Where's the rich story?

The best way to address this challenge of "better stories vs. better theories" is to devleop a theory in sections or by distinct propositions in such a way that each is supported by empirical evidence. Thus, overarching organizing frame of the paper is the theory, and each part of the theory is demonstrated by evidence from at least some of the cases.

but as it is not realistic to support every theoretical proposition with every case within a text itself, the use of extensive tables and other visual devices that summarize the related case evidence are central to signaling the depth and detail of empirical grounding: The use of summary tables and aids that summarize the case evidence complements the selective story descriptions of the text and further emphasizes the rigor and depts of the empirical grounding of the theory.

A separate table that summarizes the evidence for each theoretical construct is particularly effective way to present case evidence. These "construct tables" summarize the case evidence and indicate how the focal construct is "measured," thus increasing the testability" of the theory and creating a particularly strong bridge from the qualitative evidence to theory-testing research.

It is useful to remind reviewers that the objective is theory development. More significantly, it is critical to invest in developing well-crafted tables, appendixes, and visual aids to demonstrate the theory's underlying empirical support and the anticipated richness of the case data, and to tie those tables clearly to the text.

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