Category: Writing up qualitative research

Influential qualitative researchers: Laurel Richardson

Sociologist Laurel Richardson is well-known for her writing about writing. In numerous texts, she provides plenty for students of qualitative research to think about (Richardson, 1990; Richardson, 1994b; Richardson & St. Pierre, 2005), along with practical suggestions for how writing is a “method of inquiry.” Richardson also proposes the use of “creative analytic practices” or … Continue reading Influential qualitative researchers: Laurel Richardson

What do journal editors want?

When a manuscript is rejected by a journal editor, it is easy to feel discouraged, and even give up on a manuscript altogether. Don't despair! Another question to ask is:  what is it that journal editors want? In fact, rather than being a mystery, there is much insight into what journal editors want to be … Continue reading What do journal editors want?

Two pieces of advice in conducting qualitative research

One year when I had not done such a great job of scheduling my time, I found myself writing my conference paper the week before the conference. Have you been there? (Hopefully not!) My panic increased as I kept reading more and more literature that informed the argument that I was making (while failing to … Continue reading Two pieces of advice in conducting qualitative research

Publishing qualitative research

A study is not really completed until it is published and available to others to read. But how do researchers begin to publish? In this blogpost, I provide some ideas and resources to help with navigating the journey from a publishable manuscript to a published manuscript.  Entering the conversation How does one enter a discussion … Continue reading Publishing qualitative research

Finding inspiration for academic writing

For anyone pursuing a scholarly career – whether as a student researcher or faculty member – it is always a challenge to develop a consistent and productive writing practice. Even though we may start out the academic year with good intentions, life sometimes just gets in the way, and completion of writing projects gets delayed … Continue reading Finding inspiration for academic writing

“Qualitative researchers need to be storytellers”

This is what Harry Wolcott (1994, p. 17) asserts in his book on qualitative data analysis. What are strategies that one might use to tell the story of one’s research? Whatever approach one selects to use in a qualitative study, the end product will typically be a written report on the research study. This might … Continue reading “Qualitative researchers need to be storytellers”

10 Suggestions for Summer-time things to do in qualitative inquiry

For those in the northern hemisphere it is summer time, and some qualitative researchers have extra time to do things that are difficult to squeeze into a regular semester. Here are suggestions for 10 fun things to do... Visit an archives to look at the documentation left by other researchers I recently spent some time … Continue reading 10 Suggestions for Summer-time things to do in qualitative inquiry

Influential qualitative researchers: Harry F. Wolcott

Educational anthropologist Harry Wolcott (1929-2012) has written numerous books on how to do qualitative research. His early study investigated the work of a principal in The man in the principal’s office: An ethnography (Wolcott, 1973). Unlike many of his contemporaries, Wolcott argued for the merit of an n of 1 (Wolcott, 1995). One of his … Continue reading Influential qualitative researchers: Harry F. Wolcott

Make haste slowly…the value of pausing in doing qualitative research

“Make haste slowly” were words of advice given to me by the principal in the first school that I taught in many years ago. Terry, as he was known to teachers and staff, had many years of teaching and administration experience. His office appeared somewhat disorganized, with stacks of papers piled on his desk. Yet, … Continue reading Make haste slowly…the value of pausing in doing qualitative research