Beyond borders: an international contemporary Qualitative Research Journal

Beyond borders: an international contemporary Qualitative Research Journal

Beyond borders: an international contemporary Qualitative Research Journal

Article Type: Editorial From: Qualitative Research Journal, Volume 12, Issue 1.

The Qualitative Research Journal (QRJ) has a strong and robust history as one of the key publications from the Association of Qualitative Research. While this organisation has its roots in Australia, its scope and reach has extended, in recent years beyond geographical and epistemological borders resulting in a significant increase in subscriptions and submissions from the global community of qualitative researchers and scholars.

The focus of our journal in 2012 and beyond is to increase our international presence. We are passionate about continuing to encourage contributions to debate and generate discussion of the challenges and the possibilities of doing qualitative research. We are interested in pursuing criticality of ideas and approaches and examining the complexities of qualitative inquiry and practices. An editorial stance has been taken to move beyond publishing papers that are apologetic about qualitative research or that do not sufficiently demonstrate familiarity with contemporary publications and debate. We welcome papers that problematise research conclusions and trouble accepted wisdom and encourage submissions in the form of essays as well as reports of formal studies. We invite potential authors to submit work that has a lively discussion of theoretical, conceptual, methodological, ethical issues as well as the inclusion of differing praxis informed perspectives.

The papers in 12.1 offer a diverse, stimulating and thought provoking contribution to contemporary qualitative research and this edition is an important milestone for QRJ. As QRJ receives such a large volume of submissions, we decided to move to an international publishing house that will support us with our ambitions. We are delighted that our new publisher, Emerald Group Publishing, has demonstrated so clearly why we made the right choice in selecting them during a long process in 2011. We are intending to increase the number of issues each year, and this is anticipated to occur from the beginning of 2013. The use of ScholarOne (formerly Manuscript Central) will assist us in ensuring an efficient and secure way for the management of submission, review and editorial processes.

The next issue (12.2) to be published in October 2012, will be a special issue from the Association of Qualitative Research/Discourse Power Resistance conference held in Cairns in August 2011 and it's proving to be a very exciting collection. Following a successful 2011 conference, AQR/DPR (Down Under) collaborate once again in 2012, inviting scholars, practitioners and researchers of qualitative research from a range of fields and across the globe, to submit proposals for the August conference. The 2012 theme Embodying Good Research – What Counts and Who Decides prompts the qualitative research community to rethink and reconsider the inherently political, critical and subversive nature of research in a range of different ways.

Confirmed as Keynote Speakers are Professor Shirley Steinberg, University of Calgary, Canada (Director of Werklund Foundation Centre for Youth), Professor Dan Goodley and Dr Rebecca Lawthorn, both of Manchester Metropolitan University. For updates to the programme and to register please visit: www.aqr.org.au/

We look forward to reading your submissions throughout 2012 and hope to see you in Darwin in August for a lively, collegial and engaging AQR/DPR Down Under.

Julie WhiteMark Vicars