---
name: amann-proposal-framing
description: Use when writing the short proposal that gates an Academy of Management Annals (Annals) review — the ≤5-page, four-heading proposal submitted under the twice-yearly deadlines before any full review is invited. Builds the proposal; it does not gather the literature (amann-literature-synthesis) or run the portal preflight (amann-submission).
---

# Proposal Framing — the Gate (amann-proposal-framing)

## When to trigger

- The literature passed `amann-topic-selection` and you are ready to approach Annals
- You need to know exactly what the proposal must contain and how long it can be
- You are about to write a full review — stop: at Annals the **proposal is mandatory and comes first**
- An April 1 / October 1 deadline is approaching and the proposal is the deliverable

## How Annals intake actually works (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准)

Annals uses a **two-step, proposal-first process**. You do **not** submit a full review cold; you submit a short proposal, and only an **accepted proposal is invited** to develop into a full article.

- **Proposal length.** No longer than **5 pages, single-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font**; references and visual elements do not count toward the limit.
- **Four required sections, with these exact headings:**
  1. **Focus of the review** — the literature and the animating problem.
  2. **Related reviews** — what reviews already exist and why yours is *not* redundant.
  3. **Review scope and process** — boundaries, inclusion logic, how you will gather and synthesize the corpus.
  4. **New insights** — the integrative contribution, the "attitude," and the agenda the review will produce.
- **Deadlines.** Proposals are accepted on a twice-yearly cycle — **April 1 and October 1**. Submissions are not reviewed until the deadline passes; decision letters arrive **~6 weeks after the deadline**.
- **Who reviews the proposal.** Proposals are **double-blind peer-reviewed by the Associate Editors**. (The invited full review later forgoes double-blind and is read only by the AE and Editor — see `amann-review-process`.)
- **Portal.** Submit via Manuscript Central: `https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aomannals`. A current CV may be requested for the editors' eyes only — confirm at submission time (待核实).

> The ≤5-page proposal is the single most consequential document in the Annals lifecycle: it is the gate. A strong proposal earns an invitation before you sink months into reading and drafting; a weak one ends the project regardless of how good the eventual review would have been. Treat it as a high-stakes argument, not an outline.

## What each heading must accomplish

| Heading | What it must do | Common failure |
|---------|-----------------|----------------|
| **Focus of the review** | Name the literature and the *problem with the field* (from `amann-topic-selection`), not just the topic | A topic label ("a review of X") with no problem |
| **Related reviews** | Show command of prior reviews and stake the *delta* — what yours does that none did | Claiming "no review exists" instead of differentiating from the ones that do |
| **Review scope and process** | State boundaries, inclusion/exclusion logic, databases, and the synthesis method (narrative / systematic / bibliometric) | Vague "we will read the literature" with no transparent process |
| **New insights** | Lead with the *integrative framework* and the agenda — the new way of seeing the field, with attitude | A promise of "comprehensive coverage" and no new organizing idea |

The center of gravity is **New insights**: Associate Editors are deciding whether this review will *reorganize* the field, not whether it will summarize it. A proposal that nails coverage but offers no framework is the most common proposal-stage reject.

## Checklist

- [ ] Proposal is ≤5 pages, single-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12pt (refs/visuals excluded)
- [ ] Uses the four required headings verbatim: Focus / Related reviews / Review scope and process / New insights
- [ ] "Focus" states a *problem with the field*, not a topic label
- [ ] "Related reviews" differentiates from existing reviews (delta), not "none exists"
- [ ] "Review scope and process" names boundaries, inclusion logic, databases, and synthesis method
- [ ] "New insights" leads with the integrative framework + agenda + the critical "attitude"
- [ ] Targeted at the correct April 1 / October 1 window
- [ ] Balance addressed if you are a contributor to the literature
- [ ] Portal, CV requirement, and any current specifics re-confirmed (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准 / 待核实)

## Anti-patterns

- Writing the full ~50-page review and trying to submit it — Annals invites full reviews only after proposal acceptance
- A proposal that is a chapter outline with no integrative idea under "New insights"
- "Related reviews" that asserts novelty by ignoring the reviews that already exist (reviewers will name them)
- A "Review scope and process" section with no inclusion logic or named databases (looks unsystematic)
- Promising comprehensive coverage as if coverage alone were the contribution
- Missing the deadline and assuming rolling intake

## Output format

```text
【Focus of the review】<literature + animating problem, one sentence>
【Related reviews】<existing reviews + the delta yours provides>
【Review scope and process】<boundaries / inclusion logic / databases / synthesis method>
【New insights】<integrative framework + agenda + the critical attitude>
【Length check】≤5pp single-spaced, 1-in margins, 12pt (refs/visuals excluded)? Y/N
【Deadline】targeting April 1 / October 1? <which>
【Balance note】<how author's own work is handled, if a contributor>
【Open verifications】portal / CV / specifics re-confirmed on official page? Y/N
【Next skill】→ amann-literature-synthesis (begin systematic reading) after invitation
```