Writing the Conceptual Article

A Practical Guide

Bibliographic Data

ID7501322
AuthorsStephen D Reese (University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume11
Issue7
Pages1195-1210
Publication date2022-01-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDigital Journalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2167-0811 • E-ISSN: 2167-082X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21670811.2021.2009353
OpenAlexW4210472584
LanguageEN
Citations received27
References cited32

The conceptual article can make a valuable contribution to the scholarly conversation but presents its own special challenges compared to the traditional article that reports empirical findings or interpretive analysis with a familiar organizational structure. This article provides a guide to this task, organized around the process of concept explication—the development of theoretical concepts with careful attention to the interplay between their definition and measurement. From ideation to the final writing stage, one must carefully specify how these concepts are connected together in a broader theoretical argument. Examples of this kind of conceptual work are drawn from the field of journalism studies and communication to guide writers in moving beyond an essay that summarizes literature to an article that makes an original contribution, writing in such a way that the key argument is communicated effectively

Argument (complex analysis · Conversation · Epistemology · Explication · Field (mathematics · Key (lock · Management · Management science · Process (computing · Sociology · Task (project management · Computer Science · Media Studies and Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social Media and Politics

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