Publishing Leadership Research in Top-Tier Journals

Additional course information

• Learning objectives

  By the end of this online course, students will be able to:  

  • Identify and articulate relevant leadership-related research questions and explain how their work contributes to current theoretical and practical debates in their research field.
  • Understand the core components of high-quality leadership research, including conceptual papers, literature reviews, qualitative studies, or quantitative studies and apply this knowledge to improve the structure, design, and positioning of their work.  
  • Develop a convincing theoretical contribution and strengthen the clarity, coherence, and relevance of their research project.
  • Be able to critically assess academic feedback from mentors and peers and integrate this feedback to revise and improve their leadership research in line with the expectations of top-tier journals.  
  • Be able to navigate the academic publishing process, for leadership-relate studies, including selecting appropriate journals, understanding editors’ perspectives, and crafting effective responses to reviewer comments. 

• Forms of tuition and assessment 

  This winter school is structured around active participation and applied learning. Every day, students will have a lecture of expert talk in the morning, followed by a workshop in the afternoon. To attain a course certificate, participants can miss no more than 1 lecture or workshop.

  The assessment in this winter school focuses on evaluating participants’ ability to improve and develop their research project over the week. Specifically, we assess how well participants apply the insights gained during the course to strengthen the theoretical framing, research design, and overall clarity of their work, in line with the learning objectives.  

  Individual Assignment (100%) – Research Project Progress Report  

  This individual assessment consists of a written progress report (1,500-2,000 words) to be submitted within two weeks after the winter school. In this report, participants are expected to:  

  • Describe the current state of their research project (e.g., relevance of research question, key contributions)  
  • Identify the key improvements made during the course  
  • Reflect on and respond to the feedback received (from mentors, peers, and sessions)  
  • Explain how they plan to further develop the paper toward submission to a top-tier journal.  

  This assignment tests the following learning objectives:

  • Identifying and articulating relevant research questions  
  • Understand the core components of high-quality papers  
  • Developing theoretical contributions  
  • Integrating feedback to improve research  
  • Navigating the academic publishing process  

  Minimum requirement: To pass the assignment, participants must demonstrate that they have meaningfully engaged with the course content and feedback, and have made clear improvements in the structure, positioning, or framing of their research project. The assignment is due two weeks after the winter school. 

  Attendance Policy: Full attendance is mandatory, as the course builds progressively and relies heavily on peer learning and faculty feedback. Active participation in all five days is essential for creating a productive and supportive learning environment. Missing more than one session will require an individual discussion with the instructors to determine whether the learning objectives can still be met.

• Full timetable

  The winter school is a one-week course (5 days) from 10.00 until 15.30 (homework hours not included).

  Day 1 – Positioning Leadership Research 

  The winter school kicks off with a session on positioning leadership research, which sets a specific focus on the introduction. Among others, we discuss questions including: what makes a research question interesting and timely? How can you convincingly explain the practical and theoretical relevance of your work? You will also learn strategies to craft compelling introductions that resonate with both reviewers and readers. 

  10:00-11:30: Interactive lecture by experts (ca. 60 minutes) with general open discussion at the end (ca. 30 minutes)  

  14:00-15:30: Workshop focusing on participants’ introduction  

  Day 2 – Writing Different Types of Papers 

  Participants will break into four tracks focused on their paper type (conceptual, systematic review, qualitative, or quantitative). Each group will explore the unique challenges and opportunities of their approach, including key design considerations, writing strategies, and publication tips. Faculty experts will guide participants through best practices for structure, argumentation, and positioning. 

  10:00-11:30: Interactive lecture by experts (ca. 60 minutes) with general open discussion at the end (ca. 30 minutes)  

  14:00-15:30: Workshop focusing on how to publish the different types of research papers (conceptual, literature review, qualitative, quantitative) 

  Day 3 – Project Development 

  The third day is all about you and your project. In small-group sessions, you will receive guidance on how to move your research forward. Whether you are refining your theoretical model, adjusting your methods, or improving your framing, this is the time to dive deep and make progress. 

  10:00-11:30: Small group discussion of paper projects moderated by expert (ca. 90 minutes)  

  14:00-15:30: One-on-one meeting with experts focusing on the next steps in the research project  

  Day 4 – Understanding and Navigating Peer Review 

  You will gain insight into the peer review process from both sides—author and reviewer. You will receive written feedback on your project from a faculty mentor and a peer, simulating a real review process. You will also learn how to respond effectively to reviewer comments, handle rejections, and revise your work to get it published. 

  10:00-11:30: Interactive lecture by experts (ca. 60 minutes) with general open discussion at the end (ca. 30 minutes)  

  14:00-15:30: Working on feedback from peers and experts  

  Day 5 – Meet the Editors 

  On the final day, you will further continue working on your project and handling the feedback you received on day 4. You will also engage in an open and informal discussion with current and former editors of top-tier journals in leadership, management, entrepreneurship, and organization studies. This is a rare opportunity to ask direct questions, get insider perspectives, and receive feedback on how to better position your leadership study for different outlets. 

  10:00-11:30: Small group discussion of paper projects moderated by expert (ca. 90 minutes) based on input from peer review  

  14:00-15:30: Editors panel

  *The final, detailed planning depends on the number of participants.

• Course syllabus

  Course Syllabus - WS 2026

• About the professors

  Dr. Agnes Bäker is an Associate Professor of Leadership at VU Amsterdam. Her research focuses on how leaders’ expertise in the core business of their organization affects followers’ job satisfaction and quit intention, as well as organizational performance. Her work has been published in leading academic journals such as Research Policy, Harvard Business Review, and Journal of Vocational Behaviour.  

  Dr. Jost Sieweke is an Associate Professor of Strategic Leadership at VU Amsterdam. His research focuses on how strategic leadership teams influence firm outcomes, causal inference in leadership research, and strategic leader preferences and beliefs. His work has been published in journals such as The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Organizational Behaviour.  

  Dr. Omar Solinger is an Associate Professor in Psychology at VU Amsterdam. Omar is a broad-minded psychologist with expertise in management, theory development, and process research. Specifically, he studies why and how work-related phenomena (e.g., commitment, moral cognitions, leadership/followership) change over time. His research has been published in journals including Academy of Management Review, Organizational Research Methods, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Organization Science.  

  Dr. Kathleen Stephenson is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Change and Leadership at VU Amsterdam. Her research touches on a broad array of topics including (institutional and organizational) change, leadership, gender leadership and funding gaps, DEI initiatives, and identity work. Her work has been published in the Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, Journal of Management Studies, and Culture and Organization.  

  Dr. Rafael Wilms is an Assistant Professor of Leadership at VU Amsterdam. His research explores the bright and dark sides of charisma and its effects on followers, causal inference in leadership research, and gender in leadership. His work has been published in journals, including The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Business and Psychology, and Methods in Psychology. 

  Prof. dr. Mark van Vugt is Professor of Evolutionary Psychology, Work and Organizational Psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is also Research Associate at the Department for Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, UK. His expertise is in evolutionary perspectives on human social behaviour and in applications of evolutionary psychology to fields such as leadership, business and management, economics, sustainability, health, politics, war and peace. Mark is an associate editor for The Leadership Quarterly (since 2016) and for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2008-2014).