File Format

The required electronic format is Microsoft Word. For questions about using other formats, please contact the editors. All tables and figures should be included in Word file and should be in gif, jpeg, Powerpoint, or Illustrator format. Tables and figures should use the Arial font (or Helvetica if you don't have Arial).

Total Length and Style

• When writing for an executive audience, being direct and to the point is extremely valuable. Submitted papers to the MIS Quarterly Executive should strive for a succinct writing style that packs a lot of meaning in a limited number of words. Thus, papers should not exceed 8,500 words (excluding abstract and references). The abstract itself should be between 75 and 85 words
• Manuscripts should run approximately fifteen to thirty pages, double-spaced with 12 point font (more exactly, 5,000 to 8,500 words). Please inquire with the editor before submitting articles of greater or shorter length.
• All manuscripts should be double spaced (not 1 1/2 spaced). If the paper has been presented previously at a conference or other professional meeting, this fact, the date, and the sponsoring organization should be given in a footnote on the first page. Funding sources should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgements" section. Permissions for reprinted material are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and must be obtained in writing prior to publication.
• MISQE style is not to use the so-called “Oxford comma” (a comma before the “and” at the end of a list).
• MISQE style is to treat “data” as a singular noun – so “data is” not “data are.”
• Concluding Comments. The final section of all MISQE articles is always “Concluding Comments.” This should be a handful of paragraphs summarizing the main points in the article. It should not include any new material.

The following information should also be included:

Page 1:

• Paper Title (6-12 words). MISQE style is not to use a colon in the title of articles, so please do not submit articles with a colon in the title;
• Author Name(s): Do not include author(s) name anywhere else in paper except in the reference list as appropriate;
• Address(es);
• Phone numbers;
• E-mail addresses.

Page 2:

• Paper title;
• Abstract. The length of the summary paragraph should be about 75-85 words. ;
• Keywords: Select 5-10 words or phrases to be used for indexing. These might include important terms from the title, their synonyms, or related words. Do not use prepositions.
• Acknowledgements, if any.

Page 3:

• Paper title;
• Beginning of paper;

Headings

Headings should be clearly delineated. To reduce the possibilities for misinterpretation, degrees of importance of headings should be shown as follows: 

HEADING 1

Separate line centered over text; bold, all caps;

Heading 2

Separate line centered over text; bold, upper/lower case;

Heading 3

Separate line, flush left; bold, upper/lower case;

Heading 4: On the same line as beginning of text, flush left, bold, upper/lower case, followed by a colon:

Citations

Citations to prior work should be done in a footnote style, with the footnote appearing on the same page as they are used. Citations can simply be a reference to the prior work in the format used by traditional academic journals (e.g., MISQ articles). However, we strongly prefer that citations serve as explanations of references to our practitioner readers who will be less familiar than academics with the role of citations. References must be complete, and should include as appropriate, last name & initials of all authors, title, journal or Web page, volume, number, month, publisher, city and state (for small publishers), editors, article page numbers, etc. A few examples are:

• One of the classic -- and still relevant -- articles that examines the problems introduced by information systems is: Ackoff, R.L. "Management Misinformation Systems," Management Science (14:4), December 1961, pp. 147-156.
• For a good primer that explains the current wireless technologies and their business implications, see: Bates, R. J. Wireless Broadband Handbook, McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, 2001.
• A related article that explores these issues in the Australia economy is: Chenhall, R.H., and Romano, C.A. "Formal Planning and Control Presence and Impact on the Growth of Small Manufacturing Firms," in Job Generation by the Small Business Sector in Australia, W. C. Dunlop and A.J. Williams (eds.), Institute of Industrial Economics, Newcastle, 1989, pp. 71-89.

Footnotes

• Footnote references to items in periodicals: Author, title, journal, volume, number, month, year, pages. For authors, last names are given first, even for multiple authors.
• Footnote references to reports or proceedings: Author's name and title of report (same style as above), report number, source, editor and/or publisher as appropriate, city and state/country of publisher OR full name of conference as appropriate, including date and pages.
• Footnote references to books: Author's name (same style as above), title, publisher, city, state/country, year, page, or chapter.