An overview of the types of papers available to management history scholars
| Type of paper | Contribution/limitation |
|---|---|
| Definition papers (positioning papers) | They offer descriptions of a topic without personal opinions. Concepts are defined, but not analyzed, to create a solid foundation and help readers understand the topic |
| Scoping articles | They attempt to provide an initial indication of the potential size and nature of the existing literature on an emerging topic |
| Descriptive papers | They interpret a particular research topic relation to preexisting propositions, theories, methodologies or findings |
| Narrative papers | They try to summarize what the state-of-the-art of a particular topic, without seeking generalizations or cumulative knowledge |
| Review papers/literature reviews | They analyze, summarize and synthesize research. Literature reviews present the evolution and current state-of-the-art of a topic and reveal connections and turning points and to speculate on the results obtained/obtainable |
| Review papers/reports | They analyze, summarize and synthesize research. Reports do not include arguments/hypothesis, but meticulous analysis to share clear results |
| Interpretative papers | Based on specific case studies, established theories and reliable data to support specific arguments, they examine meanings and implications in depth and offer valuable insights into complex topics through subjective analysis |
| Compare/contrast papers | They compare similarities and differences among topics, concepts, theories, phenomena or cases and aim to critically highlight the relationships and contrasts between the chosen topics |
| Argumentative/persuasive papers | They aim to convince readers to embrace the authors’ point of view by providing solid evidence and logical reasoning. These papers encourage debate and critical thinking and stimulate ideas for future research |
| Experimental papers | According to a cause-and-effect relationship, they are conducted to test hypotheses that can explore the mechanisms underlying events, demonstrate how one factor influences another and get generalized results |
| Analytical papers | These papers break down complex phenomena or problems into various components to better understand them. They dig deeper, using critical thinking to analyze the information in depth |
| Survey papers | They are based on a research question about the attitudes, opinions, behaviors or characteristics of an entire group of people and proceed to collect data through an extensive survey to reveal gaps in existing research |
| Type of paper | Contribution/limitation |
|---|---|
| Definition papers (positioning papers) | They offer descriptions of a topic without personal opinions. Concepts are defined, but not analyzed, to create a solid foundation and help readers understand the topic |
| Scoping articles | They attempt to provide an initial indication of the potential size and nature of the existing literature on an emerging topic |
| Descriptive papers | They interpret a particular research topic relation to preexisting propositions, theories, methodologies or findings |
| Narrative papers | They try to summarize what the state-of-the-art of a particular topic, without seeking generalizations or cumulative knowledge |
| Review papers/literature reviews | They analyze, summarize and synthesize research. Literature reviews present the evolution and current state-of-the-art of a topic and reveal connections and turning points and to speculate on the results obtained/obtainable |
| Review papers/reports | They analyze, summarize and synthesize research. Reports do not include arguments/hypothesis, but meticulous analysis to share clear results |
| Interpretative papers | Based on specific case studies, established theories and reliable data to support specific arguments, they examine meanings and implications in depth and offer valuable insights into complex topics through subjective analysis |
| Compare/contrast papers | They compare similarities and differences among topics, concepts, theories, phenomena or cases and aim to critically highlight the relationships and contrasts between the chosen topics |
| Argumentative/persuasive papers | They aim to convince readers to embrace the authors’ point of view by providing solid evidence and logical reasoning. These papers encourage debate and critical thinking and stimulate ideas for future research |
| Experimental papers | According to a cause-and-effect relationship, they are conducted to test hypotheses that can explore the mechanisms underlying events, demonstrate how one factor influences another and get generalized results |
| Analytical papers | These papers break down complex phenomena or problems into various components to better understand them. They dig deeper, using critical thinking to analyze the information in depth |
| Survey papers | They are based on a research question about the attitudes, opinions, behaviors or characteristics of an entire group of people and proceed to collect data through an extensive survey to reveal gaps in existing research |
Sharing content requires targeting cookies to be enabled. Please update your cookie preferences to use this feature.