Ricardson, Laurel. Writing Strategies: Reaching Diverse Audiences. Qualitative Research Methods Series, 21. (Newbury Park, NJ: Sage, 1990).
Laurel Richardson was among the early advocates for qualitative research and her monograph Writing Strategies still offers useful perspectives for Scholar-Practitioners who are engaged in context-embedded inquiries. All writing adheres to certain conventions—e.g., voice, stance, and tone. Depending on the purpose of the writing and the intended audience, specific conventions will vary. For example, scientific articles are typically written in the third person to convey a sense of objectivity. Practice-based narratives, however, are more typically written in the first person to signal that the ideas presented are from the author’s perspective. Trouble arises when an author follows a set of conventions which readers neither expect nor understand. Even more trouble occurs when authors themselves are not clear about the conventions they should follow for a particular writing project. Richardson provides a useful explanation of these differences in convention, with particular attention on narrative writing. Her distinction among five forms of narrative—everyday life, autobiography, biography, the cultural story, and the collective story—are helpful in understanding how Scholar-Practitioners move from personal experience to broader conceptualization of issues. This book can be especially helpful to Scholar-Practitioners who are enrolled in graduate programs that require a thesis or dissertation. It relates to the Scholar-Practitioner qualities of Ethical Stewardship (Commitment to Inquiry) and Metacognitive Reflection.