Research Design & Methods (amj-methods)

When to trigger

• The design may not match the theory's level, timing, or causal claim
• Data are single-source, single-wave, and self-reported (common-method bias risk)
• The theory is causal but the design is cross-sectional/correlational
• Constructs lack established, validated measures
• A reviewer says "the design cannot test this hypothesis" or "endogeneity is unaddressed"

Match the design to the question

AMJ explicitly welcomes all empirical methods — qualitative, quantitative, field, laboratory, meta-analytic, and mixed. The bar is fit and rigor, not a single preferred method, and qualitative designs are held to an equally demanding standard (the Eisenhardt multiple-case approach and the Gioia methodology for grounded qualitative rigor are the field's reference points).

Theoretical claim	Design that earns it
Causal effect of a manipulable cause	Experiment (lab/field/online), or natural experiment
Process unfolding over time	Multi-wave panel; longitudinal/lagged design
Firm/strategy outcomes from archival cause	Panel archival with fixed effects + endogeneity strategy
Cross-level mechanism (e.g., team→indiv.)	Multilevel/nested data with HLM-appropriate structure
Rich, novel, or contested phenomenon	Qualitative or multi-method (often paired with a study 2)

A two-study design (e.g., field study for generalizability + experiment for causal mechanism) is a common AMJ strength — it answers both internal and external validity.

Designing against the threats AMJ cares about

• Common-method bias (CMB): separate sources for predictor and outcome; temporal separation across waves; objective/archival outcomes where possible. Procedural remedies beat statistical fixes (the Podsakoff et al. guidance is the standard reference). Plan this before collecting data.
• Endogeneity (archival): anticipate omitted variables, reverse causality, and selection. Plan an identification strategy (instrument, natural experiment, panel fixed effects, difference-in-differences, Heckman/2SLS, propensity matching) and the assumptions each requires.
• Measurement: use validated multi-item scales; pilot new measures; plan a CFA. State the level at which each construct is measured and how cross-level data are aggregated (with justification: ICC, r_wg, aggregation theory).
• Sampling and power: justify the sampling frame, response rate, and statistical power for the focal and interaction effects (interactions need more power).

Level-of-analysis discipline

State the level for theory, measurement, and analysis, and keep them aligned. If theory is at the team level but data are individual, justify aggregation; if effects are cross-level, the analysis must model the nesting (do not run OLS on nested data).

Execution bridge (StatsPAI / Stata MCP)

For the empirical / causal lane, estimate and audit rather than only specify. Full map: execution-with-mcp. AMJ is empirical management — panel, multilevel, DiD, IV, and field/lab experiments; the chain below serves that lane, while grounded-theory / qualitative work uses its own standards.

• detect_design → recommend → fit with as_handle=true → audit_result to enumerate the checks the design owes.
• Panel / staggered DiD: callaway_santanna / sun_abraham + bacon_decomposition
  • honest_did_from_result. IV: effective_f_test + anderson_rubin_ci. RDD: rdrobust + mccrary_test.
• Experiments: randomization-based inference and romano_wolf for the many-outcome family-wise correction reviewers expect.

Match the toolchain to the reviewer pool, and report the effect size the venue wants. A run end-to-end (synthetic data, real returns) is in the JF execution walkthrough.

Checklist

• Design can actually test each hypothesis (causal claims have causal leverage)
• CMB addressed by procedural design (separate sources/time), not just a post-hoc test
• Endogeneity strategy specified for archival/observational causal claims
• Constructs use validated measures; new measures piloted; CFA planned
• Level of analysis consistent across theory, measurement, and analysis; aggregation justified
• Sampling frame, response rate, and power (including for interactions) justified
• Where feasible, a second study triangulates the causal mechanism

Anti-patterns

• Cross-sectional causal claims: "X causes Y" from one-wave correlational data.
• CMB as afterthought: relying solely on a Harman single-factor test instead of designed separation.
• Ignored endogeneity: archival "effect" with an obviously endogenous regressor and no strategy.
• Mismatched levels: theorizing at the team level, testing with disaggregated individual data via OLS.
• Unvalidated home-grown scales with no evidence of reliability or construct validity.
• Underpowered interactions presented as null "boundary conditions."

Output format

【Design】experiment / panel-archival / multilevel survey / qualitative / multi-method
【Hypothesis-design fit】each H testable? notes ...
【CMB plan】procedural remedies ...
【Endogeneity strategy】(if archival) instrument / NE / FE / DiD / matching ...
【Measures】validated? new (piloted)? CFA planned?
【Levels】theory / measurement / analysis aligned? aggregation justification ...
【Power & sampling】frame, N, power for interactions ...
【Next step】amj-data-analysis