The Publication of Qualitative Research Findings

Abstract

The publication of research findings is sometimes considered almost unrelated to the research, as something “coming after,” when the research is complete. The essence of this short article is an argument against this idea. However, a common problem is that the form of publication is ruled not by the research but by, for example, research tradition. In Sweden, it has been common to publish extensive findings in the social sciences as reports, whereas in medicine and in nursing science linked with medicine faculties, publication in the form of international articles is the dominant style. The author discusses the “pro” and “cons” of these two publication styles. As a conclusion, she argues that we need to make explicit the internal paradigmatic demands on qualitative research regarding validity, generalization, number of informants, and, not least, publication, instead of allowing the old, positivistic paradigm to continue to determine the styles of publication.