Topic Selection: Is There a Real Theoretical Problem? (soctheory-topic-selection)
When to trigger
- You have an interesting phenomenon, intuition, or critique but no theory yet
- You are unsure whether the idea belongs at ST or at an empirical/specialist venue
- A draft exists but you cannot state, in one sentence, what theoretical work it does
- You suspect the "theory" is really a literature review or an empirical finding in disguise
What counts as an ST-fit theoretical problem
ST publishes work "in all areas of theory" — new substantive theories, history of theory,
metatheory, formal theory construction, and synthetic contributions (submission guidelines,
检索于 2026-06；以官网为准). A fit problem is one where the deliverable is a conceptual
advance: existing theory cannot see, name, or explain something, and your paper supplies the
concept, mechanism, distinction, or reconstruction that lets it. Abend's "The Meaning of
'Theory'" (ST 2008, 26(2):173–199) is the discipline-level reminder that "theory" is several
things at once — be explicit about which you are doing.
| Kind of theory work (Abend-style) |
What the paper delivers |
ST-fit? |
| New substantive theory |
new concepts + mechanisms explaining a domain |
Yes |
| History of theory |
a re-reading of a tradition that changes how we use it |
Yes |
| Metatheory |
clarifying the logic/warrant of a kind of explanation |
Yes |
| Formal theory construction |
an explicit, sometimes formalized, derivation of propositions |
Yes |
| Synthetic contribution |
bridging two traditions to produce new theory |
Yes |
| Empirical test of a hypothesis |
a finding from data |
No → ASR / AJS |
| Literature review |
a map of what others said |
No → Annual Review of Sociology |
The four screening questions
- Is there a theoretical problem, not just a topic? "Trust" is a topic; "existing theories
treat trust as either calculative or moral, and cannot account for trust that is
simultaneously both" is a problem.
- Is the contribution conceptual, not empirical? If the punchline is "X causes Y in this
sample," it is an ASR/AJS paper. At ST the punchline is "here is a better way to think about
X and Y."
- Does it engage a live tradition? ST theory intervenes in an ongoing conversation
(field theory, pragmatism, mechanisms, cultural sociology, Bourdieu, Luhmann, relational
sociology), not in a vacuum. (Develop this with
soctheory-literature-positioning.)
- Can data stay illustrative? ST permits examples and cases to illustrate a concept, but
they must never be the test. If you need a sample to make the claim true, the project is empirical.
Sibling-venue map (route off ST if the fit is wrong)
| If the project is really… |
Send it to |
Why not ST |
| An empirical test / causal estimate |
ASR or AJS |
ST does not test hypotheses |
| A methods/measurement advance |
Sociological Methodology / SMR |
ST is substantive/metatheory, not method |
| A comprehensive field survey |
Annual Review of Sociology |
ST wants a theoretical move, not a map |
| Historically grounded macro-process theory |
Theory and Society (close sibling) |
ST leans conceptual/analytic; T&S leans historical-comparative |
| Continental social theory essay |
European Journal of Social Theory |
ST is the ASA's analytically pluralist venue |
ST is the ASA's dedicated theory journal; do not confuse it with these neighbors.
Checklist
Anti-patterns
- A "topic" ("emotions," "the state") presented as if it were a theoretical problem
- An empirical paper relabeled as theory by removing the regression table but keeping the test logic
- A literature review with no original theoretical move
- "Applying" an existing theory to a new case with no change to the theory itself
- Inventing a problem no tradition recognizes, so no reviewer can place the stakes
Output format
【Theoretical problem】[the tension existing theory cannot resolve]
【Kind of theory work】substantive / history of theory / metatheory / formal / synthetic
【ST-fit】yes / no → [route to ASR / AJS / SM / ARS / Theory and Society]
【Tradition to engage】[name]
【Data role】illustrative only / none
【Next step】soctheory-literature-positioning
1---2name: soctheory-topic-selection3description: Use when deciding whether an idea is a genuine theoretical problem and a fit for Sociological Theory (ST) rather than an empirical study or a review essay. Screens the problem and venue fit; it does NOT build the theory (soctheory-theory-construction) or position it in a tradition (soctheory-literature-positioning).4---56# Topic Selection: Is There a Real Theoretical Problem? (soctheory-topic-selection)78## When to trigger910- You have an interesting phenomenon, intuition, or critique but no theory yet11- You are unsure whether the idea belongs at ST or at an empirical/specialist venue12- A draft exists but you cannot state, in one sentence, what theoretical work it does13- You suspect the "theory" is really a literature review or an empirical finding in disguise1415## What counts as an ST-fit theoretical problem1617ST publishes work "in all areas of theory" — new substantive theories, history of theory,18metatheory, formal theory construction, and synthetic contributions (submission guidelines,19检索于 2026-06；以官网为准). A fit problem is one where the deliverable is a **conceptual20advance**: existing theory cannot see, name, or explain something, and your paper supplies the21concept, mechanism, distinction, or reconstruction that lets it. Abend's "The Meaning of22'Theory'" (ST 2008, 26(2):173–199) is the discipline-level reminder that "theory" is several23things at once — be explicit about which you are doing.2425| Kind of theory work (Abend-style) | What the paper delivers | ST-fit? |26|-----------------------------------|-------------------------|---------|27| New substantive theory | new concepts + mechanisms explaining a domain | Yes |28| History of theory | a re-reading of a tradition that changes how we use it | Yes |29| Metatheory | clarifying the logic/warrant of a kind of explanation | Yes |30| Formal theory construction | an explicit, sometimes formalized, derivation of propositions | Yes |31| Synthetic contribution | bridging two traditions to produce new theory | Yes |32| Empirical test of a hypothesis | a finding from data | No → ASR / AJS |33| Literature review | a map of what others said | No → Annual Review of Sociology |3435## The four screening questions36371. **Is there a theoretical problem, not just a topic?** "Trust" is a topic; "existing theories38 treat trust as either calculative or moral, and cannot account for trust that is39 simultaneously both" is a problem.402. **Is the contribution conceptual, not empirical?** If the punchline is "X causes Y in this41 sample," it is an ASR/AJS paper. At ST the punchline is "here is a better way to think about42 X and Y."433. **Does it engage a live tradition?** ST theory intervenes in an ongoing conversation44 (field theory, pragmatism, mechanisms, cultural sociology, Bourdieu, Luhmann, relational45 sociology), not in a vacuum. (Develop this with `soctheory-literature-positioning`.)464. **Can data stay illustrative?** ST permits examples and cases to *illustrate* a concept, but47 they must never be the *test*. If you need a sample to make the claim true, the project is empirical.4849## Sibling-venue map (route off ST if the fit is wrong)5051| If the project is really… | Send it to | Why not ST |52|---------------------------|------------|------------|53| An empirical test / causal estimate | ASR or AJS | ST does not test hypotheses |54| A methods/measurement advance | Sociological Methodology / SMR | ST is substantive/metatheory, not method |55| A comprehensive field survey | Annual Review of Sociology | ST wants a theoretical move, not a map |56| Historically grounded macro-process theory | Theory and Society (close sibling) | ST leans conceptual/analytic; T&S leans historical-comparative |57| Continental social theory essay | European Journal of Social Theory | ST is the ASA's analytically pluralist venue |5859ST is the **ASA's dedicated theory journal**; do not confuse it with these neighbors.6061## Checklist6263- [ ] The problem is stated as a tension existing theory cannot resolve (not a topic)64- [ ] The contribution is conceptual, not an empirical finding65- [ ] The kind of theory work is named (substantive / history / metatheory / formal / synthetic)66- [ ] A live tradition or conversation is identifiable for the intervention67- [ ] Any data is illustrative, never the test68- [ ] The project is not a better fit for ASR / AJS / Sociological Methodology / ARS / Theory and Society6970## Anti-patterns7172- A "topic" ("emotions," "the state") presented as if it were a theoretical problem73- An empirical paper relabeled as theory by removing the regression table but keeping the test logic74- A literature review with no original theoretical move75- "Applying" an existing theory to a new case with no change to the theory itself76- Inventing a problem no tradition recognizes, so no reviewer can place the stakes7778## Output format7980```81【Theoretical problem】[the tension existing theory cannot resolve]82【Kind of theory work】substantive / history of theory / metatheory / formal / synthetic83【ST-fit】yes / no → [route to ASR / AJS / SM / ARS / Theory and Society]84【Tradition to engage】[name]85【Data role】illustrative only / none86【Next step】soctheory-literature-positioning87```
brycewang-stanford