As organizational scientists, we should be striving to produce useful and replicable research. Recently, how we conduct our research has drawn critique. From our relative disuse of inductive research methods, to unethical practices during the review process, to publication bias, to HARKING, to P-hacking, and so on, we must take meaningful steps so that we and the consumers of our research have confidence that our findings are meaningful, replicable, and honest.

Journal of Business and Psychology will be launching a special initiative — results-masked review submission option. In this alternative path, authors submit the intro, methods, measurement info, and analysis plan of a completed study (no results or discussion in the first round). This abbreviated paper then undergoes peer review and is evaluated on the merits, rigor, and quality of the project rather than what was actually found.

The goal is to encourage authors to propose conceptually sound, interesting, and methodologically rigorous research without concern for whether the results will be statistically significant. Instead, we want the focus to be on the importance of the research question and the rigor of the research design. We should welcome the results from sound research no matter if they support proposed hypotheses, yield null results, or replicate (or fail to replicate) previous work. Simply speaking, well conceived, designed, and conducted research should form the corpus of knowledge.

The results-masked review approach is appropriate for inductive, deductive, mixed methods, and papers involving multiple studies. In the case of the latter type, the author is encouraged to contact the editor to decide on the best approach for submission. There are multiple options as the results-masked review approach is highly flexible. At times, it may make sense to include the first study with results, and then the follow-up studies without results. Other times it is useful to include all studies without results. Overall, an initial conversation with the editor can clarify an approach that makes sense for the project in question. We also welcome traditional registered reports submissions following the same process.

Potential topics

• Inductive and deductive research methods
• Replicable and rigorous research design
• Publication bias and research integrity
• Null results and hypothesis-disconfirming findings
• Mixed methods research
• Multi-study research designs
• Research question importance and methodological rigor
• Registered reports

Timeline

• Invalid DateTime: Submission deadline

In cases in which results, whether present or not, may have important theoretical or practical implications, scholars are encouraged to submit a Registered Report. In this type of submission, authors submit the introduction, methods, measurement info, and analysis plan (but not the results) of a completed or planned study.

This abbreviated paper is then evaluated on the basis of the importance of the topic, the merit of the selected analytic approach, methodological rigor and quality, and potential for impacting down-the-road theorizing and/or practice/policy. As results are not included in the registered report, what was or is likely to be found has no bearing on the outcome of the evaluation. This is in line with the journal's willingness to publish papers reporting negligible or non-effects.

Potential topics

• Empirical studies with important theoretical or practical implications
• Research with rigorous methodological design
• Studies reporting null or negligible effects
• Organizational and management research

Timeline

• January 1, 2025: Call for submissions opens
• December 31, 2026: Submission deadline

Management Science (MS) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) are pleased to announce a joint conference focused on registered report proposals relating to audit-related topics.

The conference will be held in-person in Washington, D.C., on September 26-27, 2025. Researchers are invited to submit registered report proposals for consideration for presentation at the conference.

The PCAOB and MS conference aims to facilitate collaboration among academics, practitioners, and regulators to address emerging challenges in the audit landscape by stimulating academic interest in areas of significance to the PCAOB's mission.

Potential topics

• Audit-related research topics
• Areas of significance to the PCAOB's mission
• Emerging challenges in the audit landscape
• Collaboration between academics, practitioners, and regulators

Timeline

• May 15, 2025: Submission deadline for registered report proposals
• September 26, 2025: Conference in Washington, D.C.