Topic Selection & Fit (joap-topic-selection)

JAP publishes original work that advances theory about individual, team, and organizational phenomena at work — motivation, leadership, selection and assessment, teams, job attitudes and well-being, justice, training, turnover. The cardinal fit test is dual: a real theoretical contribution and the measurement/design rigor to support a causal or cumulative claim. Use this skill to pressure-test fit before investing.

When to trigger

• Choosing among possible projects or framings for JAP
• A reader said the work feels "atheoretical," "applied-but-not-novel," or "a better fit elsewhere"
• Deciding between a Feature Article and a Research Report
• Deciding whether the contribution is empirical, theory-development, or meta-analytic

The fit test

A strong JAP paper usually clears all four: