On the morning of November 4, at the invitation of the School of Management, Professor Chenglu Wang, Tenured Professor of the Marketing Department at the College of Business of the University of New Haven, USA and Fulbright Scholar, delivered an academic lecture entitled Demonstrating Contributions through Storytelling – From Editor’s Perspective in Lecture Hall 214 of the School of Management on the Chang'an Campus of Northwestern Polytechnical University. As the 24th lecture in the School of Management's 2025 Overseas Lecture Series, this event was hosted by Professor Chang Yu and attended by faculty members and postgraduate students of the Business Administration discipline at the school.

In the lecture, drawing on his years of experience as an editor and reviewer for top international journals, Professor Chenglu Wang elaborated in depth on the narrative logic for writing high-quality academic papers with a compelling "storyline". He pointed out that research contribution is the core element that most impresses reviewers and editors during paper writing and review, and a clear and engaging research story is an effective way to demonstrate research contributions. Professor Wang emphasized that an interesting title is the first step to highlighting the highlights of one’s paper, and the introduction and hypothesis sections should tell a logically rigorous and progressive story. By presenting the practical significance of the research question, theoretical gaps and innovative points, the paper can arouse the interest and resonance of editors and readers.

In the interactive session, the attending faculty and students held a lively discussion on issues such as how to craft a compelling research story and how to collect high-quality data to gain reviewers’ trust. Professor Chenglu Wang encouraged young scholars to focus on structural coherence and narrative reasoning in paper conception and writing, and to demonstrate the depth and uniqueness of their research ideas by "telling a good story", thereby enhancing the communication and influence of academic achievements. This lecture provided new perspectives and valuable insights for the faculty and students of the School of Management to improve the quality of paper writing and the success rate of submissions.

(Content by / Gao Meiqi | Reviewed by / Shao Jing & Zhang Shuang)

Brief Introduction to the Lecturer

Chenglu Wang is a Tenured Professor of Marketing at the College of Business of the University of New Haven, USA and a Fulbright Scholar. His main research interests focus on consumer behavior and interactive marketing. He has published more than 100 SSCI academic papers in prestigious journals including the Journal of Consumer Psychology and Journal of Business Ethics, and has been listed as one of the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University for consecutive years.

He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing and Journal of Applied Business & Social Sciences, two journals specializing in interactive marketing. He has also acted as the Guest Editor-in-Chief for more than ten SSCI Q1 journals on multiple occasions, including the Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Marketing Review and Industrial Marketing Management.