561207
research-article2014
QHRXXX10.1177/1049732314561207Qualitative Health ResearchMorse
Editorial
Qualitative Health Research: One Quarter of a Century
Qualitative Health Research 2015, Vol. 25(1) 3–4 © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1049732314561207 qhr.sagepub.com
Janice M. Morse1 With this volume, Qualitative Health Research (QHR) reaches 25 years. During the 25 years, we have developed from a quarterly journal, publishing only 23 manuscripts in the first year, to a monthly journal publishing approximately 170 articles annually. We have developed a reasonable Impact Factor—the highest of all qualitative journals—built qualitative health research as a discipline, and contributed to the development of qualitative inquiry itself. To celebrate QHR’s milestone, SAGE Publications is generously offering readers a free trial subscription for January, 2015. Access this by using the code http://bit.ly/ QHR2015FreeTRIAL
How Did This Happen? The journal emerged in 1991, at a time when the major in-roads for the legitimacy of qualitative research had just begun. Qualitative methods were just beginning to be a part of most research programs; qualitative methods books for nursing and health research had been on the shelf only since 1985, and the types of knowledge that qualitative inquiry could contribute to health research was just beginning to be appreciated. SAGE Publications nevertheless took a risk in starting a new journal, and I thank Mitch Allen, Blaise Simqu, and Bob Howard for their faith in giving us a start, and for putting their support into such an unknown subject area at that time. SAGE has offered so much in the development of social sciences. We thank them, and congratulate their founder, Sara Miller McCune, on SAGE’s 50th anniversary. QHR continues to support conferences that feed the journal: the QHR conferences sponsored by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, the Global Qualitative Health Research Conference (with the next to be held in Mexico in March, 2015), and other conferences, in South America, Korea, Israel, South Africa, Australia, and Britain. Qualitative researchers support the journal by sending us their best work: citing, implementing, and teaching the content, and reading and using the information as they continued to develop the field. Twenty-five years since our inception, we are on solid ground, and have found our place in academe, and in practice.
Changing Face of Qualitative Methods In the past 25 years, impressive developments have occurred in qualitative inquiry. There have been great strides in the development of qualitative research methods, in particular in arts-based research, in autoethnography, in participatory inquiry, and in mixed-methods. Other established methods have exploded, and expanded into various types: grounded theory, ethnography, and phenomenology. Techniques of coding changed dramatically with the development of computer-based coding systems, and we are on the cusp of feasible digital transcription methods that will greatly expedite our analysis. Will these differences result in changing the amount of data collected or in sample size? Perhaps, but I think this expectation of digital transcription is still over the horizon. Changes in the modes of doing research, from the single-investigator to team research, then to transdisciplinary team research, is fast becoming the norm. We see expanding research goals, international research, and bigger questions are being tackled. However, there is still a problem with projects being split into many articles for publication in one journal. Uneven schedules of publication, in different journals on different continents, and changing authorship for each article, make these related articles difficult to track down. Mixed methods have entered the scene with a flurry, making new places and spaces for qualitative inquiry. Nevertheless, the jury is still out, especially with respect to terminology and design, and this research still gives priority to quantitative inquiry. We will have two special issues on the place of qualitative inquiry in mixed methods this year: one on Quantitatively-Driven Mixed-Methods, and another, later in the year, tentatively titled Qualitative Contributions to Quantitative inquiry.
1
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Corresponding Author: Janice M. Morse, 10 S. 2000 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5880, USA. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from qhr.sagepub.com at USD & Wegner Health Science Information Center on May 7, 2015
4
Qualitative Health Research 25(1)
The Maturation of Qualitative Health Research We have watched the increasing sophistication of qualitative research with pride. Qualitative research is now being taken seriously by granting agencies, who are becoming increasingly interested in the “patients’ perspectives.” They are realizing that therapeutic relationships require a relationship with the patient, that a person’s perspective cannot be ignored, and that the humanistic aspects of health care must be included in the equations. It is ethical and essential if health is to be achieved. In this anniversary year, we will organize our special issues by methods. We are planning issues on Knowledge Translation, Autoethnography, as well as the two qualitative mixed methods issues already mentioned. An online sister journal, Global Qualitative Nursing Research, was recently launched, providing an outlet for applied qualitative health research.
The Backbone of Qualitative Health Research
ensuring the quality of our publications, and thereby building the journal and our substantive products. Reviewing is a reciprocal system operating between authors; it is a system in which experts give their expertise freely and without acknowledgment; it is a system that is crucial for the development of a new discipline and the reputation of a journal. Thank you for your support and hard work. Our grateful acknowledgments go to Dan Ruth, Craig Percy, Shelly Andrews, and the production team working behind the scenes: Isabella Hecht and Leanne Zurmuhlen. We thank our managing editors for their support over these 25 years, and welcome David Troester. We thank the universities that have hosted us: the University of Alberta, Penn State, and the University of Utah. As we look forward to the coming 25 years, I personally thank the QHR Editorial Board for its support, and the associate editors: Sally Thorne, Lauren Clark, Julianne Cheek, Joan Bottorff, Tony Kuzel, William Ventres, and Jack Coulehan. And, as we look forward to another 25 years, I thank you, our authors and readers, who cite, discuss, cite, critique, implement, and cite. Thank you.
Our biggest “thank you” goes to our reviewers, who work anonymously behind the scenes, guiding our authors,
Special Issue Qualitative Contributions to Quantitative Inquiry Call for Articles
Articles describing qualitative inquiry that in some way supports quantitative inquiry are requested for the QHR special issue. Articles may address methodological, substantive, or theoretical issues. Articles must be submitted by January 31, 2015
Downloaded from qhr.sagepub.com at USD & Wegner Health Science Information Center on May 7, 2015
research-article2014
QHRXXX10.1177/1049732314561207Qualitative Health ResearchMorse
Editorial
Qualitative Health Research: One Quarter of a Century
Qualitative Health Research 2015, Vol. 25(1) 3–4 © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1049732314561207 qhr.sagepub.com
Janice M. Morse1 With this volume, Qualitative Health Research (QHR) reaches 25 years. During the 25 years, we have developed from a quarterly journal, publishing only 23 manuscripts in the first year, to a monthly journal publishing approximately 170 articles annually. We have developed a reasonable Impact Factor—the highest of all qualitative journals—built qualitative health research as a discipline, and contributed to the development of qualitative inquiry itself. To celebrate QHR’s milestone, SAGE Publications is generously offering readers a free trial subscription for January, 2015. Access this by using the code http://bit.ly/ QHR2015FreeTRIAL
How Did This Happen? The journal emerged in 1991, at a time when the major in-roads for the legitimacy of qualitative research had just begun. Qualitative methods were just beginning to be a part of most research programs; qualitative methods books for nursing and health research had been on the shelf only since 1985, and the types of knowledge that qualitative inquiry could contribute to health research was just beginning to be appreciated. SAGE Publications nevertheless took a risk in starting a new journal, and I thank Mitch Allen, Blaise Simqu, and Bob Howard for their faith in giving us a start, and for putting their support into such an unknown subject area at that time. SAGE has offered so much in the development of social sciences. We thank them, and congratulate their founder, Sara Miller McCune, on SAGE’s 50th anniversary. QHR continues to support conferences that feed the journal: the QHR conferences sponsored by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, the Global Qualitative Health Research Conference (with the next to be held in Mexico in March, 2015), and other conferences, in South America, Korea, Israel, South Africa, Australia, and Britain. Qualitative researchers support the journal by sending us their best work: citing, implementing, and teaching the content, and reading and using the information as they continued to develop the field. Twenty-five years since our inception, we are on solid ground, and have found our place in academe, and in practice.
Changing Face of Qualitative Methods In the past 25 years, impressive developments have occurred in qualitative inquiry. There have been great strides in the development of qualitative research methods, in particular in arts-based research, in autoethnography, in participatory inquiry, and in mixed-methods. Other established methods have exploded, and expanded into various types: grounded theory, ethnography, and phenomenology. Techniques of coding changed dramatically with the development of computer-based coding systems, and we are on the cusp of feasible digital transcription methods that will greatly expedite our analysis. Will these differences result in changing the amount of data collected or in sample size? Perhaps, but I think this expectation of digital transcription is still over the horizon. Changes in the modes of doing research, from the single-investigator to team research, then to transdisciplinary team research, is fast becoming the norm. We see expanding research goals, international research, and bigger questions are being tackled. However, there is still a problem with projects being split into many articles for publication in one journal. Uneven schedules of publication, in different journals on different continents, and changing authorship for each article, make these related articles difficult to track down. Mixed methods have entered the scene with a flurry, making new places and spaces for qualitative inquiry. Nevertheless, the jury is still out, especially with respect to terminology and design, and this research still gives priority to quantitative inquiry. We will have two special issues on the place of qualitative inquiry in mixed methods this year: one on Quantitatively-Driven Mixed-Methods, and another, later in the year, tentatively titled Qualitative Contributions to Quantitative inquiry.
1
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Corresponding Author: Janice M. Morse, 10 S. 2000 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5880, USA. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from qhr.sagepub.com at USD & Wegner Health Science Information Center on May 7, 2015
4
Qualitative Health Research 25(1)
The Maturation of Qualitative Health Research We have watched the increasing sophistication of qualitative research with pride. Qualitative research is now being taken seriously by granting agencies, who are becoming increasingly interested in the “patients’ perspectives.” They are realizing that therapeutic relationships require a relationship with the patient, that a person’s perspective cannot be ignored, and that the humanistic aspects of health care must be included in the equations. It is ethical and essential if health is to be achieved. In this anniversary year, we will organize our special issues by methods. We are planning issues on Knowledge Translation, Autoethnography, as well as the two qualitative mixed methods issues already mentioned. An online sister journal, Global Qualitative Nursing Research, was recently launched, providing an outlet for applied qualitative health research.
The Backbone of Qualitative Health Research
ensuring the quality of our publications, and thereby building the journal and our substantive products. Reviewing is a reciprocal system operating between authors; it is a system in which experts give their expertise freely and without acknowledgment; it is a system that is crucial for the development of a new discipline and the reputation of a journal. Thank you for your support and hard work. Our grateful acknowledgments go to Dan Ruth, Craig Percy, Shelly Andrews, and the production team working behind the scenes: Isabella Hecht and Leanne Zurmuhlen. We thank our managing editors for their support over these 25 years, and welcome David Troester. We thank the universities that have hosted us: the University of Alberta, Penn State, and the University of Utah. As we look forward to the coming 25 years, I personally thank the QHR Editorial Board for its support, and the associate editors: Sally Thorne, Lauren Clark, Julianne Cheek, Joan Bottorff, Tony Kuzel, William Ventres, and Jack Coulehan. And, as we look forward to another 25 years, I thank you, our authors and readers, who cite, discuss, cite, critique, implement, and cite. Thank you.
Our biggest “thank you” goes to our reviewers, who work anonymously behind the scenes, guiding our authors,
Special Issue Qualitative Contributions to Quantitative Inquiry Call for Articles
Articles describing qualitative inquiry that in some way supports quantitative inquiry are requested for the QHR special issue. Articles may address methodological, substantive, or theoretical issues. Articles must be submitted by January 31, 2015
Downloaded from qhr.sagepub.com at USD & Wegner Health Science Information Center on May 7, 2015
