Researcher Interview: Dr. Laura Maurer

Dr. Maurer has recently published the paper: Board Member Perceptions of Small Nonprofit Organization Effectiveness through JSBHS, which can be seen at: http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsbhs/vol10/iss1/3/

1. Please briefly describe your current research.

The focus of my current research is to understand the process by which boards of directors, the fiduciary agents, of small nonprofit organizations become effective (or ineffective) in meeting their organizational missions.

2 How did you come to be in this area of study?

I came to this area of study from two directions.  One was pragmatic.  I have been a member of the board of directors of four unique, small nonprofit organizations over the past fifteen years.  I experienced firsthand the stresses and constraints, as well as the rewards, of participating in the dynamic of nonprofit board operations.  I committed myself to contributing to positive social change in my community by trying to alleviate the stresses that compromise the abilities of nonprofit boards to provide quality services and programs.

At the same time, I developed an intellectual curiosity, independent of any practical application, as to how current social scientists interpret the empirical interactions among nonprofit board members.  Small nonprofit boards are made up of volunteers who devote much time, energy and financial resources to the achievement of their organizational goals.  Why would anyone do this?  I wanted to understand this phenomenon from a theoretical and academic point of view.

3. What do like best about doing research?

Academic research is surrounded by the structure of the disciplinary literature and methodology. Within that structure, I found liberation.  I was not constrained to a particular outcome.  My data directed me.  I did not direct my data.  I was as free to challenge current conceptions in my field as I was to confirm them.  This is what I like best.

4. What do you dislike the most about doing research?

I experienced frustration in maintaining adherence to APA 6th guidelines.  I took the time to familiarize myself with details of citation, in particular, and still fell woefully short in execution. (No pun intended.)  I am conflicted about whether to devote more time to perfecting these skills or whether my time could be put to better use.

5. Advice for new researchers who would like to be published?

If you believe that your research will contribute to positive social change and/or to furthering knowledge in your academic discipline you should pursue every avenue available to publication.  Your commitment will see you through any hurdles. Also, you should be able to articulate your research problem, methods, and results in language that is accessible to people outside of the academic community.  That’s what really gets people on board.

Rewriting Your Dissertation into an Article: Rewriting and Polishing

Once you have a draft of your article, it is time to begin the rewriting and polishing phase. Everyone has to do it, including very experienced writers. Accept that rewriting is part of the process, and spend that extra time now to save you pain later.

Where to start? I suggest reading through the draft in full, make notes to yourself (I use track changes) and mark areas that are not complete, that may not be clear to someone reading it for the first time, or that need more support with citations. Then start at the beginning and read each sentence aloud, is there a way to make it clearer, more concise? Picture your grandmother who knows nothing about your topic reading it, would she understand that sentence? Have you explained any terms that might be considered jargon? Check for any pronouns (they, he, and she), is it clear who the pronouns are referring to? Check your plurals versus possessives (this makes me crazy when they are wrong): plurals (e.g. “girls”) do not have an apostrophe, possessives do have an apostrophe (e.g., “the girl’s bike;” “the girls’ bikes”).

Do you know a former English major? Someone who is a great writer? If so, ask them to read through your paper and offer suggestions.

Check your results sections' APA format. There are very specific ways that statistics should be written, check the APA Manual that you are doing it correctly. If you are including tables or figures, then PLEASE read the sections on these in the APA Manual, not only on how to do them but also when to use them.

Print out your references, then go through the paper crossing off each time you have cited the reference. They should come out even. Double check if the citation has 3+ authors (e.g., Smith, Jones, & Johnson, 2015) then use et al. after the first citation (Smith et al., 2015).

Researcher Interview: Dr. Tiffany Rush-Wilson

1. Please briefly describe your current research.

I am in the middle of several research projects. My primary research interest falls under the larger umbrella of “women’s issues”. Specifically I am interested in eating disorders, pregnancy loss and relationship issues in “under-researched” populations of women. Currently I am finishing some research that has been ongoing on for a few years about retrospective self-perspectives of adolescent relationships among adult women. Essentially, we interviewed adult women who discussed their significant adolescent romantic relationships and reflected on how the relationships impacted their romantic choices in their adult lives. I am also beginning research on help-seeking attitudes for women who self-identify as members of a minority and/or disenfranchised group who experience elective, or spontaneous, pregnancy loss. Both of these projects have been incredibly interesting, yet emotionally impactful, for me as the researcher and for the participants.

2 How did you come to be in this area of study?

Quite honestly, having the experience of being an African American woman, students and clinician provided me with opportunities to understand that there are gaps in the literature. By that, I mean that there is not always research available that addresses the needs, or experiences, of all people. This has been true for my own circumstances, and for those of many of my clients and students. There have been times when I read information, understood it, but also had an awareness that the study did not fit my circumstances. While I believed the oversights to be inadvertent and unintentional, I wanted my experiences (and those of my clients, and others) to be included in the literature so I decided to make an effort to investigate what I believe is missing.

3. What do like best about doing research?

Speaking with participants and finding unexpected results is exciting. My research is primarily qualitative so I have the honor of being able to speak with participants as they share aspects of their lives with me. Qualitative research is similar, in that respect, to my clinical work. As a therapist people share interesting, personal information with me and allow me to help them find solutions to concerns they have in their lives. In research people also share personal, intimate information with the purpose of allowing their experiences to inform and guided the literature, and thus experiences of others. Invariably I learn from the personal accounts  of others. Their level of resilience, and uniqueness of expression, in various approaches to coping with life’s unexpected events fascinates me. I am energized and charged by hearing and learning about the different ways in which people engage life. Clinical work and research both allow me to develop this interest.

4. What do you dislike the most about doing research?

I can be perfectionistic. In doing so I can ponder, write, and rewrite, and rewrite the same paragraph, chapter, or proposal many times trying to perfect it. I want to share information and represent my participants in the best possible way. Having such a perfectionistic approach can absolutely slow down progress. This is the part I most disliked because in my zeal for having information be disseminated about a given experience I can become frustrated, and even overwhelmed which may thwart my desired result….but revising after submission is a close second.

5. Advice for new researchers who would like to be published?

Work with someone. A few years ago a colleague shared with me, after having published several articles and books as a sole researcher, that she will “never again” publish by herself. While she is a very prolific, impressive researcher, she identified the benefits of collaborative research. I recommend that students, beginning researchers, and seasoned researchers consider collaborative research. Not only does it allow for different perspectives during the investigation but, although seemingly paradoxical, it also allows for accountability and adherence to strict deadlines. Things are likely to be submitted on time out of necessity. Approaching faculty members and asking if they have research projects open for collaboration is a start. One of my favorite research projects was a group of students and one colleague. We ultimately presented this research at a conference in Austria. Collaboration allows me to both engage with other faculty members and students while sticking to deadlines. It’s a great experience.

Happy Independence Day!

Today, in honor of the 4^th of July, I would like to talk about courage and publishing. One of the reasons that many people do not attempt to publish their research, is because of the fear of putting themselves out there, and be criticized. It is difficult to go through all of the pain of doing a study, writing it up, and then have someone criticize what you did!

Yet, isn't one of the reasons you did the study was to cause social change though an awareness of your results? Publishing is part of being a professional researcher; it is painful, but also critical to your field of study and profession.

Here at the Journal of Social, Health, and Behavioral Sciences, we are committed to helping new professionals get published. That does not mean it is easy, but we will give you the opportunity to revise and get editing help, if needed. We will work with you to develop an article that you will be proud to call your own.