jais-workflow

JAIS Workflow Router (jais-workflow)

Overview

This is the router. It does not replace any specialized skill; it tells you which jais- skill to use right now* for your manuscript aimed at the Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS).

Default assumption: unless the user says otherwise, treat the target as JAIS — the flagship journal of the Association for Information Systems (AIS), a Senior Scholars' Basket member that publishes "the highest quality scholarship in the field of information systems." JAIS's identity is theory-forward and methodologically plural: it is "inclusive in topics, level and unit of analysis, theory, method and philosophical and research approach" and "encourages theory based multi- or inter-disciplinary research" (about page, 检索于 2026-06；以官网为准). The defining tell of JAIS versus its siblings is that theory is a first-class contribution in its own right — JAIS runs a standalone Theory category for "original theory" alongside empirical Research Articles, design research, and literature reviews.

So the first routing question is not "is the method sound?" but "which of the seven JAIS categories is this, and does the contribution match that category's bar?" The seven categories (each with its own Senior Editor) are: Research Articles, Theory, Literature Reviews, Research Perspectives, Foundational Research on Novel Digital Phenomena, Editorials, and Policy and Impact (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).

Editorial team and policies change: Monideepa Tarafdar is Editor-in-Chief (effective Sept 1, 2024). Treat the masthead, category SEs, and any impact-factor figure as 待核实 and re-verify at aisel.aisnet.org/jais.

When to trigger

• "What should I do next?" with a half-built JAIS manuscript
• You are unsure which of the seven JAIS categories (and therefore which contribution bar) the paper fits
• You have a conceptual/theory paper and are unsure whether JAIS or MISQ/ISR is the home
• A Senior Editor or reviewer pushes on theory contribution, fit, or methodological transparency
• A JAIS decision letter arrived and you need to switch into revision/response mode

Routing table

Current symptom	Next skill
Idea is vague; unsure of the category or whether it is a JAIS-fit IS question	jais-topic-selection
The theoretical engine (new construct, framework, mechanism) is underbuilt	jais-theory-development
Front end reads as gap-spotting; the IS conversation is not engaged	jais-literature-positioning
Method (behavioral / econometric / design-science / qualitative) may not fit the claim	jais-methods
Have data or artifact output; unsure about validity, identification, or evaluation	jais-data-analysis
Results exist but the "contribution to IS theory" is thin or generic	jais-contribution-framing
Tables/figures cluttered, off APA style, or the body is not standalone	jais-tables-figures
Prose is jargon-heavy or buries the argument; APA-6 / JAIS style off	jais-writing-style
Ready to submit; need the ManuscriptCentral + double-blind + matrix preflight	jais-submission
Want to understand JAIS's developmental, SE-led review before/after submit	jais-review-process
Received a revision decision; need to plan and draft the response	jais-rebuttal

Default order

1. jais-topic-selection — name the category; lock an IS question that JAIS would want
2. jais-theory-development — build the original theory / framework / mechanism
3. jais-literature-positioning — join the IS conversation across disciplines
4. jais-methods — match the design (behavioral / econometric / design-science / qualitative) to the claim
5. jais-data-analysis — validity, identification, or artifact evaluation done right
6. jais-contribution-framing — make the theoretical contribution explicit
7. jais-tables-figures — finalize exhibits in a standalone, APA-styled body
8. jais-writing-style — APA-6 / JAIS prose polish (abstract + intro last)
9. jais-submission — ManuscriptCentral preflight (double-blind, matrix, cover letter)
10. jais-review-process — set expectations for the developmental, SE-led process
11. jais-rebuttal — after a revision invite, revise then draft the response

jais-tables-figures and jais-writing-style are late-stage polish. Do not invoke them while the category, theory, or identification/evaluation is still unsettled.

Routing by paper archetype

JAIS is plural, and the binding constraint differs by archetype. Read the archetype, then enter the chain at the right link.

Archetype	Likely first bottleneck	Enter at
pure theory / conceptual (Theory category)	a genuinely new construct or framework, not a relabeled import	jais-theory-development
behavioral empirical (survey/experiment)	construct validity + common-method bias; SEM measurement model	jais-methods → jais-data-analysis
econometric / economics-of-IS	a credible identification strategy for the IS effect	jais-methods → jais-data-analysis
design science (artifact)	design principles + a real evaluation, not "we built it"	jais-theory-development → jais-methods
literature review (structured / theory-elaborating)	a method for the review + a forward-looking theoretical payoff	jais-methods → jais-contribution-framing
foundational / novel digital phenomenon	disciplined description that yields new or pre-theoretical insight	jais-topic-selection → jais-theory-development

Difference vs. MISQ / ISR / JMIS / Management Science

• JAIS: the AIS's own flagship; the most explicit "theory and method as contributions in their own right" stance — a standalone Theory category, developmental reviewing, methodological/philosophical pluralism. Double-blind; APA 6th; ManuscriptCentral; Green OA, no APC.
• MISQ: sister Basket journal with a stronger design-science genre identity, a strict page-limit-counts-everything rule, and a pluralistic transparency commitment uploaded at submission.
• ISR: INFORMS quarterly, sociotechnical and intradisciplinary, behavioral and analytical co-equal; 32/38-page caps; a required ~500-word contribution statement.
• JMIS: Basket journal with a more applied-systems/economic-modeling tilt and its own conventions.
• Management Science: broad INFORMS management/OR journal (charges a submission fee) — not IS-specific.

Anti-patterns

• Treating JAIS as interchangeable with MISQ or ISR — the standalone Theory category and pluralism are the differentiators.
• Sending an atheoretical phenomenon-mining paper to JAIS — theory (or a pre-theoretical insight, in the Foundational category) is the price of entry.
• Letting jais-tables-figures beautify exhibits before the theory and evidence are settled.
• Polishing prose before the category, contribution, and evidence hierarchy are stable.
• Quoting a fee, editor, or word limit as permanent when the source map marks it volatile.

Output format

【Target】Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS)
【Category】Research Article / Theory / Literature Review / Research Perspectives / Foundational / Editorial / Policy and Impact
【Current bottleneck】fit / theory / positioning / method / evidence / contribution / exhibits / style / submission / revision
【Next skill】<one jais-* skill>
【Reason】why this step is the binding constraint
【Source check】official facts verified or marked 待核实