Proseminar in Cross-National Studies

From Idea to Publishing in the Social Sciences

Joshua Kjerulf Dubrow, Cross-National Studies: Interdisciplinary Research and Training

(CONSIRT) Program

www.crossnationalstudies.org

This is what the presentation will cover:

I. Structure/organization of empirical research articlesII. Content and Introduction sections III. Theory and hypotheses sectionsIV. Data and methods sectionsV. Results sectionsVI. Conclusion and discussion sectionsVII. Framing papers for publicationVIII. Practical considerations for pursuing article length

research

We will use the following research article as reference:

Guestzkow, Joshua, Michele Lamont and Gregoire Mallard. 2004. “What is Originality in the Humanities and the Social Sciences?” American Sociological Review 69(April): 190-212.

I. Structure/Organization

The structure of empirical research articles most familiar to readers (and reviewers):

1. Introduction2. Theory and hypotheses3. Data and methods4. Results5. Conclusion6. Appendix

II. Content and Introduction

• Articles should be as short as possible

• Read as a reviewer – a hostile, picayune-minded reviewer – would read it

• Be clear

• Answer the question: SO WHAT?

III. Theory and hypotheses

• Empirical papers must go beyond mere description• Explicit, clear and concise definition of the main

concepts• Connections between concepts must also be

explicitly stated• Explicitly theorize each variable’s effect on the

dependent variable• Clear hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: Controlling for

household size, the greater the household income, the greater probability of attending university.

IV. Data and Methods

• Who: Units of analysis: individuals? Organizations? Countries?

• What: Type of data: interviews? Survey? Participant observation?

• When: Year(s) data was collected• Where: Where was data collected? Country or

countries and relevant social, political and other historical context of the data

• Why: Why is this data best suited to addressing your research question?

IV. Data and Methods

• Validity, reliability and biases must be explicitly stated

• Method section must describe the procedure clearly; it should address concerns of those who are unfamiliar with the methods you use, and the specialists

V. Results

• Results should highlight major findings, and relevant minor findings.

• All of these are foreshadowing for the conclusion and discussion section.

• Each hypothesis must be addressed.

• All parts of tables should be addressed.

VI. Conclusion and discussions

• Begin with a restatement of the goal of the paper and what data/methods are used.

• Should contain a summary of the major findings and their implications for advancing theory or methods.

• Should discuss the major limitations of the study. This is a good way to introduce suggestions for future research.

VII. Framing papers for publication

Proper framing of the paper requires knowledge of:

A. The field

B. What’s in the literature, what’s not, and what is needed

C. The journals, specifically the types of articles they publish

Ideally, you would write an article with one or two journals in mind.

VIII. Practical considerations for pursuing article length research

• Collaborate

• Do

• Seek Criticism

• Accept Rejection, and Move Forward