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Webinar: Writing is Reading - How to join a theoretical conversation

  • 1.  Webinar: Writing is Reading - How to join a theoretical conversation

    Posted 09-20-2024 14:42

    Speaker: Tammar Zilber (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) 

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    Time: Wednesday, 25th of September at 10 am (EST) / 3 pm (London) 

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    Registration: Please use this link to register and receive a personalized Zoom link.

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    In this webinar, I will focus on one challenge in the writing process -- theoretical positioning and literature review. I used to ask my Ph.D. students - early when they were writing their research proposal, and again once they started to analyze their empirical materials - to read previous research and come back to me with ideas on how they can position their project vis-a-vis the literature, how they can "join the conversation." With time, I realized how challenging this exercise was. Thus, based on my own reading practices, I offer some ideas on identifying what one needs to read and how to approach reading previous research. I relate to three modes of reading: vertical reading (read to understand the paper in its own terms), horizontal reading (read to understand how this paper relates to other papers in the conversation, to understand how the conversation evolved), and relevance reading (read to understand how you can use the paper to make your own argument). I also suggest using a table to capture and document these three readings. With the help of these three modes of reading, the dictums "join the conversation," "position yourself in the literature," and "make a theoretical contribution" all become more concrete and doable. 

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    Recommended preparation:

    Please identify, before our webinar, one central empirical paper that is relevant to your current research project. Have it ready for our webinar.

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    About the speaker

    Tammar B. Zilber is a Professor in the Organizational Behavior Department at the Jerusalem School of Business, Hebrew University. She is a Co-Editor in Chief of Organization Studies and was an Associate Editor for Academy of Management Journal. Prof Zilber is an elected board member for the European Group for Organization Studies. She is interested in the microfoundations of institutions, and how individual, organizational and field-level dynamics involve meanings, emotions and power relations that construct and maintain institutional realities.

    For queries, please contact Ibrat Djabbarov: i.djabbarov@imperial.ac.uk



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    Ibrat Djabbarov
    Imperial College London
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