Knowing how to write for nonacademic audiences is a key skill for researchers who want to have an impact beyond professional journals. Industry, institutions, policymakers, the general public and other stakeholders need research findings communicated in simple terms to aid them in decision making.Being able to appeal to a larger audience beyond the academic community has other benefits as well.…
CARISCA training series
For academics, writing for an academic audience is an unavoidable skill. It requires attention to detail and a commitment to presenting well-supported ideas clearly.CARISCA held a workshop for faculty and students in October focused on writing for an academic audience. The facilitator, CARISCA Director Nathaniel Boso, took participants through a clinical session at the workshop. “Writing is…
Cases are a great tool to use in class to teach difficult and complex supply chain issues. Supply chain problems are not generally solvable by simply applying an algorithm that provides answers to difficult questions or challenges.Most published business cases have an American or European context and ignore the realities of Ghanaian and African supply chain managers. On Dec. 4, CARISCA Executive…
A systematic literature review is one of many research methods available to academic scholars. It involves identifying and evaluating relevant literature on a selected topic of study.Unlike a common literature review conducted for projects employing other research approaches, a systematic literature review is an independent research method. It is a reproducible and empirically valid approach to…
Generalizability—the applicability of research findings to a larger population than those in the study—is critical for researchers who wish to make an impact. One approach to consider is meta-analysis.A subset of systematic literature reviews, meta-analysis combines data from numerous sources. Thus it allows researchers to draw more generalizable conclusions than would be possible from individual…
The goal of research is to answer questions. Good questions, however, are just the beginning. The second step is how to answer them. With the growth in the number and complexity of research designs and methods, it can be challenging to know how to select the best research design. Whether you are an academic or applied researcher, you should have many tools in your research toolbox…
A research protocol is the detailed plan for a study, and it comes with several benefits. First, it forces you to think through the details of your research project in advance. Second, it provides a manual for collaborators and staff training. Third, it can serve as the basis for funding proposals or institutional review board applications.In CARISCA’s Training Series workshop on Nov. 22, senior…
Qualitative research allows for exploration of how and why phenomena happen, such as why people behave the way they do, compared to quantitative research, which tells us the size and scope of these behaviors. But the data qualitative research generates is often unstructured.To interpret and derive meaningful insights from the data, qualitative researchers apply structured methods and use special…
Knowing how to write for nonacademic audiences is a key skill for researchers who want to have an impact beyond professional journals. Industry, institutions, policymakers, the general public and other stakeholders need research findings communicated in simple terms to aid them in decision making.Being able to appeal to a larger audience beyond the academic community has other benefits as well.…
You have conducted your research and now comes the hard part—getting published. While publishing in academic journals is critical for advancing knowledge, getting your research published in a trade journal will expand awareness of your work and its results to a wider audience.Trade journals have a different set of requirements and expectations than academic journals. You’ll need to present…