenge yourself and collect data in a realistic environment, ideally documenting what people do and not what they intend to do. Use analysis methods that are “not wrong”, so appropriate, yet not more complex than needed. Any way that you can show robustness of your results – by additional checks, analyses or data collection – is highly appreciated and adds credibility to your story.
Jenny van Doorn
Professor of Services Marketing
Programme Director MSc Marketing
Faculty of Economics and Business
University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Very informative Thanks