Research Design & Methods (amj-methods)

When to trigger

• The design may not match the theory's level, timing, or causal claim
• Data are single-source, single-wave, and self-reported (common-method bias risk)
• The theory is causal but the design is cross-sectional/correlational
• Constructs lack established, validated measures
• A reviewer says "the design cannot test this hypothesis" or "endogeneity is unaddressed"

Match the design to the question

AMJ explicitly welcomes all empirical methods — qualitative, quantitative, field, laboratory, meta-analytic, and mixed. The bar is fit and rigor, not a single preferred method, and qualitative designs are held to an equally demanding standard (the Eisenhardt multiple-case approach and the Gioia methodology for grounded qualitative rigor are the field's reference points).