Qualitative Writing

Exploring Cul-de-Sacs and Alleys

Bibliographic Data

ID21206286
AuthorsSuzanne D’Souza (0000-0002-8334-2609, Western Sydney University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume17
Issue3
Pages232-249
Publication date2024-11-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Review of Qualitative Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1940-8447 • E-ISSN: 1940-8455
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/19408447241242423
OpenAlexW4393335336
LanguageEN
References cited40

Writing qualitatively is an immersive experience divergent to other forms of research writing. It is an active construction of reality characterized by integration of the socio-cultural context and in-depth analysis of data viewed through the lens of the writer’s own experience of the phenomenon. However, these characteristics prove challenging and qualitative researchers are often at a loss on how to document their findings. Most studies provide a broad sweep of qualitative writing with few explicit examples in practice which further confounds researchers. Consequently, researchers find qualitative writing exacting and intimidating and tend to present their findings objectively with either scarce or excessive reference to the research paradigm, thwarting the full transformative potential of qualitative research. Drawing on my experience as an interpretive phenomenologist, I present the writing cul-de-sacs and alleys I navigated to illustrate my becoming as a qualitative writer. Specifically, I highlight three distinct strategies to write it right, qualitatively. To maximize findings, the writing style should conceptually align with the research philosophy. Textual cohesion and a multi-dimensional view of social reality can be generated through a mixed-genre writing approach. Finally, making the “I” meaningful by incorporating the researcher’s experiences into the text affords a deepened understanding of the phenomenon. Tenaciously navigating cul-de-sacs in writing and finding solutions to exit no through roads, and walking those shadowy alleys of theoretical constraints, stylistic impositions, and tight word space endow a concrete visibility to the otherwise blurry aspects of life

Qualitative research · Sociology · Anthropology · Artistic and Creative Research · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Management and Organizational Studies

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