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Qualitative Research Methods and Applications

Qualitative Research Methods and Applications is a research topic within Education. Science Explorer counts 3.9k research works in it since 1950. 10.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the development, application, and challenges of grounded theory methodology in qualitative research. It covers topics such as the coding process, theoretical sampling, constructivist approach, use of data analysis software, methodological issues, and the role of literature review. The cluster also explores the intersection of grounded theory with symbolic interactionism and its relevance in various research designs.

  • Grounded Theory
  • Qualitative Research
  • Data Analysis Software
  • Constructivist Approach
  • Theoretical Sampling
  • Coding Process
  • Research Design
  • Symbolic Interactionism
  • Methodological Issues
  • Literature Review
Research works
3.9k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
388
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+28%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
United States
32% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Qualitative Research Methods and Applications

Which countries lead Qualitative Research Methods and Applications research?

By volume, the United States and Germany publish the most (197 and 104 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 United States 197 works
  2. 2 Germany 104 works
  3. 3 United Kingdom 84 works
  4. 4 Canada 44 works
  5. 5 Türkiye 40 works
  6. 6 Australia 39 works
  7. 7 China 36 works
  8. 8 Brazil 33 works
  9. 9 South Africa 24 works
  10. 10 India 24 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

United States: 31.6%Germany: 16.7%United Kingdom: 13.5%Canada: 7.0%6 others listed: 31.3%32%largest
United States197 · 31.6%Germany104 · 16.7%United Kingdom84 · 13.5%Canada44 · 7.0%6 others listed196 · 31.3%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Qualitative Research Methods and Applications research?

By volume in 2022-now, Islamic Azad University, Tehran publishes the most Qualitative Research Methods and Applications research, followed by Mzumbe University and University of South Africa.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Islamic Azad University, TehranIran 10 works
  2. 2 Mzumbe UniversityTanzania 6 works
  3. 3 University of South AfricaSouth Africa 5 works
  4. 4 Monash UniversityAustralia 5 works
  5. 5 Leibniz AssociationGermany 5 works
  6. 6 University of BremenGermany 5 works
  7. 7 University of TorontoCanada 5 works
  8. 8 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 4 works
  9. 9 Premier UniversityBangladesh 4 works
  10. 10 University of JohannesburgSouth Africa 4 works

Who are the leading researchers in Qualitative Research Methods and Applications?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Qualitative Research Methods and Applications include Virginia Braun, Victoria Clarke and James Thomas.

  1. 1 Virginia Braun New Zealand 286k citations
  2. 2 Victoria Clarke United Kingdom 285k citations
  3. 3 James Thomas United Kingdom 242k citations
  4. 4 Anselm L. Strauss United States 205k citations
  5. 5 John W. Creswell United States 186k citations
  6. 6 F. Stuart Chapin United States 185k citations
  7. 7 Stephen M. Gibson France 182k citations
  8. 8 Kathleen M. Eisenhardt United States 169k citations
  9. 9 Barney G. Glaser United States 148k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Qualitative Research Methods and Applications?

The most cited paper in Qualitative Research Methods and Applications is "Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis" (Hsiu-Fang Hsieh, Sarah Elizabeth Shannon, 2005), with 45,237 citations. Next come "Case Study Research: Design and Methods" (39,932) and "Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques." (29,398).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis Hsiu-Fang Hsieh, Sarah Elizabeth Shannon · Qualitative Health Research 4 Oct 2005 45,237
2 Case Study Research: Design and Methods Harris Chaiklin · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease Feb 1991 39,932
3 Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. Carolyn Ellis, Anselm Strauss, Juliet M. Corbin · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews 1992 29,398
4 The qualitative content analysis process Satu Elo, Helvi Aulikki Kyngäs · Journal of Advanced Nursing Open access 18 Mar 2008 22,967
5 Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness Ulla Hällgren Graneheim, Berit M Lundman · Nurse Education Today 7 Nov 2003 21,197
All 99 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Qualitative Research Methods and Applications research done?

The largest centres of Qualitative Research Methods and Applications research in 2022-now are London (United Kingdom), Melbourne (Australia), Ankara (Türkiye) and Chittagong (Bangladesh).

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 LondonUnited Kingdom 17 works
  2. 2 MelbourneAustralia 11 works
  3. 3 AnkaraTürkiye 9 works
  4. 4 ChittagongBangladesh 8 works
  5. 5 TehranIran 8 works
  6. 6 IstanbulTürkiye 8 works
  7. 7 TorontoCanada 7 works
  8. 8 ParisFrance 7 works
  9. 9 MunichGermany 7 works
  10. 10 New YorkUnited States 7 works
See Qualitative Research Methods and Applications on the map

Where is the best place to study Qualitative Research Methods and Applications?

Among universities, judged by research, Islamic Azad University, Tehran score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Islamic Azad University, TehranIran 10.00.3%7.1×10 +275.6%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Qualitative Research Methods and Applications, country by country

Is Qualitative Research Methods and Applications research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 28% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Qualitative Research Methods and Applications.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Qualitative Research Methods and Applications as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0034% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%Qualitative Research Methods and Applications0.0049% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Qualitative Research Methods and Applications over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Qualitative Research Methods and Applications10.3% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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