Collaborate – Think Critically: Learn from researchers who have been in your shoes – use their examples and experiences to explore how their ‘lessons learned’ can improve your own research approach. Take it one step further with additional thought-provoking questions online.

26.1 Finding the right journal

Do you share Priya’s concerns that your sample size might be a barrier to publication? Research what different journals expect about sample size so you can learn from Priya’s experience. Find journals that specialize in qualitative research and publish papers where analytic depth and originality are more important than the amount of data.

Based on Priya’s experience, what would you look out for in a journal’s submission guidelines that might encourage or discourage you from submitting your paper?

26.2 Justifying a small dataset

Work out how you might explain why your research should be taken seriously as a publishable journal article despite your small dataset:

• Can you use Wendy’s tactic of avoiding a ‘quasi-quantitative presentation?
• Practice writing about sample size for both a quantitative and qualitative journal. How would your approach differ?

Like Wendy, would you reference secondary datasets or data saturation in your explanation?