International Journal of Social Research Methodology: Theory and Practice

Top Research Topics at International Journal of Social Research Methodology?

International Journal of Social Research Methodology was organized to reinforce research efforts on Social psychology, Qualitative research, Social science, Epistemology and Social research. Some problems in Social psychology that were presented in the journal overlapped with concepts under Context (language use), Data collection, Applied psychology, Interview and Reflexivity. International Journal of Social Research Methodology explores topics in Qualitative research which can be helpful for research in disciplines like Data science, Process (engineering) and Public relations.

Field (Bourdieu) is a major topic of Social science research.

• Social psychology (24.26%)
• Qualitative research (20.30%)
• Social science (19.21%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework (8729 citations)
• Sampling Knowledge: The Hermeneutics of Snowball Sampling in Qualitative Research (1265 citations)
• On Becoming a Pragmatic Researcher: The Importance of Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methodologies (761 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at International Journal of Social Research Methodology:

The published articles are organized to address concerns in the fields of Social psychology, Qualitative research, Social science, Epistemology and Social research. The most cited publications focus on Social psychology but the discussions also offer insight into other areas such as Focus group, Applied psychology, Process (engineering) and Interview. The works on Social science tackled in the most cited papers bring together disciplines like Citizen journalism and Empirical research.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Law
• Social science
• Statistics

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The discussions in the journal mainly cover the fields of Qualitative research, Epistemology, Data science, Interview and Social research. The studies on Qualitative research discussed can also contribute to research in the domains of Cognitive psychology, Management science, Embodied cognition, Medical education and Focus group. While Focus group is the focus of International Journal of Social Research Methodology, it also provided insights into the studies of Pedagogy and Asynchronous communication.

In International Journal of Social Research Methodology, Reflexivity and Research methodology are investigated in conjunction with one another to address concerns in Epistemology research. The Data science works featured in it incorporate elements from Sampling (statistics) and Key (cryptography).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• ‘The problem-centred expert interview’. Combining qualitative interviewing approaches for investigating implicit expert knowledge (14 citations)
• Social and causal complexity in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) : strategies to account for emergence (6 citations)
• Using computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS; NVivo) to assist in the complex process of realist theory generation, refinement and testing (6 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in International Journal of Social Research Methodology (based on the number of publications) are:

• Martyn Hammersley (12 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
• Malcolm Williams (9 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• Graham Crow (8 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• Stephen Farrall (8 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Rosalind Edwards (8 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in International Journal of Social Research Methodology (based on the number of publications) are:

• Open University (32 papers) published 11 papers at the last edition, 10 more than at the previous edition,
• University of Southampton (25 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
• University of Manchester (19 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• University of Edinburgh (18 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
• Institute of Education (17 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 1.79% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 23.64% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 7.27% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 10.91% of all publications and 58.18% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

The Journal's Impact on Substance Abuse Research

Another noteworthy subject addressed in the International Journal of Social Research Methodology is the challenge of substance abuse. The comprehensive studies published on this theme span from analyzing societal causes and effects, psychological underpinnings, intervention strategies, to the recovery processes. This in-depth research empowers professionals in this field, like substance abuse counselors, to draw from evidence-based practices and further elevate their contributions to society. Particularly insightful are the publications centered on the effectiveness of various counseling methodologies and the crucial role of certified professionals in mitigating the impacts of substance abuse. Furthermore, numerous research pieces also delve into studying the correlation between different factors such as socioeconomic status, age, gender, and increased risk for substance use disorders. Are you considering a career in substance abuse counseling? Wyoming, for instance, is a state that highly values the role of certified professionals in this sphere. Learn more about practicing in this state by reviewing the requirements for a Substance abuse counselor certification Wyoming. Keeping up with the curated research materials featured by the International Journal of Social Research Methodology helps professionals stay informed about the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the substance abuse counseling landscape. As a result, they are better equipped to make meaningful contributions to community health and societal well-being.