Guidelines

What We Publish

NCMR publishes high-quality, rigorous, ethical research of different forms. In any of the following types of research, a statement of significance is required in the introduction section of the manuscript. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval (or its equivalents depending on the country of origin) must have been obtained for the submitted studies.

1. Quantitative research studies: Experiments, survey studies, and content analysis studies are welcome. For experiments, all experimental manipulations, procedures, manipulation checks, stimulus materials, debriefings, and findings should be reported. Measurement reliability and validity should be tested, reported, and discussed. For multiple-group comparisons, post-hoc comparisons should be included. For interaction effects, simple effects should be reported. The discussion section should include a discussion of internal validity. For survey studies, reliability and validity analyses should be reported. Cited measures should be clearly credited. Author-created measures should be included in the Appendix or Table depending on how they are reported. For content analysis, the rationale and description of the sampling plans, sampling pool, sampling procedure, unit of analysis, coding schemes, intercoder reliability, and validation of the entire procedure should be included in the Method section. In any of these types of research, missing data should be reported and discussed. For statistics, the significance level (the exact p-value in most cases) must be reported and interpreted ethically. The rationale of why certain statistical analysis is performed (e.g., hierarchical regression or structural equation modeling) should be provided. An a priori power analysis is not required but strongly recommended when feasible. In lieu of an a priori power analysis, the authors may instead choose to report a sensitivity analysis based on the final sample size to allow readers to draw conclusions about whether the study has adequate statistical power and precision.
2. Qualitative research studies: Interviews, focus group, and participant observations are welcome. For all methods, authors need to adequately discuss the procedures used to ensure the rigor of the study and the ethical treatment of the participants (including protecting their confidentiality). The rationale and description of the sampling and recruitment process should be discussed in the methods section. Specific procedures of data collection and analysis should be provided. Details should also be provided about how credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability are assured.
3. Registered reports: Negotiation and Conflict Management Research (NCMR) is excited to offer Registered Reports to help researchers publish articles in which the methods and analyses are pre-registered and reviewed before any data has been collected. NCMR welcomes registered reports for submissions proposing to collect new data and for meta-analyses. NCMR does not accept Registered Reports for qualitative studies.
   Registered Reports at NCMR follow a swift review process: submitted registered reports are initially reviewed and triaged by the associate editor for Registered Reports and potentially other members of the editorial board for suitability at NCMR. Registered Reports that are not deemed suitable for publication in NCMR are swiftly desk-rejected, helping authors quickly identify an alternative outlet. For more information click here.
4. Case studies: A case study for NCMR should be embedded in a solid theoretical framework. Through the discussion of the case, the author may create a new theoretical framework; exemplify, advance, or challenge an existing theory; or provide a new way to examine or integrate several existing theories. Data for the case study may be qualitative or quantitative. The significance and appropriateness of the selected case must be stated in the front end of the manuscript.
5. Comprehensive literature reviews: Most often, literature reviews integrate extant research and provide a reason to conduct a new study. Comprehensive literature reviews that are worthy of publishing typically show a remarkable theoretical contribution, resolve a long-standing issue, or point toward a meaningful and unique direction of theory development.
6. Meta-analyses: Meta analyses on conflict management, negotiation, and related fields are welcome. We recommend following the Journal Article Reporting Standards for Quantitative Meta Analyses created by APA to increase the transparency of these contributions. The rationale and description of the database or the literature search and the means used to avoid the file-drawer problem should be clearly stated. The substantive, methodological, and extrinsic characteristics should be clearly distinguished. The effect size and the homogeneity of the estimates must be reported. The exact p-value must be reported. The rationale of why certain statistical analysis is performed should be provided.
7. Theoretical and conceptual papers: A publication-worthy theoretical paper at NCMR should present a systematic view of a set of interrelated, well-defined constructs, which explains an important phenomenon in conflict management or negotiation. The paper must be embedded in the extant literature and a significant contribution to the current research domain and highlights any potential practical implications. The requirements for a high-quality conceptual paper are similar to those for a theoretical paper, but the focus should be placed more on the explication of the focal and other relevant concepts. In any of these papers, the statement of significance or the rationale of the proposed paper is essential. Case analyses that fit the proposed theoretical or conceptual frameworks are encouraged.
   
8. Replications: Replications are acceptable, but only when supported by compelling reasons. Again, the statement of significance is critical to establish the case for replication.

What We Do Not Publish

1. Any paper that has been published previously except in the form of an academic thesis, an abstract, or a published lecture; any paper that is under consideration for publication with another venue; any paper that has not obtained approval for publication by all authors or their relevant authorities. Refer to COPE for multiple submission, redundant submission, reuse of the same set of data, etc.
2. Simple literature reviews that do not bring impacts to the field.
3. Book reviews or book reports.
4. Reflections on a phenomenon or theory without sufficient integration of extant literature.
5. Articles that focus on mathematical deductions.
6. Articles that summarize historical events or interviews.
7. Articles that are more suited to be a book chapter or to appear in venues other than an academic journal.
8. A paper previously rejected at NCMR without an invitation to resubmit.