The International Journal of Qualitative Methods

Top Research Topics at The International Journal of Qualitative Methods?

The journal explores disciplines such as Qualitative research, Epistemology, Social psychology, Public relations and Narrative. Qualitative research research presented falls under the umbrella topic of Social science. Epistemology research presented in it encompasses a variety of subjects, including Grounded theory and Ethnography.

In addition to Social psychology research, it aims to explore topics under Context (language use), Focus group, Interview and Applied psychology. The International Journal of Qualitative Methods connects the study in Public relations with the closely related area of Participatory action research. Narrative inquiry is a major topic of Narrative research.

• Qualitative research (36.59%)
• Epistemology (18.71%)
• Social psychology (15.93%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Demonstrating Rigor Using Thematic Analysis: A Hybrid Approach of Inductive and Deductive Coding and Theme Development (4568 citations)
• Verification Strategies for Establishing Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research (3263 citations)
• Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria (2030 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at The International Journal of Qualitative Methods:

The published articles investigate areas of study like Qualitative research, Social psychology, Epistemology, Grounded theory and Engineering ethics. The most cited publications address concerns in Qualitative research which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Management science, Data collection, Multimedia, Coding (social sciences) and Process (engineering). While the journal articles mainly focused on Social psychology studies, they also tackled the scientific discipline of interrelated fields such as

• Interview which is related to area like Framing (social sciences),
• Context (language use) which intersects with area such as Ethnography and Public relations..

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

• Law
• Social science
• Epistemology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The primary areas of discussion in The International Journal of Qualitative Methods are Qualitative research, Epistemology, Pandemic, Public relations and Focus group. The journal discusses concepts in Grounded theory under Qualitative research and how they intertwine with disciplines like Protocol (science). Phenomenology (philosophy) and Hermeneutics are some of the facets of Epistemology tackled in The International Journal of Qualitative Methods.

The International Journal of Qualitative Methods addresses concerns in Pandemic which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Social distance and Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The International Journal of Qualitative Methods focused on Engineering ethics research but expanded to cover Participatory action research. It dives deep in exploring the relationship between the study of Data collection and Data science.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• It's More Complicated Than It Seems: Virtual Qualitative Research in the COVID-19 Era (5 citations)
• Qualitative Evidence Synthesis: Where Are We at?: (5 citations)
• Conducting Qualitative Research to Respond to COVID-19 Challenges: Reflections for the Present and Beyond: (4 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 The International Journal of Qualitative Methods (based on the number of publications) are:

• Alexander M. Clark (18 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Linda Liebenberg (16 papers) absent at the last edition,
• John L. Oliffe (14 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Janice M. Morse (7 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie (7 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 The International Journal of Qualitative Methods (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Alberta (71 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
• University of Calgary (29 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of Toronto (26 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
• University of British Columbia (24 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
• Dalhousie University (19 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous 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, 9.52% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 18.80% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 6.77% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 21.05% of all publications and 53.38% 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.

Career Opportunities and Paths in Qualitative Methods

As the field of qualitative methods continues to evolve, so do the career opportunities and paths for professionals interested in this area. The variety of disciplines covered by The International Journal of Qualitative Methods offers numerous avenues for researchers and experts to apply their skills and knowledge. Career paths in this field commonly lead to roles such as a mental health counselor, public relations professional, and social psychologist, among others.

For example, if you're interested in applying qualitative methods in the realm of mental health, consider pursuing a career as a mental health counselor. This role typically involves helping individuals or groups navigate mental or emotional issues through therapeutic practices. In this position, you would apply many of the areas discussed in the journal, such as narrative inquiry, focus group discussions, and social psychology. But how do you get started?

If you're considering this profession, you might find our guide on How to be a mental health counselor in Massachusetts useful. This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step advice on the education, certifications, and experience needed to enter this rewarding field.

Whether it's traversing the path towards becoming a mental health counselor or another profession within the realm of qualitative methods, the key is to equip oneself with the right knowledge, skills, and experiences. Exploring the topics covered in The International Journal of Qualitative Methods is an excellent starting point to expand your understanding within this exciting field.