Tell China's Stories Well: The “A:B—C” Format for Research-paper Titles and the Essence of Conceptual Construction

In public policy and management studies, a novel convention of titling, the “A: B—C” tripartite structure, has gained prominence. This structure marks a shift from traditional single-phrase or dual-component titles so as to integrate additional dimensions that improve academic communications. Consequently, this format has gained growing academic acceptance, with its adoption rates steadily rising. The central challenge lies in ensuring that such structurally sophisticated titles transcend mere formal complexity and instead substantively contribute to elevating the papers' academic rigor.

Based on a textual analysis of paper titles and related information in the field of public management, this study finds that the newly added “A” element typically represents information describing the research conclusions pertaining to public management phenomena, articulated through either an individual concept or a set of concepts. Concepts are classified along two dimensions: origin(empirical or theoretical) and epistemic function(descriptive or explanatory). Such classifications generate four conceptual types: metaphorical, rules-of-thumb, descriptive, and analytical. Empirical as well as theoretical sources contribute uniquely to the production of knowledge. Descriptive concepts establish the foundational frameworks for identifying and characterizing phenomena, while analytical concepts reveal causal mechanisms and systemic explanations, thereby ensuring both theoretical depth and practical relevance.

This study argues that ensuring the theoretical sophistication of the concepts embedded in the “A” element is critical for achieving a meaningful integration of the formal structure of the ABC format with theory building. To this end, the study proposes a comprehensive framework for conceptual refinement across multiple dimensions: reshaping the understanding of empirical phenomena through structural metaphorical concepts, enriching the content of rules-of-thumb concepts by integrating layered theoretical insights, strengthening the deconstructive dimensions of descriptive concepts, and enhancing the construction of analytical concepts by incorporating theories from the foundational disciplines. By improving the theoretical rigor of the “A” element, this framework not only enhances the effectiveness of ABC titles but also aligns with contemporary goals of “Tell China's stories well” and developing indigenous theoretical frameworks.