CALL FOR PROPOSALS Small Group Research 2027 REVIEW,THEORY,METHODOLOGY ISSUE

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The editorial team of Small Group Research invites authors to submit proposals for the 2027 Review, Theory, and Methodology (RTM) Issue, published in February. The RTM issue especially promotes articles that may not have collected empirical data but contribute to the conversation around small group research and theory. Previously, this was the Review issue, but we have expanded the call to include both Theory and Methodology articles that will help progress the study of small groups. We discuss our expectations for each type of article below.

Review articles are high-impact scholarly surveys of important group and team research literatures. A review article would summarize recent research, provide integration across disciplines, emphasize and develop theory, and highlight important directions for future inquiry. In the review article, authors are expected to discuss their review methodology in detail, using appropriate methodology to survey the literature in depth. Authors are encouraged to read previous February review issues in Small Group Research to see how other authors have conducted their reviews.

We are interested in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary reviews that (a) address critical turning points in the literature in terms of evolving theory, enduring issues where reviews can reveal future areas of attention, levels of analysis issues, or improvements in methodological approaches that open up new insights, and (b) explore the topic, theory, or method across disciplines. Manuscripts by a team of interdisciplinary authors are preferred. To avoid duplication of the coverage of previous reviews, we encourage authors to review the table of contents of the past five years of Review issues.

Theory articles focus on the development of theory on groups and teams, without the in-depth and programmatic review that is required for a Review article. Theory articles should move the field forward, whether building off a current theory, integrating different theories, or developing new theory that advances our understanding. Innovativeness and new viewpoints are encouraged. Authors are encouraged to read papers such as Sutton and Staw (1995) or Aguinis and Cronin (2022) to get a sense of the requirements of a strong theory paper. Authors should make a persuasive case for why this theory is needed and how the theory provides better and more parsimonious prediction or explanation over previous theorizing. Empirical data is not needed in a theory article but can be used in the service of presenting and explaining the theory. As with review articles, we encourage interdisciplinarity in theory article proposals.

Methodology articles advance group and teams research through the introduction or explanation of novel concepts for the examination of groups or group processes. Advances in methodology and data analytic techniques can often open up new ways of studying and understanding groups and their processes. We invite articles employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with an emphasis both on an explanation of the methodological approach and what research topics can be addressed by these methods. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: the use of A.I. in group research, brain imaging and physiological measurements with group research, natural language processing and text analysis, unobtrusive methods in field research, or data analytic techniques to address the complex and multi-level nature of group research.

Proposals must be submitted between April 1, 2025 and May 1, 2025 via the Small Group Research online submission portal at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sgr. Be sure to select “Proposal” in the Manuscript Type pull down box. Also indicate that your submission is a 2027 Review, Theory, Method Issue Proposal in your cover letter. In the space provided, you must include the names and email addresses of 3 to 5 potential reviewers. Submissions that do not include potential reviewers will not be reviewed.

Please note that we are not accepting manuscripts before April 1, 2025.

Proposals should be double-spaced and include no more than ten pages of text. References, tables, and appendices do not count in this page limit. After the heading on the first page of the body, place the words – SUBMISSION FOR ANNUAL RTM 2027 – in caps and centered on the page. All proposals will be subject to editorial review. Please do not send complete papers—if you have a draft of your paper, please note that in the proposal.

Submissions will be evaluated with respect to the following criteria (we encourage you to address these in your proposal):

(a) Relevance. The proposed manuscript should apply to a significant and important research area within the group and team literature.

(b) Integration across disciplines. The proposed manuscript should aim to integrate theory and research across the different disciplines that study groups and teams. If the proposed review is limited to specific disciplines, identify this and explain why these disciplines are selected. Reviews of literature from only one discipline are not suitable for this call. Methodology articles should explain clearly how the methodology could be used to investigate groups or teams across disciplines.

(c) Viability. The proposal should represent an achievable project within the tight time constraints required, described in detail on the timeline below.

(d) Organization and Coherence. The proposal should follow a logical structure, read clearly, and thoroughly represent the available research.

(e) Insight for Future Work. The proposal should convey important implications for future theoretical or methodological developments, or applications.

RTM Issue Timeline:

April 1, 2025 through May 1, 2025 Proposals can be submitted to the Small Group Research online submission portal at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sgr. Be sure to select “Proposal” in the Manuscript Type pull down box. Also indicate that your submission is a 2027 Review Issue Proposal in your cover letter.

September 15, 2025: Final decision on proposal and initial feedback provided to authors.

February 15, 2026: Full draft of paper due to Small Group Research.

April 15, 2026: Feedback to authors on full paper.

June 15, 2026: Final paper submitted to Small Group Research.

February 2027: Publication of 2027 review issue of Small Group Research