Constructing a Manuscript: Distinguishing Integrative Literature Reviews and Conceptual and Theory Articles

Abstract

A reviewer for HRDR once asked the editors, “How do I know whether this is an integrative literature review or a conceptual paper?” When we explored the submissions we were receiving at HRDR, we realized that the majority of the manuscripts were really conceptual papers, but the authors often presented their work as an integrative literature review. Torraco (2005) wrote a most useful article that described how to write an integrative literature review. After that, many authors began framing every article submitted to HRDR in that format, even if they were not writing an integrative literature review. However, HRDR publishes several types of articles and, as Torraco (2005) noted, the editors “continue to seek well-written review [and other types of] articles that yield provocative, new perspectives on key issues in the field” (p. 356). The aims and scope of the journal (http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdAims .nav?prodId=Journal201506) call for “submissions that provide new theoretical insights to advance our understanding of human resource development. Such papers may include syntheses of existing bodies of theory, new substantive theories, exploratory conceptual models, taxonomies and typology developed as foundations for theory, treatises in formal theory construction, papers on the history of theory, critique of theory that includes alternative research propositions, metatheory, and integrative literature reviews with strong theoretical implications. Papers addressing foundations of HRD might address philosophies of HRD, historical foundations, definitions of the field, conceptual organization of the field, and ethical foundations.” Of these, the two most common types submitted are conceptual/theoretical manuscripts and integrative literature reviews. This article will describe these two categories of manuscripts and will conclude with a call to prospective authors to consider other types of manuscripts, such as historical and methodological works, in their future submissions as well.