Date/Time
Date(s) - 17/06/2026 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Audience:
LUBS Guest Lecture Series
Eliminating Barriers to Publication: Deconstructing an Academic Paper
With Dr Raymond O’Brien
Wednesday 17th June 2026
10.00-12.00 (UK time)
Summary of Session
This session examines how academic papers are structured and how as early academic scholars, we can use mimicry to develop rigorous arguments within peer-reviewed research. The session will guide participants through the core components of a research article, including the introduction, theoretical framing, literature review, methodology, findings, and discussion, in your leading journal, while demonstrating how each section contributes to the overall scholarly argument. Particular attention will be given to identifying how to structure the research gaps, understanding theoretical positioning, and evaluating methodological choices. Using examples from international business and management research [you can use your own field], the session will illustrate how already published work can help you refine your research and allow you to translate theoretical ideas into measurable constructs and analytical models.
The aim of the session is to help PhD students and early-stage researchers develop stronger critical reading skills and gain a deeper understanding of how high-quality academic research is constructed in order to help you have a better chance of publication, reducing one of the barriers to publishing. Participants will also learn how to critically assess the strength of an academic contribution by examining the clarity of research questions, the coherence between theory and empirical design, and the implications of findings for both scholarship and practice.
Biography – Dr Raymond O’Brien – PhD; CMBE; FHEA
Raymond O’Brien is an Entrepreneur with 20 years’ experience in Industry, Lecturer and researcher in Management and International Business with teaching experience at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham.
His academic work focuses on strategic management, SME internationalisation, entrepreneurship, and export strategy. His doctoral research examined the drivers of SME export propensity, analysing how ownership structures, managerial capabilities, strategic orientation, inter-organisational networks, and product innovation influence firms’ international market participation.
Ray’s teaching spans strategic management, international business, research methods, and some dissertation supervision across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. His research integrates theoretical perspectives including the resource-based view, signalling theory, resource dependence theory, and network theory to better understand how SMEs develop capabilities for international expansion. Prior to academia, he worked in operational and project management roles within public-sector and training environments, experience that informs his applied teaching approach and engagement with industry-relevant management challenges.
If you would like to join the lecture, please register using the link at the top of this page.