What characterizes an impactful article? Do more complex research questions create more impact, as measured by citations? Does clear operationalization of research questions make an article more likely to be cited? We analyze theoretical framing and operationalization, examining 423 quantitative articles published in the Journal of International Business Studies between 2005 and 2015, considering citations during 2010–2020. Focusing on two key aspects – the complexity of the research questions and how the research questions are translated into testable hypotheses – we find evidence that articles with less complex research questions and clearer alignment between the research questions and the hypotheses create more impact. We also find that relatively more straightforward analytic approaches are cited more often in the five years post-publication.
CO Author: Angelo M. Solarino, Cristian Luise
Journal: Scientometrics
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