Author: Áine M. Humble

Reporting the Project (continued)

Writing about content
As stated, I knew exactly where I wanted to submit my work. I knew this far in advance of even collecting my data or writing my paper - when I submitted my application for an internal grant at my university to fund this study, I had to list suggestions of where I would disseminate the findings of my study. At that time, I wrote down the Journal of Divorce and Remarriage (JDR). I think it is very helpful to have an idea of where you want to submit your work to before you even start on it. Indeed, funding agencies often ask for this information in their application forms. This certainly does not mean that things can not change as you move through your project - in fact it did for me - but it is helpful to have a starting point.

My analysis had been completed before I started working on any papers or conference submissions (and only just so; this was a benefit for me, as I was still comfortably immersed in the project, making it easier to work on the submissions). My first stage of reporting the project involved writing a conference abstract, but as I was writing it I also realized that I could actually write the paper at the same time. So I worked simultaneously on both submissions. As in my previous work (Humble et al., 2008 [PDF- 109 KB]), I followed guidelines from Matthews (2005) in writing up my qualitative study. However, when I started focusing on the JDR paper (PDF- 139 KB), I took a closer look at the submission criteria, and I realized that this particular journal typically accepted papers that were only 20 pages long, which I had not paid attention to when I chose the JDR as the journal to which I would submit my work. I was used to journals that allowed up to 32 pages for qualitative studies, so this was a concern - 20 pages was very short for qualitative work! I had already emailed the editor with one or two questions, so I sent a third email to him, explaining my concern. Given that I knew I could not keep the paper within a 20-page limit, should I even consider submitting my work now? He encouraged me to send in the paper in its current length (which was slightly longer than 32 pages) and wait and see what the reviewers said. Imagine my surprise when I received the editorial decision saying that it was being accepted and that no cuts were needed! I was, of course, ecstatic about the outcome, and also very pleased with myself for following through with my inquiry to the editor.

Writing about method
While I was involved in analyzing my data and, in particular, using various aspects of MAXQDA to further my exploration of the data, I realized that there was a second paper I could write, and I was confident that I could do it both easily and quickly. This second paper would focus on the actual analysis I did and the way in which the MAXQDA software facilitated the process of inquiry, showing how I "construct[ed] evidence within the qualitative project" (Meadows & Morse, 2001, p. 187). I felt it was very important not to lose the momentum of my writing - in fact, as soon as the first paper was completed, I started on the second paper the very next day. The first paper was written over a period of about three weeks and was submitted to the JDR on February 22, 2008, and the conference poster (PDF- 701 KB) (Humble, 2008) proposal submitted to NCFR (the National Council on Family Relations) two days later. I submitted the second paper to the International Journal of Qualitative Methods (IJQM) on February 29, 2008, taking just one week to write it, which was exactly how long I thought I would need. Indeed, much of my thinking had already taken place during analysis and I had jotted down ideas about the second paper as I was writing the first one. It was just a matter of putting it all together. (I will confess, however, that I "crashed and burned" afterwards, needing a good break to recover from the intense writing focus I'd maintained for a full month amidst my other research, teaching, and service responsibilities!)

Again, the IJQM seemed like the perfect venue for my second paper. First, its focus was on advancing qualitative methods, and I wanted to fully describe the way in which I'd carried out my analysis - something that usually is not possible in typical academic journals. Second, it was published on-line; thus it could easily support the graphics that I wanted and needed to include. As stated on the journal's webpage in their instructions to authors, "Electronic publishing allows for a convenient and inexpensive method of publishing full color graphics, so please feel free to use photographs and illustrations where appropriate." Meaningfully describing how I conducted my analysis using MAXQDA's various tools required the inclusion of screenshots (integral to understanding how to use a software program, as anyone who has taken a software tutorial will know) and jpg files, both of which needed to be reproduced in full color. As increasing numbers of researchers use qualitative analysis software or non-traditional ways of presenting their findings (e.g., arts-based inquiries involving pictures and photos), and as qualitative software programs continue to expand their investigative capabilities such as through the use of visual tools (Kuckartz, 2007a), journals will need to find ways to support and publish such analytical and technological advances in the qualitative research field. Qualitative researchers may also want to consider these factors before deciding where to submit their work.

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