The second point on our theory-testing axis represents
empirical articles in which predictions are
grounded with reference to past findings. Unlike
the articles described in our preceding paragraph,
these articles rely on the extant literature to ground
a priori hypotheses. However, that grounding consists
solely of lists of references to past findings,
without explication of all the causal logic that
might explain those findings. In Sutton and Staw’s
words, “References are sometimes used like a
smoke screen to hide the absence of theory” (1995:
373). A paragraph reciting the findings of past studies
can convince the reader that the same sort of
relationships should be observed in the current
article, though an understanding of why those relationships
might exist would still be lacking (Sutton
& Staw, 1995).