Theory & Hypotheses (jpsp-theory-and-hypotheses)

JPSP's first gate is theoretical innovation: reviewers ask whether the paper's underlying ideas are interesting and generative enough, often independent of how strong the data are. A package of well-run studies with a thin idea will not clear the bar. This skill builds the theory and the hypotheses each study tests; the studies themselves are designed in jpsp-study-design.

When to trigger

• Turning a positioned gap into a precise theoretical account
• Deriving hypotheses that map onto specific studies in the package
• A reviewer questioned the novelty, mechanism, or generativity of the idea

Ways a JPSP paper can be theoretically innovative