Second, they must be written such that they are reasonably accessible by all of the journal s readership, including our executive readers. Appropriateness Roughly one-fifth of submitted manuscripts are directly returned to authors because they are just not appropriate to the Quarterly s editorial mission. It is somewhat more difficult to clarify the Quarterly s current policies regarding the appropriateness of education topics. Descriptive articles, e.g., those that essentially describe practices, courses, or curricula, are not appropriate. Accessibility All submissions to the MIS Quarterly should be written in a clear and concise manner.
Everyday language is preferred whereever possible over the more formal, scholarly style.
Shorter articles are always preferred over longer articles. Ancillary or supporting materials should be kept from disrupting the flow of an article s ideas and arguments. Thus, authors are highly encouraged to use tables and figures rather than text to communicate dense or multidimensional information. I sincerely hope that this emphasis on readability does not discourage such authors from submitting their work to the Quarterly . The journal s editors and editorial staff are committed to working with all authors to improve the readability of manuscripts accepted for publication in MIS Quarterly .