Engaging Crystallization in Qualitative Research

Laura L. Ellingson, Ph.D, is Associate Professor of Communication at Santa Clara University. Her research focuses on feminist theory and gender studies, qualitative methodology, and communication in health care organizations, including interdisciplinary communication, teamwork, and provider-patient communication. She is the author of Communicating in the Clinic: Negotiating Frontstage and Backstage Teamwork (Hampton Press) and has published articles in Health Communication, Journal of Aging Studies, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Qualitative Health Research, Women’s Studies in Communication, and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Currently, she is conducting an ethnography of communication in a dialysis clinic and a qualitative study of communication between aunts and their nieces/nephews.

"[This] book emphasizes effective communication and how to articulate complex information to an audience. Although the book is intended primarily for qualitative researchers, I believe it may be an equally important work for quantitative researchers. In reading this book, I have gained a deeper appreciation for qualitative research in general and a better understanding of how different methods can be applied toward understanding truth."

• 1. Introduction to CrystallizationConstructing CrystallizationConsidering GenresResisting Dichotomies: A Continuum of Qualitative MethodsPrinciples of CrystallizationFacets of the Crystal: Types of CrystallizationStrengths of CrystallizationLimitations of CrystallizationEthnographic ExemplarsOrganization of This BookConclusion: Frequently Asked Questions About CrystallizationInterlude: Introducing the Author2. Ethics and Epistemology: Assumptions Underlying CrystallizationWhat Is Epistemology and Why Does It Matter in Crystallization?Making Knowledge: An Epistemological Basis for CrystallizationVoicing Other and Self: Ethics of RepresentationFirst Do No Harm: Some Ethical CautionsStrategies for Ethical Decision Making in CrystallizationConclusionInterlude: The Limits of Genre--An Exercise About Ethics and the Construction of Claims3. Illuminating Options for Analysis and Representation Across the ContinuumTraditional Forms of AnalysisSame Old, Same Old: The Value of Traditional Qualitative WritingAesthetics and Analysis: Hybrids of Art and ScienceAesthetic Possibilities: Creative Analytic PracticesConclusionInterlude: Resisting Dichotomy, Embracing Continuum4. Strategies for Design: Putting Crystallization Into PracticeWonderingWeighing Your OptionsRe/considering the Role of TheoryDecide on a DesignConclusionInterlude: Beware the Law of the Hammer5. Bringing It All Together: Integrated CrystallizationCreating a Coherent Multigenre TextBlending Genres and Blurring Boundaries: Woven CrystallizationWoven Crystallization ExemplarsSharpening Edges and Separating Spaces: Patched CrystallizationPatched Crystallization ExemplarsIssues in Constructing Integrated CrystallizationInterlude: Quilting as Activism6. All Apart: Dendritic CrystallizationDendritic PracticesBenefits of Dendritic CrystallizationDispersing Crystallized FindingsA Dendritic ExemplarBut Is This Really Crystallization?Interlude: Coincidence, Synchronicity, and Putting It Out to the Universe7. Writing Across the ContinuumEvaluating Writing and RepresentationImproving your ProcessWriting WellBag of TricksConclusionInterlude: Representing DifferenceWriting Resources8. Publishing and Promoting CrystallizationLessons of CrystallizationCall to Action: Employing Crystallization to Promote Social JusticeGetting the World Out: Pursuing PublicationJustifying Your WorkEnclosing Wild Power: A Conclusion/InvitationInterlude: When Your Work Is Rejected