---
name: amj-writing-style
description: Use for full-manuscript prose polish of an Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) manuscript — front-loading the argument, active voice, structure, and AOM house style. Polishes language and structure; it does not create the theoretical contribution (amj-contribution-framing) or fix the analysis (amj-data-analysis).
---

# Writing Style (amj-writing-style)

## When to trigger

- The argument is buried under jargon, hedging, or passive constructions
- The introduction does not make the contribution clear in its first page
- Section logic wanders; the reader cannot follow the theory → method → results → discussion arc
- Sentences are long and nominalized; the "actor doing the action" is hidden
- This is late-stage polish *after* the theory, design, and contribution are settled

## The AMJ prose standard

AMJ values prose that is **rigorous yet readable**: the theoretical argument should be visible to a reader from another division. Front-load the point — say what you argue, then support it. Write in the active voice with human/organizational actors as subjects. Hedge precisely (state what the data show), not defensively (avoid stacking "may possibly suggest"). AMJ's *From the Editors* (FTE) series has devoted whole editorials to storytelling and crafting the introduction — the journal genuinely rewards a paper that "tells a story," so treat narrative arc as a substantive standard, not decoration.

## Structure to enforce

Standard full structure: **Introduction → Theory & Hypotheses → Methods → Results → Discussion**. Each section earns its place:

- **Introduction**: phenomenon hook → conversation/tension → question → approach → contribution, on the first 1–2 pages.
- **Theory & Hypotheses**: each subsection builds toward a numbered hypothesis with an explicit mechanism.
- **Methods**: enough detail to replicate; sample, measures, analysis, validity.
- **Results**: report tests in hypothesis order; interpret, do not just narrate the tables.
- **Discussion**: theoretical implications first, then practical, limitations, future research.

## Sentence- and paragraph-level moves

- **Topic sentences**: every paragraph opens with its claim; the rest supports it.
- **Active voice**: "We theorize that…" / "Leaders allocate attention…" not "It is theorized that…".
- **De-nominalize**: "managers decide" beats "managerial decision-making occurs."
- **Define constructs once**, then use the term consistently — no synonym drift.
- **Signpost**: connect sections explicitly ("Having established X, we now…").
- **Cut hedging stacks**: one calibrated qualifier, not three.
- **Consistent terminology** for each construct, hypothesis label, and variable across text, tables, and figures.

## House style (verify against the current AOM Style Guide)

- Follow AOM/APA-style conventions for citations, headings, and references as specified in the current AMJ Style Guide for Authors.
- US spelling and AOM heading hierarchy; consistent tense (past tense for what you did/found, present for established theory).
- The full manuscript main body must fit the **40-page maximum** (text + references + appendices; tables/figures excluded), **double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-pt, 1-inch margins** — so trimming targets prose, not just exhibits, and a bloated reference list eats into your page budget.

## Checklist

- [ ] Contribution is clear within the first page of the introduction
- [ ] Active voice and concrete actors dominate; passive used only deliberately
- [ ] Every paragraph has a claim-first topic sentence
- [ ] Construct terms are defined once and used consistently everywhere
- [ ] Sections are signposted; the theory→method→results→discussion arc is followed
- [ ] Hedging is calibrated, not stacked
- [ ] Citations/headings/references conform to the current AMJ Style Guide
- [ ] Main body ≤ 40 pages (refs + appendices count; tables/figures do not); 12-pt TNR, double-spaced

## Anti-patterns

- **Buried lede**: the contribution surfaces only in the discussion.
- **Passive fog**: "it was found that" hiding who did what.
- **Jargon walls**: dense theoretical terms with no plain-language anchor.
- **Synonym drift**: calling the same construct three different names.
- **Defensive hedging**: "may potentially possibly suggest" instead of a precise claim.
- **Tense chaos**: switching between past and present for the same event.

## Output format

```
【Intro clarity】contribution visible on page 1? yes/no
【Voice】active-voice dominant? flagged passives: [...]
【Topic sentences】claim-first throughout? exceptions: [...]
【Terminology】construct names consistent? drift: [...]
【Structure/signposting】arc intact? gaps: [...]
【House style】AOM/APA citations & headings: pass/fix
【Length】main body vs. 40-page limit (refs+appendices incl.): ok/trim
【Next step】amj-submission
```