Qualitative Research Journal
Emerald Publishing Limited · AU · ISSN 14439883
SJR Q1
What the numbers say
More papers are appearing, but average citedness has softened.
Output grew sharply while citation impact fell. If you aim for high average citations, consider that this journal's per‑paper citedness is lower than before. The share of top-10% cited papers moved from 35.5% to 40.0%. There is still a steady chance your paper could land among the more cited articles. Recent titles increasingly carry autoethnographic · decolonizing · ethnographic · thematic · epistemology. If your work uses those approaches or keywords it may fit the current thematic mix. Deakin University leads all institutions with 14 papers. Expect that this institution's authors are well represented in recent issues.
Citation metrics
SJR quartile
Q1
SJR score
0.57
Citations / doc (2y)
3.04
h-index
41
Based on the Scopus and OpenAlex citation graphs. We do not provide Clarivate’s JCR Impact Factor.
Output and citation impact
Whether citation performance keeps up as output grows.
PapersField-weighted impact
2018
31
9.11
2019
54
5.67
2020
47
2.73
2021
30
2.10
2022
38
6.55
2023
51
5.38
2024
83
3.48
2025
95
5.49
Topic shift
Share in the last 24 months (2024-09 – 2026-08) versus the previous 24 (2022-09 – 2024-08).
Rising
- Early Childhood Education and Development0.0%→7.6%+7.6%pPrevNow
- Posthumanist Ethics and Activism5.0%→8.9%+3.9%pPrevNow
- LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy0.0%→3.8%+3.8%pPrevNow
- Discourse Analysis in Language Studies0.0%→3.8%+3.8%pPrevNow
- Literacy, Media, and Education0.0%→3.8%+3.8%pPrevNow
Falling
- Youth Education and Societal Dynamics5.0%→0.0%−5.0%pPrevNow
- Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics20.0%→15.2%−4.8%pPrevNow
- Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies3.3%→0.0%−3.3%pPrevNow
- Artistic and Creative Research3.3%→0.0%−3.3%pPrevNow
- Mental Health and Psychiatry3.3%→0.0%−3.3%pPrevNow
Terms appearing more often
Wording in recent paper titles that stands out against the journal's own baseline.
autoethnographicdecolonizingethnographicthematicepistemologydecentringindonesiantextbooksparticipatory
Author countries
Last 24 months (2024-09 – 2026-08) against the previous 24 (2022-09 – 2024-08).
- AU33.3%→25.9%−7.4%pPrevNow
- US21.0%→24.5%+3.5%pPrevNow
- ID6.2%→12.2%+6.1%pPrevNow
- GB19.8%→11.5%−8.2%pPrevNow
- CA6.2%→10.1%+3.9%pPrevNow
- MY0.0%→7.2%+7.2%pPrevNow
Top 5 institutions
Top 5 institutions publishing in this journal, 2018 – 2026.
Recently published
20The 20 most recent papers — not the full list.
1
Article2026
Multimodal Simultaneous Analysis: methodology for synchronously analyzing multimodal pedagogical eventsSabina Rak Neugebauer, Elizabeth E. Blair
Literature and Literary TheoryArts and Humanities
2
Article2026
A critical discourse analysis of the representation of polygamy and gender relations in the series Bidaah: a Qur’anic perspectiveNuraida, Kusnadi Kusnadi, Halimatussa'diyah Halimatussa'diyah, Solihah Titin Sumanti, Sukidin, Yedi Purwanto
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
3
Article2026
Embracing digital technologies: instrumental guitar teaching and student engagementClinton Eldridge, Dawn Joseph
MusicArts and Humanities
4
Article2026
Beyond the racetrack. An ethnographic study of a field-configuring event in motorsportsHans Erik Næss*
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting
5
Article2026
Case study research in qualitative inquiry: a structured guide to design, data collection and analysisSanmugam Annamalah, Syed Abdul Kadir Abdullah, Lilian Anthonysamy, Selim Ahmed
EducationSocial Sciences
6
Article2026
Guest editorial: Decentring the human in qualitative research: Exploring the field by creating online communitiesSheena Elwick, Keith Heggart
Cultural StudiesSocial Sciences
7
Article2026
The power of co-problematization: rethinking the design of research questions in collaborative qualitative management researchBilal Bourkha, Ikrame Kandili
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
8
Article2026
NVivo as a reflexive tool for insider-researchers: early observations from an ongoing studyMegan Kelly*
OASociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
9
Article2026
Breaking through the glass ceiling: women’s career advancement into higher leadership positions amid work intensificationMan Chung Low, Rosmawanı Che Hashim, Raida Abu Bakar, Sharmila Jayasingam
Gender StudiesSocial Sciences
10
Article2026
Decentring human emergences with bodyplace <i>brute</i>Sarah Crinall, Mirka Koro, Sarai Richter, Suzan Allaham, Celina German
Cultural StudiesSocial Sciences
11
Article2026
“I feel like a motivated creative designer”: Chinese EFL Teacher's identity construction against the background of the “double reduction” policyYuanhao Xu, Jie Bao
EducationSocial Sciences
12
Article2026
“I know what I want, but the system wants something else”: a narrative inquiry into L2 investment and imagined identitiesReyhan Aslan, Golge Citak
Language and LinguisticsArts and Humanities
13
Article2026
Corrigendum: Walking towards a sustainable pace for productivity: one academic's experienceEnvironmental EngineeringEnvironmental Science
14
Article2026
No calm before the storm: insights on editorial discrimination against Global South scholarsPrakash Khundrakpam, Jayanta Krishna Sarmah
Literature and Literary TheoryArts and Humanities
15
Article2026
Challenges, opportunities and limitations of pilot studies: reflections on a Design Thinking project for knowledge transfer in journalism researchMaximilian Eder*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
16
Article2026
Negotiating meaning in Tolaki Qur'an translation: readability, theological shifts and cultural mediationFahmi Gunawan, Nurazan Mohmad Rouyan, Alimin Alimin, Norhayati binti Che Hat, Zulaeha
Language and LinguisticsArts and Humanities
17
Article2026
Where I worked, where I lived: past research sites and data reanimation as poetic inquiryJohn Goodwin*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
18
Article2026
Guided digital mediation in early childhood Islamic education: multisensory approaches to religious identity formationSofa Muthohar, Lilif Muallifatul Khorida Filasofa, Nilal Muna Fatmawati, Mardiyan Hayati
EducationSocial Sciences
19
Article2026
Using place-based narrative methods to highlight teachers' achievements of agency in their workBenjamin Zonca, Josh Ambrosy
OAEducationSocial Sciences
20
Article2026
Scared straight: LGBTQIA+ trauma as worldmaking and breakingMark Aldous Vicars, James Milenkovic
OASocial PsychologyPsychology
Most cited
20Top 20 most cited, 2018 – 2026.
1
ArticleCitations 1,2312018
Qualitative research: deductive and inductive approaches to data analysisTheophilus Azungah*
AnthropologySocial Sciences
2
ArticleCitations 1,1382019
Coding qualitative data: a synthesis guiding the noviceMai Skjøtt Linneberg, Steffen Korsgaard
OASociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
3
ArticleCitations 2592020
Collaborative autoethnography: “self-reflection” as a timely alternative research approach during the global pandemicRituparna Roy, Shinya Uekusa
Public AdministrationSocial Sciences
4
5
ArticleCitations 1992023
Application of Guba and Lincoln's parallel criteria to assess trustworthiness of qualitative research on indigenous social protection systemsOko Chima Enworo*
OAGeneral Health ProfessionsHealth Professions
6
ArticleCitations 1072020
Critical realism: what you should know and how to apply itAma Lawani*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
7
ArticleCitations 1032019
A practical example of using theoretical sampling throughout a grounded theory studyTitan Ligita, Nichole Harvey, Kristin Wicking, Intansari Nurjannah, Karen Francis
EducationSocial Sciences
8
ArticleCitations 962018
A philosophical discussion of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research in social scienceSaša Baškarada, Andy Koronios
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
9
ArticleCitations 872018
Framework analysis: a whole paradigm approachMatthew D. Kiernan, Mick Hill
Management Science and Operations ResearchDecision Sciences
10
ArticleCitations 632018
Empirical verification of the “TACT” framework for teaching rigour in qualitative research methodologyBen Kei Daniel*
EducationSocial Sciences
11
ArticleCitations 612023
Participatory action research as a research approach: advantages, limitations and criticismsBruno De Oliveira*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
12
ArticleCitations 562018
Can subaltern professors speak?: examining micro-aggressions and lack of inclusion in the academyPierre W. Orelus*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
13
ArticleCitations 532018
Using vignettes in qualitative interviews as clues, microcosms or provokersJukka Törrönen*
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
14
ArticleCitations 522018
Critical intimacy: an interview with Gayatri Chakravorty SpivakSteve Paulson*
PhilosophyArts and Humanities
15
ArticleCitations 482020
Qualitative migration research ethics: a roadmap for migration scholarsRicard Zapata‐Barrero, Evren Yalaz
Clinical PsychologyPsychology
16
ArticleCitations 472018
Decolonizing interpretive research: subaltern sensibilities and the politics of voiceAntonia Darder*
OAPolitical Science and International RelationsSocial Sciences
17
ArticleCitations 372021
An exploratory study of workplace spirituality and employee well-being affecting public service motivation: an institutional perspectiveSobia Hassan, Nighat Ansari, Ali Rehman
DemographySocial Sciences
18
ArticleCitations 322019
Toward multi-dimensional and developmental notion of researcher positionalityHangyan Lu, Warren A. Hodge
Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
19
ArticleCitations 322022
Posthuman co-production: becoming response-able with what mattersEmma Renold, Gabrielle Ivinson
OACultural StudiesSocial Sciences
20
ArticleCitations 262023
Poetic inquiry: a tool for decolonising qualitative researchSamantha Cooms, Vicki Saunders
EducationSocial Sciences
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Data as of 2026-09-05