Writing Skills During PhD - Latitude IIMB

1. Rupanwita Dash
Corporate Strategy & Policy
WRITING SKILLS DURING PHD:
THE RHETORIC AND THE
REALITY

2. Source: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/last%20minute%20panic

3. YEAR-WISE WRITING
Year 1
Coursework
• Preliminary
Term
papers
• Early scan
of
potential
ideas:
Literature
Year 2
Coursework
• Important
Term
papers
• Comprehe
nsive scan
of
potential
ideas:
Questions
Comprehensi
ve Exams
• Preliminary
proposal
• Literature
Review,
Data &
Theory:
Research
frontierYear 5: 2nd
half
• Building
your
research
program
• Journal
submissio
ns
Year 5: 1st
half
• Preparing
your
essay(s)
for
Journal
submissio
n
Year 4
• Dissertation
writing
• Conferenc
e
submission
Year 3
• Planning
a
research
program:
thesis
framewor
k
• Conferen
ce

4. WHAT WE WRITE DURING PHD?
 Term papers
1. Review papers
2. Conceptual papers
3. Research proposals
4. Empirical papers
 Proposal
 Essay (s)  conference and journal submissions
 Dissertation

5. 1. REVIEW PAPERS
 Identifying a domain for review
 Scope of review: breadth and depth
 Search process
 Structure
 Chronological
 Thematic
 Theoretical underpinning
 Outcomes

6. 2. CONCEPTUAL PAPER
 Goal: to identify a point in the research frontier
 Process: extensive review of literature on a reasonably
narrow topic and thoughtful analysis
 Outcome: propositions
 Benefits: free of data, measurement, methods
constraints

7. 3. EMPIRICAL PAPER: BASICS
 Telling a story
 What question you are answering?
 Why this question is interesting?
 How are you going to find the answer?
 The answer
 ‘One’ central and novel contribution of your paper
 Situating your work as part of an ongoing scholarly
conversation
 Creative use of figures, robustness checks
 Organization

8. 3. EMPIRICAL PAPER: ORGANIZATION
 Title and Abstract
 Introduction
 Literature review, Theory and Hypotheses
 Data and Method
 Results and Discussion
 References
 Appendices

9. DOs & DONTs
 Think of your reader
 Keep it humble and free of drama
 Resist recounting the entire journey
 Keep it short and simple
 Describe – Explain – Compare alternatives
 Own your work
 Writing style

11. WHERE DO I START?
 Building a folder of exemplar papers
 Regular writing
 Summary of papers read
 Class discussion notes
 Blogs
 Revise, rewrite
 Sign up for peer review
 Friendly review among peers

15. THANK YOU
1. “Writing for Scholarly publication” by Anne S. Huff
2. “Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr.
3. “Publishing in AMJ” series in 2011-12
4. Reviewer resource materials from AOM site