QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AND THE EDITORIAL TRADITION - A MIXED METAPHOR

THE EDIT PROCESS FOR JOURNALS in library and information science has t ended to follow quantitative positivist research standards. Qualitativ e research presents problems of definition, structure, voice, and mean ing that can influence the reactions of editors and referees, who may reject that which they do not adequately understand, Publication of re ports of qualitative research projects may require some accommodation by authors, editors, editorial boards, and ad hoc referees, This artic le discusses why authors should understand the editorial process-what is expected and what is required-and the ways in which it influences t he characteristics of individual journals. Editors, editorial boards, and referees should try to better understand what authors expect of th em. Strategies for changing this in the editorial en environment can b e implemented through attention to the partnership that links authors and editors in their shared goal of benefitting both individual reader s and the profession as a whole.