Three things for a successful Publication, Thesis or Dissertation: Theory, Context and Data

Kevin O’Gorman is Professor of Management and Business History and Head of Business Management in the School of Languages and Management in Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. He trained in Glasgow, Salamanca and Rome as a philosopher, theologian and historian. His research interests have a dual focus: Origins, history and cultural practices of hospitality, and philosophical, ethical and cultural underpinnings of contemporary management practices. Using a wide range of methodological approaches he has published over 80 journal articles, books, chapters, and conference papers in business and management.

Now, before we go any further, clearly articulating you theory, context, data collection, and data analysis is not enough to get published, however, not doing this is enough to get your paper desk rejected.

Clear articulation of all three things is subject to a sensible selection process; a general review might not require the application of any particular theory, whilst a conceptual paper may not involve the collection and analysis of original data, but once you know what type of paper you are writing, you should be able to break it down. Being able to explain your paper in relation to each of these sections is of great help when considering both the ways in which to frame the paper, and the gaps that your research addresses.

Bryce, O’Gorman and Baxter’s (2013) exploration of the development of commercial hospitality in early modern Safavid Iran is here offered as an example of how to introduce a theoretical base in the opening paragraph of a paper:

“The theoretical aims of this paper are two-fold: to explore the development of an infrastructure of hospitality provision intended to facilitate commerce within the Islamic world, and to combine material culture research methods in an analytical framework. Material culture research analyzes the physical world to infer meaning on human function. By exploring three key aspects of material culture, a fresh research perspective is offered.”

Context duly follows in the second paragraph (and detailed in later sections):

“Contextually, this paper explores the place of hospitality in Safavid Iran during a period when a “capitalist” economy informed by Islamic propriety had existed for almost 1,000 years in the region”

Data collection and analysis are explained in the methodology section:

“A three-level methodological framework using archaeological, architectural and artifactual methods of data collection are used as a framework around which to construct material culture-based research. When applying material culture methods in a contemporary context to a populated and functioning business, the subjectivity of any study of this nature can be influenced by the human element of the organization.”

Now that is just one worked example, however, the table below provides another 12 examples for you to look at.  If you want more guidance on writing for publication in peer-reviewed business and management journals then have a look at “So you want to get published? It’s all about theory, context and data”

Picture by theilr under CC license.