CALL FOR PAPERS
Organizational Research Methods
http://orm.sagepub.com
SPECIAL ISSUE ON
RESEARCH METHODS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Spurred by Joseph Schumpeter’s seminal work in the first half of the 20th century, the
entrepreneurship field is emerging today as a distinct area of inquiry. The field is devoted to
building knowledge about how individuals and groups identify opportunities in the quest to
develop innovative ideas and create new ventures. Although scholarly interest in
entrepreneurship appears to be steadily rising across the management discipline, this growth has
been accompanied by an increase in questions about the rigor of empirical studies. Research
methods in entrepreneurship have been scrutinized along a variety of dimensions, such as
construct measurement, research design, data analysis, and levels of analysis. This scrutiny
presents researchers with new opportunities to better capture entrepreneurial phenomena in their
investigations as well as new challenges about the design and execution of their studies.
The purpose of this special issue is to publish work that will significantly enhance
methodological practices in the field of entrepreneurship. In particular, we seek to (a) codify
existing challenges about how methods are applied, (b) develop understanding about how to
resolve current dilemmas, (c) lay a foundation for increased rigor in future studies, and (d)
consider the implications of methodological rigor on the development of the field.
Appropriate topics for the special include, but are not limited to:
1. How methods developed in other fields (e.g., finance, psychology, sociology, geography,
anthropology) can enhance entrepreneurship research;
2. The integration between entrepreneurship theory and method;
3. How well extant studies have used particular research designs, measurement approaches,
and analytical techniques relative to ‘best practices;’
4. How experimental designs can improve our understanding of entrepreneurship;
5. Overcoming challenges associated with sampling in entrepreneurship studies, such as
obtaining representative samples that are free of survivor bias;
6. The construct validity of key metrics, such as growth, entrepreneurial orientation, and
performance;
7. The measurement of opportunities;
8. The pitfalls of using cross-sectional and single-informant designs, and potential remedies;
9. The treatment of levels of analysis within entrepreneurship inquiry;
10. How qualitative approaches can further enhance the study of entrepreneurship; and
11. Philosophy of science issues in the entrepreneurship context.
We invite empirical, conceptual (i.e., new theory about method), methodological, and literature
review papers. Two types of papers will be published: (a) Feature Articles and (b) Research
Notes. Feature articles are full-length manuscripts typical of ORM contributions. Research notes
are narrower in scope than a feature article. Research notes should make an important
contribution regardless of length, but the contribution is more focused in scope, perhaps
addressing a more specific issue/topic as opposed to broader issues. Research notes should be
approximately 2500 words in length (excluding tables and references). For all submissions, a
paper’s length relative to its contribution will be an important metric for assessment.
All papers will undergo the standard double-blind ORM review process and must meet the
standards of the ORM Editorial Policy Statement (see http://orm.sagepub.com). All articles
published in this feature topic must make strong contributions to improving our understanding of
research methods in entrepreneurship. Papers that address substantive as opposed to
methodological issues are better suited for more substantively focused outlets.
The Guest Editors for this special issue are Jeremy Short, Texas Tech University
(jeremy.short@ttu.edu), Duane Ireland, Texas A&M University (DIreland@mays.tamu.edu), and
Dave Ketchen, Auburn University (ketchda@auburn.edu).
To be considered for publication, a one-page article proposal/summary must be sent by email to
jeremy.short@ttu.edu by December 3, 2007. These summarized proposals will be used only to
ensure that the focus and scope of each paper is appropriate for the special issue. The guest
editors will review the summaries and then invite authors to submit complete papers. Authors
with approved proposals must submit completed manuscripts by July 18, 2008.