How to Reverse-engineer a Journal Article

Professor Rebekah Russell-BennettQueensland University of Technology

NUI Galway – December 2016

Why reverse-engineer an article?

What is RE?

Extracting knowledge

or ‘blueprint’

Discover the

methods for writing

YOUR article

Efficiency (why

reinvent the

wheel?)

Effective use of

resources (time, money,

self-esteem)

Increase likelihood of success (if it looks

like a duck….)

Caveat: This is only one way to write an article it is not THE only way.

The proof it worksTemplate:

Harris and Reynolds 2003 –writing up qualitative findings (producing a model and propositions)

Published articleLeo and Russell-

Bennett 2012 – Journal of Marketing Management (ERA A) article on qualitative findings for customer-oriented deviance.

Steps to reverse-engineering a journal article1. Pick your target2. Read the author requirements3. Find an example article4. Deconstruct the article5. Reconstruct your article-structure6. Add your content7. Identify papers to cite

Deconstruction Phase

1. Pick your target You either:

design your research around the requirements of the journal Or

Find the journal where your research will fit

V

2. Author RequirementsIt might sound crazy but READ the author requirements

published on the journal websiteExample: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

http://www.springer.com/business+%26+management/journal/11747 What are the aims/scope? Will your research fit?

In order for a manuscript to be published in JAMS it must, at the minimum, meet the following criteria:

Focus on a substantive issue in the domain of marketing Offer fundamentally new insights that advance the field Be literature-based and scholarly Demonstrate conceptual rigor Provide evidence of methodological rigor, if an empirical piece

If you think your research fits then commence – if not find another journal

3. Find an exemplar article Articles have conventions of setting up

research and reporting findings. Find an example article in your chosen journal

that uses the same analysis technique Multilevel regression: Homburg and Furst 2011 Experiment: Du, Fan and Feng 2011

12th Century manuscript

Requirements• Illumination• Colour• Latin• Large opening

capital letter

19th Century manuscript

Requirements• Italics, bold and

underlined headings

• Direct quotes• Black and white

4. Deconstruct the example article(s)Step 1. Heading structure and

paper formatStep 2. StyleStep 3 ContributionStep 4 Purpose and key

frameworksStep 5 logic and structureStep 6 Synthesis techniquesStep 7 ConventionsStep 8 Linking findings back to

literature

4.1 Heading structure and paper formatHow many heading levels?How many words in each section?Where is the emphasis?Open up a new word doc:

Type up the headings with word count

4.2 StyleStep 2. Style

Title: Quirky? Every variable in your model?Language style

US? British? English Passive vs active Readership age

Score Notes90.0–100.0 easily understood by an average 11-year-old student

60.0–70.0 easily understood by 13- to 15-year-old students0.0–30.0 best understood by university graduates

4.3 ContributionImportance of researchIdentify Gap, RQ and contribution in

Introduction and discussionHow do they ‘frame’ the contribution?In which paragraphs is this stated? Add this to

your word docCan you see the relationship between gap and

contribution? Gap and RQ?What is the scope of the research?At what level of cognition is the article

operating? (Bloom’s Taxonomy)?

4.4 Purpose and key frameworksWhat is the goal and aim of research (should link

to RQ)?In which paragraph is this stated?How is theory used in the front section of the

paper?What theories, definitions are used and where

are they stated?What are the seminal papers in the field (how do

you know?)

4.5 Logic and StructureWhat is the purpose of each section?What is the purpose of each paragraph?Write this for each section and paragraph on

your word doc

4. 6 Synthesis techniqueHow do they synthesise the literature?Do they use visuals?

Mindmaps, tables, lists, figuresList techniques you might use in your word doc

4.7 ConventionsHow is the hypotheses/proposition phrased?How are the results reported?

Sample, measures, validity/reliabilityTable format for results

Add these conventions to your word doc

Reconstruction Phase

5. Draft structure for your articleUsing the notes from the deconstruction, draft

up your own structureLevel 1, 2 and 3 headingsNumber of wordsPurpose of each sectionKey words for each paragraphWording of hypotheses/propositionsLocation of gap/RQ – top and tailLanguageConventions

6. Reconstruct: Now add your own contentTake content from your thesis and pair it downWhat is your research topic?What is your key contribution?What is a good title that ‘fits’ the journal?What are your headings (this builds your logic

structure)?What is the purpose of each of your sections/paragraphs?How should you word your

hypotheses/propositions?Add the tables and reporting requirementsManchester Uni Phrasebank

7. Who do you need to cite?You should continue a conversation in

a journal It shows you are familiar with the

journalOne of the authors in the journal may

be a reviewerSearch the journal

Keywords that are in your articleTopic area of your researchSeminal authors cited in your research

Read the articles and work out if you should cite them in your article

8. Proofing and editingPay attention to the details

PunctuationSpellingGrammar