July 30-31

Writing is a fundamental aspect of qualitative methods throughout the research process—but one that people often struggle with in isolation or think only comes “at the end” of a project. In this two-day supportive workshop, participants will practice proven strategies for how to write a compelling qualitative report that is persuasive, significant, theoretically informed, and powerful. Using a mix of lecture and writing exercises, participants will learn vital writing techniques for making significant claims as well as connecting with key audiences. Workshop activities will focus on writing efficiently, creatively, and coherently—interweaving key evidence, imagery, metaphor, and arguments.

Whether you are writing an analytic report, dissertation, book, or academic journal article, this workshop will improve your craft. Further, the workshop is designed to provide a caring and useful environment for those grappling with writing revisions or responding to reviews or critiques. Participants should come with a topic to write about and an idea of desired audience(s) and outcomes for their writing.

Participants will:

1. Consider audience first, including strategies for “being interesting”.
2. Brainstorm the most receptive outlets for your research, including alternative representations outside of the scholarly journal article.
3. Learn the specific ways that qualitative writing is distinct, as well as the benefits and constraints of different writing approaches.
4. Understand the primary aspects of a qualitative research report -- including the abstract, rationale, literature review / conceptual framework, methods, findings, and implications.
5. Practice claim-making, explanation, and theorizing through writing heuristics.
6. Explore how to incorporate artistic and visual qualitative approaches such as drawings, photos, qualitative models, word clouds.
7. Be introduced to the most common pitfalls in qualitative writing and learn how to avoid them.
8. Work through the publication process, including how to respond to critiques.
9. Begin considering these factors even when the qualitative research is in progress.

Resources for this workshop will come, in part, from S. Tracy’s Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact, 3rd Ed (Wiley, 2025) and from Sarah’s history of publishing more than 100 scholarly research reports and presenting qualitative research 350+ times to a variety of scholarly, professional, and pedagogical audiences.