Article submission is closed at the moment.
Authors submit their manuscripts electronically using the submission and review system. Submissions should be formatted using the JITE-DC-Case-Study-Template.doc file. This document is organized as if it were a discussion case and an annotated PDF version providing a running commentary is available for downloading at JITE-DC-Case-Study-Template.pdf.
Occasionally, authors may be in a situation where MS-Word is not available, or acquiring it would result in serious financial hardship. Under such circumstances, the author should notify the Editor-in-Chief in the submission comments and may submit an HTML formatted document using the following conventions:
- Title: Use <H1> tag
- Headings, subheadings, sub-sub headings: use <H2>, <H3>, <H4> tags respectively
- Exhibit headings: Use <H2> tag
- All tables/figures/graphics should be in image files separately and not placed in the text.
- Within the text, only <OL> and <UL> tags should be used for special formatting.
- Text formatting should be limited to plain, bold or italic.
Because this submission format will make the review process challenging, it will be allowed only where genuine need on the part of the author exists.
Typically, within a week from submission the Editor-in-Chief, T. Grandon Gill will contact the corresponding author with news of whether or not the submission will be advanced to the first round of reviews (or is being rejected as not suitable for publication in the journal). This is likely to include providing the author with guidance regarding possible review paths, which will include one or more of the following:
1. Peer review: For cases that are well developed and properly formatted, two or more prior contributors to JITE-DC will act as reviewers, deciding whether or not the case meets the standards of the journal, leading to a decision to accept (with suggested revisions) or reject the case.
2. Editorial review: For cases that are well developed and properly formatted, a JITE-DC editor will make carefully consider the case, deciding whether or not the case meets the standards of the journal, leading to a decision to accept (with suggested revisions) or reject the case. Cases under editorial review are presumed to be accepted, but will not be published until both editor and author(s) are satisfied with the final product.
3. Editorial mentorship: A JITE-DC editor will make suggestions for enhancing the case. Cases under editorial mentorship show some promise, but will not necessarily be accepted even after revision. The role of the editor in the process is both to improve the case and to help the author(s) further develop case-writing skills.
4. Collaborative mentorship: The JITE-DC EiC will pair the author(s) with an experienced case writer, who will work to develop the case further. That assigned collaborator will ultimately be named as a co-author in the event the case is published. Cases under collaborative mentorship will normally involve intriguing decision situations but will require substantial reorganizing and rewriting before being ready for publication. Typical candidates for this arrangement would be cases written by international authors who are not used to writing in English, or individuals unfamiliar with the narrative style that typifies discussion cases.
If you do not hear from Editor-in-Chief T. Grandon Gill in two weeks, feel free to contact T. Grandon Gill at editor@inform.nu.
The organization of a discussion case is described at length in the submission template. All JITE:DC cases have the following structure:
. Page 1: The decision facing the case protagonist is summarized.
. Body: A series of sections containing the narrative content of the case.
. Optional Sections: A series of optional sections (Biographies, Acknowledgements and References) may be included.
. Exhibits: Most tables, charts, graphics and source documents are included in this section, with exceptions being described later. Each exhibit must be referenced in the body of the case.
As a general rule, most cases will have a body section that flows from the general to the specific, organized into a pattern along the following lines:
General Context Sections: A series of sections giving broad context for the case. These sections might describe relevant industries, technologies, regulations, processes and other areas with relevance well beyond the specifics of the case.
Specific Context Sections: A series of sections that provide context directly relevant to the case itself. Typical examples of such sections describe the company, the business unit, the background of the individual and so forth. These sections normally move from more general to more specific (e.g., organization sections would precede the business unit sections).
Decision-specific Sections: One or more sections detailing the specific decision to be made and choices available.
Summary Section: A final section, paralleling the Page 1 presentation, providing a more detailed look at the decision or plan to be developed and any constraints involved.
Experienced case writers may find reasons to organize the case body in a different, perhaps radically different manner. We will gladly consider such submissions provided the format fits the situation being described.
Discussion cases often so not include academic references. If a reference section is included, it is to follow the APA style for formatting references. A summary of these guidelines can be found here. All works cited within the case that are not specified when they are cited (see formatting guidelines for more detailed instructions) must be included in the References list at the end of the paper, and all works in the References list must be cited in the paper.
Submissions are to be in: 1) Microsoft Word (.doc) or 2) with the Editor-in-Chief’s permission, Rich Text Format (.rtf) saved from HTML. All cases are to be written in English. While US spelling is preferable, other versions of English are acceptable. There are no regulations on length; however will be exceptional for a case to exceed 20,000 words. Also, once the body of the case starts to exceed a dozen pages, its appropriateness for classroom use tends to decline rapidly.
