Tag Archives: Writing

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Tips for novice qualitative researchers when using quotes

One of the biggest struggles that new qualitative researchers experience is how to make use of their data, specifically the use of quotes. The balance is a delicate one where you want to maintain fidelity to the voices of your participants and other data sources, yet you cannot simply dump pages and pages of transcriptions into the findings section. You have to identify the most central elements, pick out representative quotes, and at the most basic level tell a story about what you found. In this post, I want to provide tips for novice qualitative researchers when using quotes to help navigate this difficult balancing act.

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How to know you are finished with qualitative data collection

In qualitative research, there is no clear beginning, middle, and end to the research process. Data collection, analysis, and writing phases of research projects are often blurred and inherently iterative. This presents big challenges for doctoral students trying to complete qualitative dissertations. Each of the phases of research informs one another and introduces a messiness into the process that doctoral students undergoing their first major research project can find disorienting and confusing. While you will not necessarily “finish” data collection and analysis before moving forward with writing up the findings and results of your dissertation, the reality is that many students tend to move toward the significant writing of their findings following the competition of data collection and analysis. In today’s post, I want to provide some suggestions for how to know you are finished with qualitative data collection.

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Why I assign term papers

In an essay for InsideHigherEd, Deborah Cohan, an associate professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, makes the case for why she does not assign term papers to her students. Cohan contends that the term or research paper does not allow students to sufficiently develop their own voice or connect ideas. I found myself agreeing with her stated goals for writing assignments, but coming to dramatically different conclusions. In fact, in my own classes, I only assign research papers in an attempt to meet the goals Cohan seeks. In today’s post, I want to discuss why I assign term papers, my take on Cohan’s essay, and why I believe her goals of writing are right although her conclusions on research papers are wrong.

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The role and purpose of a research agenda

A research agenda plays a valuable role in helping design scholarly activities for graduate students and faculty. Simply put, a research agenda means identifying the areas you will research and the methodologies you will use to answer questions. You probably have heard from professors in graduate school and beyond that you can’t research everything so you need to pick what you can feasibly study. Moreover, a scattershot approach can keep you from focusing on important questions and pull you in a number of different directions. In today’s post, I will describe research agenda and why they can be of benefit for researchers.

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Five advantages to write more with a writing group

Writing is hard. Whether you are a graduate student, pre-tenure faculty member, or a tenured full professor, the writing process often proves difficult. Yet, for many of us, writing represents some of the most important aspects of our professional work. One of the best ways that I have found to support my work is to write more with a writing group. In today’s post, I want to share the five benefits you can receive from an effective writing group.

Five advantages to write more with a writing group

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