The seminar will give doctoral and Ph.D. students working with qualitative research methods the opportunity to present a qualitative research project, discuss it with a friendly, knowledgeable audience, and thus develop it further towards a top journal submission. A research focus on international marketing or consumer culture is a plus, but students from all topical areas are welcome.

The seminar will be held in the format of a 2½-day mini academic conference in collaboration with qualitative consumer culture researchers from Prague University and the University of Innsbruck. It will take place either at WU’s campus in Vienna or at Prague University of Economics and Business in Prague. The lecturers have applied for an international exchange grant to cover travel and accommodation costs for WU students travelling to Prague. If this grant is obtained, the seminar will be held in Prague, otherwise at the WU campus. The funding decision will be communicated here.

Participants are invited to bring academic papers at various stages of development to the seminar. Each stage is associated with a different development goal:

• Early-stage projects have a preliminary research question, a literature overview that is broad enough to ensure that the question has not been fully answered yet and include some educated thoughts about how to approach the subject with empirical (qualitative) methods. The goal of joining this seminar with an early-stage project is to get feedback and hands-on regarding the viability of the idea, identify appropriate research methods, and discuss interesting theoretical approches.   
• Mid-stage projects come with a well-defined research question, a reasonably well-structured literature review, and a methods section. Students that join the seminar with a mid-stage project will also have collected some qualitative data and be able to present and discuss them, yet without having fully analyzed or theorized them. The goal of participating with mid-stage projects is to discuss and refine theoretical perspectives, discuss empirical data and preliminary insights, and gather ideas for interpretation and theorization.
• Submission-stage projects are almost ready for a first submission to a journal or a conference. Students joining with such articles will present the entire project, from introduction through literature review, theories, methods, and findings to contributions and put it to a critical debate. The goal of participating with submission-stage projects is to explore whether and how the study could, should, or must be refined for a promising first submission. Although it may seem detrimental, it is an excellent idea to have an almost finished paper thoroughly critiqued because it shows students where small (or larger) changes might be necessary to increase the likelihood of publication.
• Conceptual projects at a mid- or submission-stage of development, such as systematic literature reviews or purely theoretical papers, are equally welcome. They do not require the same types of methods and findings sections than empirical papers nor do they involve empirical data collection. However, these types of projects still require rigorous approaches, thinking, and writing. The goal of participating with non-empirical projects is to explore how consistent and compelling the proposed contributions are, identify gaps in the argumentation or literature considered, and discuss potential refinements with the audience.  

This research seminar provides a forum for doctoral and Ph.D. students to interact with fellow students and faculty from different universities and different fields of inquiry. It will allow participants to strengthen their abilities in developing academic articles, presenting in academic environments, discussing ideas with others and of others, and interacting with junior and senior researchers from other fields and universities in a friendly, collaborative environment.

After completion of the seminar, proactive participants will have enhanced their ability to:

• understand the characteristics of interesting research topics,
• develop interesting, concise, and realistic research questions,
• craft systematic literature reviews,
• develop suitable empirical research designs,
• explore theoretical perspectives to make sense of empirical data and/or inductively develop new concepts,
• discuss theoretical contributions and practical recommendations of their work,
• critically evaluate limitations of their research and propose new research questions, and
• present academic ideas, theories, findings, and contributions with confidence.

Participation in the full seminar / excursion is mandatory. An absence of up to 3hrs is permitted.

Participants will present their research individually in a realistic conference-style setting. Faculty and peers will provide detailed feedback on their presentations, ask critical questions, and contribute ideas and suggestions for improvement where needed. During the seminar, students will have plenty of opportunity to discuss their projects individually and in detail with the faculty members.

Depending on the number of participants and what is relevant and useful to them, the professors may

• share practical knowledge on paper development topics, such as theory building, writing techniques, insights into the review process, or AI in qualitative research,
• present examples of their own research,
• and meet with participants individually or in small groups for break-out coffee sessions.

1) Initial Project Synopsis                                 20 points
2) Presentation and Participation                 60 points
3) Refined Project Synopsis                            20 points

Details Assessment 1: Initial Project Synopsis

Participants will submit a three-page synopsis (12pt) of their research two weeks before the seminar takes place. The synopsis should explicate the stage in which their project is in (see categories above), and include all the elements outlined above, plus an introduction, critical reflections and/or specific questions to discuss during the seminar.

Details Assessment 2: Presentation and Participation

As with actual academic conferences, the value of these events for participants hinges in equal parts on a) the quality of the research presentations and b) the willingness of the audience to engage with the presenters and provide constructive feedback. Therefore, participants will receive up to 30 points for their own presentation and up to 30 points for their participation in the discussions of other participants’ work.

Details Assessment 3: Refined Project Synopsis

Within two weeks of the seminar, participants will submit a refined synopsis (12pts) of their project. In the first part of this document, participants will reflect on their key learnings from discussions held with peers and professors during the seminar (2-4 pages). In the second part, they will present a refined synopsis that addresses the relevant feedback (2-4 pages). 

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 Marius Lüdicke can be reached under: marius.luedicke@wu.ac.at

All course readings and further materials will be made available on Canvas ahead of the seminar.