Just released, the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Associationnow includes considerations relating to both qualitative and mixed methods research! The manual contains specific journal article reporting standards (JARS) for both these forms of research now, to provide supports that guide authors and reviewers on the types of information that are expected within manuscripts. This information is helpful for researchers preparing papers, for classes learning about academic writing, and for reviewers who are learning to review articles using methods and epistemological perspectives they are less familiar with. The guidelines are presented in an easy-to-read table in the manual, with a column that includes tips for authors and reviewers to keep in mind. The manual includes a new synthesized chapter that discusses commonalities and distinctions in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. This synthesized chapter format may be especially helpful in orienting students to the writing of research papers of all types and helping authors new to qualitative methods to begin writing in a less familiar genre.
Recently, a journal article in the British Journal of Health Psychology reviewed sets of guidelines for reporting qualitative research and concluded by endorsing the APA JARS. They stated that the "standards are widely applicable and offer a non-judgmental and robust way of assessing the quality of quantitative research with a range of epistemological stances" (Shaw, Bishop, Horwood, Chilcot & Arden, 2019, p. 774).
This version of the APA publication manual also includes specific recommendations and cautions for data sharing when using qualitative research. For example, because qualitative data may be very challenging or impossible to de-identify and because participants may have given limited consent to specific research teams to analyze the data, ethics around data sharing have to be carefully considered to determine if it should occur. As well, the manual now contains guidelines for how to evaluate piecemeal publication that are tailored for qualitative research. This information is useful in light of the frequent need to divide qualitative research projects into separate journal articles.
The manual also encourages editors to extend page limits for qualitative and mixed methods research and/or to provide guidance for authors to shift designated material online after manuscripts are accepted. The need for extended page limits is because of the additional requirements on qualitative research to provide quoted material to substantiate analyses, thorough descriptions of both method and epistemological perspective, detailed contextual information and additional information to make their analyses accessible to audiences that may not be as familiar with qualitative approaches to research.
To supplement the APA publication manual, a new APA book, “Reporting Qualitative Research in Psychology” (by Heidi Levitt) is now available. It is a useful resource for qualitative researchers at all levels, including undergraduate or graduate courses focused on these methods. This APA book provides detailed guidance on how to report qualitative, qualitative meta-analytic and mixed methods studies, how to make clear the methodological integrity in research reports, and how to develop a consistent rhetorical style that will support the review of research manuscripts. The book reviews each section of a journal article, providing tips for writing and also for communicating with editors and reviewers, and examples of good practice.
References
Levitt, H. M. (2019). Reporting Qualitative Research in Psychology: How to Understand and Meet Journal Article Reporting Standards. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/0000121-000 IBSN: 9781433830037.
Shaw, R. L., Bishop, F. L., Horwood, J., Chilcot, J., & Arden, M. A. (2019). Enhancing the quality and transparency of qualitative research methods in health psychology. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24(4), 739–745. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1111/bjhp.12393opens in new window