The primacy of theory

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this editorial is to provide indicative guidance to prospective EJM contributors of the importance of theoretical development to the success of submissions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a combination of conceptual thinking and theoretical literature to present key concepts of theory and its relevance to a manuscript's contribution to knowledge.FindingsThe authors propose some guidelines for researchers who wish to publish the results of their work in EJM, and these also have relevance to other top academic journals.Research limitations/implicationsThe topic of theoretical conceptualisation and development is a complex one. Because of space constraints, the coverage of many issues is necessarily brief in this article.Practical implicationsScholars should find the thoughts contained in this article to be of significant benefit to their publication efforts in EJM and other top journals.Originality/valueWhile other top marketing journals have in the past provided similar guideline‐style pieces, this is one of the few to be written from an inclusive perspective, with the explicit focus on the theoretical development stage.