Principles of complexity science are used to develop a framework of meta-criteria for evaluating the quality, coherence and value of management and organisational research. The framework can be applied to any social or behavioural science investigation. The over-arching meta-criterion is ‘convincingness’ of the research, from start to finish. ‘Convincingness’ is an emergent property influenced by 12 inter-related meta-criteria, each targeting an aspect of research groundwork, design, execution or closure. A skeletal mindmap is provided that can help researchers and reviewers apply the framework. The meta-criteria are designed to move researchers’ thinking beyond the boundaries of specific research traditions or paradigms and their localised assumptions and definitions of research validity. This should facilitate balanced and appropriately contextualised judgments of research quality.