Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/03/2026 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Audience:
Faculty of Business Guest Lecture Series
‘Publishing Qualitative Research in Top Journals’ with Professor David Silverman
Tuesday 10th March 2026, 10.00-11.30 UK time
Online via Zoom
In the current, highly competitive academic environment, ‘publish or perish’ has become an even more difficult maxim to follow. Every day we receive emails from little known journal editors encouraging us to submit a paper and promising a rapid turnaround (often for a stiff fee). However, we learn that the top-ranked journals, who matter much more to our career, are where we should be aiming. And, of course, they have no need to pepper us with email invitations.
In this talk, aimed at PhD students and early career researchers, I discuss how to make the move from years of intensive research to writing papers that may be accepted by such journals. Among the topics I consider are:
- Common errors about the nature of qualitative research
- Mistakes in writing up for journals
- The need for clarity
- Choosing the right journal
- Focussing and shortening your paper
- Finding an exemplary paper to imitate
- Avoiding perfectionism
- How to make qualitative research acceptable
- Identifying possible reviewers and responding to their reviews
- Publishing one piece of research in multiple journals
Prof David Silverman is Visiting Emeritus Professor at Leeds University Business School, Professor Emeritus in the Sociology Department at Goldsmiths College, London Visiting Professor in the King’s College Business School, University of London and the Business School, University of Technology, Sydney as well as Adjunct Professor at QUT, Faculty of Education. He has authored 15 books and over 60 journal articles on qualitative research, ethnography and conversation analysis. Thirty of his students have successfully completed their PhD and three are now full Professors.
If you would like to join the lecture, please register using the link at the top of this page. There will be an opportunity to ask questions after the lecture.