Writing Style: AOM House Style, Argument-Driven Prose (amr-writing-style)

Writing Style: AOM House Style, Argument-Driven Prose (amr-writing-style)

When to trigger

• The theory and contribution are settled; now the prose needs polish
• The draft reads like a literature review or an essay, not a built argument
• Sections are present but the manuscript does not "flow" toward the contribution
• You are unsure of AMR's structural conventions

AMR's structure (durable form)

AMR conceptual articles follow a recognizable arc. Verify exact requirements on the current AOM author page, but the durable shape is:

1. Introduction — the theoretical puzzle. Open with the tension, not a definition or a dictionary opening. State the puzzle, the conversation, and your move within the first two pages. Tell the reader what theory cannot currently do and that this paper fixes it.
2. Theoretical development. Constructs defined → assumptions → relationships + mechanisms → propositions (each earned by argument). This is the body and the bulk.
3. The conceptual model / figure integrated where it clarifies the argument.
4. Discussion. Contribution (what's new, differentiated), boundary conditions, and implications for theory, future research, and practice.

There is no methods, results, or data section — AMR is theory-only. The reasoning is the contribution, so make the Why vivid (Whetten, AMR 1989, DOI 10.5465/amr.1989.4308371); define constructs precisely and consistently (Suddaby, AMR 2010, DOI 10.5465/amr.2010.0419). Exemplar to study for narrative: Oliver's "Strategic Responses to Institutional Processes" (AMR 1991, DOI 10.5465/amr.1991.4279002) — puzzle → typology → propositions → implications, no methods, no results.

Voice and prose discipline

• Argument, not survey. Every paragraph should advance the theory. If a paragraph only reports what others found, it is review filler — cut or repurpose it to set up your move.
• Define before you use. A construct's first appearance carries its definition; use the exact same label every time afterward. Terminological drift reads as conceptual fuzziness.
• Signpost the logic. "Because... it follows that..."; "This implies..."; "We therefore propose..." Make the inferential moves visible — at AMR the prose is the proof.
• Propositions in the text are set off and numbered, each immediately following the argument that earns it.