We're excited to share a Call for Papers for an upcoming Special Issue of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice:
Reexamining and Replicating Foundational Studies in Entrepreneurship Research
Guest editors
Karl Wennberg, Stockholm School of Economics, (Karl.Wennberg@hhs.se)
Jeremy C. Short, University of North Texas, University of Waikato, (Jeremy.Short@unt.edu)
Jeffrey A. Chandler, University of North Texas, (Jeffrey.Chandler@unt.edu)
Marcus Wolfe, University of North Texas, (Marcus.Wolfe@unt.edu)
Sebastian Kruse, RWTH University, (Kruse@time.rwth-aachen.de)
Carolin Krieweth, RWTH University, (Krieweth@time.rwth-aachen.de)
Submission Deadline August 1st, 2027
This Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of replication in entrepreneurship research by encouraging rigorous reexaminations of foundational empirical studies. Replication is essential for cumulative theory development and for establishing confidence in empirical findings. In a dynamic field such as entrepreneurship, where institutional environments, technologies, funding regimes, and societal expectations evolve rapidly, systematic replication is particularly critical to assess whether foundational relationships reflect stable theoretical mechanisms or context-specific patterns.
Despite its importance, recent evidence suggests that entrepreneurship research has not yet developed a strong replication culture. A comprehensive review in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice shows that replication efforts remain rare, fragmented, and skewed toward conceptual extensions and empirical generalizations, while exact replications, reanalyses of original data, and checking-of-analysis designs are comparatively scarce. Moreover, many of the field’s most influential empirical studies, particularly those published in leading journals and widely cited, have either never been replicated or have been replicated only once.
As a result, widely cited findings continue to shape theoretical debates and inform practice without systematic assessment of their robustness, temporal stability, or boundary conditions. Addressing this gap is essential for strengthening the credibility and cumulative nature of entrepreneurship research. This Special Issue therefore calls for rigorous, theory-driven replication studies that revisit foundational relationships and contribute to a more robust and context-sensitive understanding of entrepreneurship phenomena.
SCOPE AND ILLUSTRATIVE TOPICS
This Special Issue aims to foster high-quality replication research that advances cumulative knowledge in entrepreneurship. We encourage submissions that revisit influential and theoretically consequential studies and provide new insights into their robustness, boundary conditions, and underlying mechanisms. Replication is not viewed merely as a confirmation exercise but as a critical tool for theory refinement, extension, and adjudication between competing explanations.
We welcome studies employing diverse methodological approaches, provided they are theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous. In particular, we encourage multi-study designs that combine exact replication or reanalysis of original data with subsequent empirical generalization or theoretical extension. Such designs can offer deeper insights into when, how, and why established findings hold or vary across contexts.
The examples below illustrate the scope of the Special Issue and are not intended to restrict submissions:
· The 33 most cited entrepreneurship studies (each exceeding 1,000 citations) identified in the review by Krieweth et al. (2026) as priority candidates for replication
· Influential studies within specific BCERC research tracks that fall below the 1,000-citation threshold but were highlighted by Krieweth et al. (2026) as influential contributions within each track
· Studies for which authors can make a credible case for broader influence on entrepreneurship research
Beyond replicating specific studies, we seek contributions that advance broader conversations in entrepreneurship research by:
- Identifying boundary conditions and contextual contingencies of established relationships
- Clarifying inconsistencies or mixed findings in prior research
- Refining theoretical mechanisms underlying key constructs and relationships
- Contributing to methodological transparency, rigor, and best practices in replication research
We emphasize that replication in this Special Issue is not evaluated on whether findings confirm prior results. Instead, submissions will be assessed based on their theoretical contribution, methodological rigor, and their ability to advance cumulative theory development in entrepreneurship. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal’s standard double-blind review process and must meet the publication standards of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.
PAPER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
The guest editors will organize a series of paper development workshops (PDWs) aligned with the theme of the Special Issue prior to the submission deadline. The in-person workshop will take place at the University of North Texas (UNT) in late February 2027, complemented by a virtual workshop in early March 2027, to ensure accessibility for scholars across regions.
The PDWs are designed to support authors in developing rigorous, theory-driven replication studies, with particular encouragement for multi-study designs that combine reanalysis or exact replication with subsequent generalization and extension. The workshops will provide structured developmental feedback, including focused discussions on replication design, theoretical positioning, and pathways to publication in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.
Participation is entirely voluntary and is not a prerequisite for submission or consideration in the review process. Attendance does not imply any commitment regarding editorial decisions or eventual acceptance. More details on the workshop will be shared as soon as they become available. Authors interested in participating will be invited to submit a short proposal (3,000–5,000 words) by December 1, 2026 to krieweth@time.rwth-aachen.de. Notifications regarding participation will be sent in early January 2027.
SUBMISSION PROCESS AND DEADLINES
Manuscripts must be submitted between May 1 and August 1, 2027 (midnight U.S. Eastern Time). All submissions will undergo a double-blind review process and will be evaluated by at least two reviewers and a special issue editor. In line with the developmental philosophy of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, authors may be invited to revise and resubmit their manuscripts. We anticipate first-round decisions in late 2027 and expect the Special Issue to be published in late 2028 or early 2029, subject to the journal’s publication schedule.
REFERENCES
Administrative Science Quarterly. (2024). Data and methods transparency policy. https://journals.sagepub.com/pbassets/cmscontent/ASQ/Data%20and%20Methods%20Transparency%20Policy%20040324-1712174442.pdf
Bergh, D. D., Sharp, B. M., Aguinis, H., & Li, M. (2017). Is there a credibility crisis in strategic management research? Evidence on the reproducibility of study findings. Strategic Organization, 15(3), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476127017701076
Bettis, R. A., Helfat, C. E., & Shaver, J. M. (2016). The necessity, logic, and forms of replication. Strategic Management Journal, 37(11), 2193–2203. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2580
Brandt, M. J., IJzerman, H., Dijksterhuis, A., Farach, F. J., Geller, J., Giner-Sorolla, R., Grange, J. A., Perugini, M., Spies, J. R., & van ’t Veer, A. (2014). The replication recipe: What makes for a convincing replication? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 50, 217–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.10.005
Crawford, G. C., Skorodziyevskiy, V., Frid, C. J., Nelson, T. E., Booyavi, Z., Hechavarria, D. M., Li, X., Reynolds, P. D., & Teymourian, E. (2022). Advancing entrepreneurship theory through replication: A case study on contemporary methodological challenges, future best practices, and an entreaty for communality. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 46(3), 779–799. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587211057422
Krieweth, C., Kruse, S., Short, J. C., Schrameier, L. R. M., & Brettel, M. (2026). Replication studies in entrepreneurship: Mapping current efforts and identifying future opportunities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261415935
Nosek, B. A., Hardwicke, T. E., Moshontz, H., Allard, A., Corker, K. S., Dreber, A., Fidler, F., Hilgard, J., Kline Struhl, M., Nuijten, M. B., Rohrer, J. M., Romero, F., Scheel, A. M., Scherer, L. D., Schönbrodt, F. D., & Vazire, S. (2022). Replicability, robustness, and reproducibility in psychological science. Annual Review of Psychology, 73, 719–748. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-020821-114157
Schmidt, S. (2009). Shall we really do it again? The powerful concept of replication is neglected in the social sciences.Review of General Psychology, 13(2), 90–100.
Tsang, E. W. K., & Kwan, K. (1999). Replication and theory development in organizational science: A critical realist perspective. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 759–780. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1999.2553252
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Jeffrey Chandler
University of North Texas
Denton TX
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