On the morning of November 4, at the invitation of the School of Management, Professor Chenglu Wang, a tenured professor in the Department of Marketing at the University of New Haven’s School of Business and a Fulbright Scholar, delivered an academic lecture titled “Demonstrating Contributions through Storytelling – From Editor’s Perspective” in Lecture Hall 214 of the School of Management at Northwestern Polytechnical University’s Chang’an Campus. This lecture was the 24th in the School of Management’s 2025 Overseas Lecture Series, hosted by Professor Chang Yu, and was attended by faculty and graduate students in the field of business administration.

During the lecture, Wang Chenglu drew on his years of experience as an editor and reviewer for top-tier international journals to elaborate on the “storytelling” logic in writing high-quality academic papers. He pointed out that in the process of writing and reviewing, research contribution is the core element that most impresses reviewers and editors, and a clear, compelling research story is an effective way to demonstrate that contribution. Professor Wang emphasized that an interesting title is the first step in showcasing the highlights of one’s paper, while the introduction and hypothesis sections should resemble a logically rigorous, progressively unfolding story — one that stimulates the interest and resonance of editors and readers by presenting the practical significance of the research question, theoretical gaps, and innovative points.

During the Q&A and discussion session, faculty and students in attendance engaged in lively exchanges on topics such as how to tell a good research story and how to collect high-quality data to earn the trust of reviewers. Wang Chenglu encouraged young scholars to focus on structural coherence and narrative argumentation when conceptualizing and writing their papers, using “good storytelling” to convey the depth and uniqueness of their research ideas, thereby enhancing the reach and impact of their academic work. The lecture provided new perspectives and valuable insights for faculty and students of the School of Management in improving the quality of paper writing and increasing submission success rates.

(Contributed by Gao Meiqin; Reviewed by Shao Jing and Zhang Shuang)

About the speaker:

Wang Chenglu is a professor of marketing at the School of Business, Yale University, and a Fulbright scholar. His main research areas are consumer behavior and interactive marketing. He has published over 100 SSCI academic articles in professional journals such as the Journal of Consumer Psychology and Journal of Business Ethics. He has been consistently listed among the top 2% of scientists worldwide by Stanford University. He currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the Interactive Marketing Research Journal and the Applied Business and Social Sciences Journal. He has also served as the associate editor-in-chief for special issues of more than ten SSCI Zone 1 journals, including the Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Marketing Review, and Industrial Marketing Management.