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smj-topic-selection

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Use when scoping or pressure-testing whether a research question is a genuine *strategy* question fit for the Strategic Management Journal (SMJ). Decides fit and sharpens the question; it does not build the theory or run analysis.

Strategic-Management-Journal-Skills/skills/smj-topic-selection/SKILL.md

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# Topic Selection & Scope Fit (smj-topic-selection)

## When to trigger

- You have data or a hunch but are unsure SMJ is the right outlet
- A reviewer or colleague said "this feels like a management paper, not a strategy paper"
- The question is interesting but the dependent construct is not clearly about performance or advantage
- You are choosing between SMJ and an OB/HRM/general-management outlet

## The SMJ fit test

SMJ asks fundamentally one family of question: **why do firms differ, and why do some sustain superior performance or competitive advantage?** This is the journal's stated scope — research whose questions, evidence, and conclusions are relevant to strategic management and engaging to strategy scholars. A fitting paper connects its core construct to that question. Run the four-part test:

1. **Strategy DNA.** Does the dependent (or focal) construct concern firm performance, competitive advantage, value creation/capture, or a strategic outcome (entry, scope, alliance, M&A, governance, innovation, nonmarket position)? If the DV is purely individual attitudes or generic org behavior, fit is weak.
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