Call for papers for a Special Section of the Journal of Service Management.
Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in Service Research.
Guest editors: Köcher S, Radomir L, Gudergan S, Sarstedt M & Wetzels M
Deadline: 1 December 2026
The Journal of Service Management is inviting submissions for a special section on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in Service Research.
PLS-SEM has become a go-to methodology in service research, offering powerful tools to examine complex models, latent constructs, and predictive relationships. Its applications span technology-enabled services (AI-based services, chatbots, service robots, smart voice assistants), market phenomena (sharing economy, ownership perceptions), and employee- and organization-focused topics (frontline employee characteristics, service failure and recovery, employee–AI collaboration, value co-creation, leadership styles).
List of Topic Areas
Methodological Advancements
– Methodological developments in PLS-SEM with direct relevance for service research
– Scale development and diagnosing common method variance in PLS-SEM
– Differences in model development from explanatory versus predictive perspectives
– Explanatory versus predictive model evaluation and reporting
– Novel metrics and guidelines for goodness-of-fit assessment and predictive power assessment
– Endogeneity issues and remedies in PLS-SEM
– Observed heterogeneity (e.g., multigroup analysis, moderation, conditional mediation) and unobserved heterogeneity (e.g., segmentation) in PLS-SEM
– Applications and extensions of necessary condition analysis in PLS-SEM
– Multimethod SEM involving PLS-SEM
Innovative Applications and Best Practices in Service Research
– Empirical studies on contemporary service research topics (e.g., technology-enabled services, transformative service research, customer experience) employing recent advances in PLS-SEM
– Demonstrations of best practices in the application, reporting, and interpretation of PLS-SEM results
Design Extensions and Methodological Integrations
– Extensions of PLS-SEM research designs
– Integration of PLS-SEM with complementary analytical approaches
Important dates:
– Submission opens: 15 September 2026
– Submission deadline: 1 December 2026
Full details and submission guidelines here.
For more information, contact the guest editors:
– Sören Köcher (Universität Trier, Germany)
– Lacramioara Radomir (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania)
– Siggi Gudergan (James Cook University, Australia & Aalto University, Finland)
– Marko Sarstedt (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany & Babes-Bolyai University, Romania)
– Martin Wetzels (EDHEC Business School, France)
