Sarah Tracy

July 29-30

Writing is central to qualitative inquiry at every stage of the research process—not just something that happens “at the end.” Yet, many researchers find themselves struggling alone, unsure how to make their writing persuasive, significant, or powerful.

This two-day supportive workshop offers a mix of lecture, discussion, and hands-on writing exercises designed to strengthen your craft and build confidence. Participants will practice proven strategies for crafting qualitative reports that connect with key audiences, advance theory, and resonate beyond the page. Activities will emphasize writing efficiently, creatively, and coherently — interweaving evidence, imagery, metaphor, and argument.

Whether you are working on an analytic report, dissertation, book, or journal article, this workshop provides practical tools as well as a caring, collaborative environment. It is also useful for those grappling with revisions or responding to reviews. Participants can bring along a current writing project, or learn from the examples provided.

In this workshop, you will learn to:

• Frame your research to capture your audience’s attention.
• Identify the most receptive publication outlets—including alternative representations beyond the journal article.
• Recognize the distinct features of qualitative writing and the pros/cons of different approaches.
• Understand the key “puzzle pieces” of a qualitative report—abstract, rationale, literature/conceptual framework, methods, findings, and implications.
• Practice claim-making, theorizing, and explanation through writing heuristics.
• Experiment with artistic and visual approaches (e.g., drawings, photos, word clouds, qualitative models).
• Spot common pitfalls in qualitative writing and learn strategies to avoid them.
• Navigate the publication process, including how to respond to reviewer critiques.
• Consider the ethical use of AI in qualitative writing.

Resources for this workshop draw from Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact (3rd ed., Wiley, 2025) and from Sarah’s experience publishing more than 100 scholarly reports and presenting qualitative research over 350 times to scholarly, professional, and pedagogical audiences.