Writing Style (isr-writing-style)

When to trigger

• The argument is sound but the prose buries it, is jargon-heavy, or is passive
• The abstract is over length or does not state the contribution
• Notation is inconsistent (analytical papers) or constructs drift (behavioral papers)
• You need a final pass before isr-submission

Front-load the IS contribution

ISR readers span behavioral, economic, design-science, and organizational backgrounds, so the introduction must make the contribution to IS legible to all of them quickly: the phenomenon, why the IT artifact makes it an IS question, the gap/tension in a named IS conversation, what you do, and what you find. Do not make a reviewer reverse-engineer the point from the results. Because ISR is intradisciplinary, name the bridge you build (e.g., an economic lens on a behavioral phenomenon) early and in plain language.

Write for two audiences without losing either

In an analytical paper, give the intuition before the algebra — every key result should have a one-sentence plain-language reading so behavioral readers can follow it. In a behavioral paper, define constructs precisely and avoid undefined formalism. Multimethod papers should signpost transitions between methods and remind the reader how each piece serves the shared argument.

Abstract, notation, and consistency