BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: Doing exemplary research projects: A guide to practice
Authors: Stewart Clegg and Julien Pollack, Editors
Publisher: Edgar Elgar Publishing
List Price: $175.00
Format: Hardcover, 326 pages
Publication Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035316731
Reviewer: Dr. RonAmber Deloney, PMP
Review Date: April 2026
Introduction
What makes a research project successful? Is it making the right connections to gain insight into organizational culture and learn what drives adherence to or deviance from institutional processes? And what about organizational change? Is success dependent on collaboration among project visionaries who bring together the right mix of people with the power and social capital to overcome bottlenecks? In “Doing exemplary research projects: A guide to practice” by editors Julien Pollack and Stewart Clegg (2025), we learn firsthand about problems that arise when conducting, writing, and publishing research. Whether best practices become ways of working so project teams rinse and repeat the protocols that work, or single actors take on the role of change agent to introduce new approaches that get adapted in order to get projects over the finish line, this book makes it clear that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the research and project journey. However, insights gained from actors central to the problem are key success factors.
Overview of Book’s Structure
The book presents six exemplars, guided by anecdotal accounts of the research process from the researcher’s perspective. We learn directly from the authors what initiates an investigation into a problem, the often-serendipitous circumstances that bring research teams together (Lenfle and Soderlund, 2022), the thoughtful ways researchers center participants, and how their research projects navigated new and uncertain project-based team formations and structures to help organizations achieve project success. Then, perhaps most importantly for anyone wanting to get published, each exemplar reflects on how the author revised and rewrote the articles initially rejected for publication, and why it is important to approach research publication with an open mind and readiness for the often-daunting process of revision and responding to reviewer feedback.
As a bonus, following each exemplar, commentary from referees and field professionals who reviewed the research articles examines its strengths and weaknesses, insights gained from the research, and its relevance for the field of organizational studies and project-based organizations. Through these commentaries, we come to understand the writing and methodological qualities of each paper that justify its publication and learn where each article has room for growth and, with further development, can contribute more to its field niche. The goal of the book was to provide students and early-career researchers in management and project studies with examples of strong academic research articles to help them learn how to conduct and write research that gets published in a reputable academic journal. A second goal, if not intended, was certainly achieved: a best-practice guide to conducting project-based research.
The book offers several key takeaways that can benefit anyone developing research skills. First, to become published, research and write high-quality papers about bold topics you are passionate about; you may need the emotional connection to the work to power through the review process. Ensure the research topic falls within the journal’s scope and confirm this by checking your bibliography against articles published by the journal. Journal referees often operate under various time constraints, and editors carefully filter submissions based on whether they can confirm quality and fit on first review. Second, be clear about the methodological context and structure. Reviewers praised some exemplars for having strong theoretical foundations and for structuring data so that findings were easily identifiable, not just in words but also in visuals. As Lenfle and Soderlund suggested, if you know it, show it.
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How to cite this work: Deloney, R. (2025). Doing exemplary research projects: A guide to practice, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/pmwj165-Jun2026-Deloney-Doing-Exemplary-Research-Projects-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
RonAmber Deloney, EdD
Texas, USA
Dr. RonAmber Deloney is a native of Dallas, Texas. She is a PMP and SAFe POPM certified program manager in the enterprise learning and development and non-profit and community program fields. She is fluent in German, a Fulbright alumna to Berlin, Germany, and currently on the Fulbright Specialist roster. Her research areas are tech literacy development for underserved communities, global leadership development through cross-cultural training and study abroad, social justice education through the arts, and international human resource management. She has BAs in English and German from Austin College, an MA in Arts Politics from NYU, an MSEd in Adolescent Education from St. John’s University, and an EdD in Global Training and Development from Northcentral University. Email address: rtd@ronamberdeloney.com
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