Reporting Qualitative Research in Psychology:

This book shows researchers how to use APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research (JARS-Qual), Mixed Methods Article Reporting Standards (MMARS), and Qualitative Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (QMARS).

These standards provide much-needed criteria to guide researchers as well as journal editors, reviewers, and students. They also provide the critical elements of a qualitative study, including design choices, participant recruitment strategies, data analysis procedures, and the significance of the results.

Heidi Levitt explains the purpose and function of these standards, helping researchers strengthen the impact of their work. The book is relevant for varied qualitative methods and includes examples from APA journal articles to illustrate how writers can tailor their reporting style to their methodologies and goals.

Levitt also details other key aspects of reporting qualitative research, such as how to establish a study’s methodological integrity.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research in Psychology: What Are They, and Why Do We Need Them?
2. Telling Your Qualitative Story: How the Purpose of Your Research Influences Your Reporting
3. Methodological Integrity: Establishing the Fidelity and Utility of Your Research
4. How to Situate Your Mission: Title Page, Abstract, and Introduction
5. How to Describe Your Inquiry Process: The Method Section
6. What Did You Find? The Results Section
7. What Does It All Mean? The Discussion Section
8. Reporting a Qualitative Meta-Analysis: Key Features
9. Reporting Mixed Methods Research: Bridging Reporting Standards
10. Considering Rhetorical Style and Methodological Integrity: Troubleshooting and Tips for Publishing and Reviewing

Appendix. Abstracts of the 15 Articles Used as Examples in Text

References

Index

About the Author

Heidi M. Levitt, PhD, is a professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She was chair of the APA Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Research (JARS–Qual Working Group; Levitt et al., 2018).

From 2017 to 2018, she was president of the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (SQIP; APA Division 5, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods). In addition, she chaired the SQIP task force to develop a white paper on recommendations for designing and reviewing qualitative research.

She has been associate editor for the journals Qualitative Psychology and Psychotherapy Research.

She is an APA Fellow in Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods), Division 29 (Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy), Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology), and Division 44 (Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity).