printMethodological Culture of Reporting Qualitative Research:
How Can We Trust Qualitative Findings?
Kozina I.М.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Prof., HSE University, Moscow, Russia ikozina@hse.ru
Serezhkina Е.V.
Сand. Sci. (Sociol.), Assoc. Prof., Faculty of Social Sciences, HSE University, Moscow, Russia eserezhkina@hse.ru
Kozina I.М., Serezhkina Е.V. Methodological Culture of Reporting Qualitative Research: How Can We Trust Qualitative Findings?. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 10. P. 84-94
This article is based on the webinar “Methodological and Methodical Culture in Academic Articles”, organized by the journal “Sotsiologichesskie Issledovaniya” (Sociological Studies), and addresses the problem of reporting qualitative research in contemporary academic discourse. It discusses key debates surrounding qualitative methodology and examines possible reasons for the relatively limited representation of studies based on qualitative data in leading Russian sociology journals. Particular attention is paid to conventional publication standards, especially to the issues of ensuring and demonstrating the validity and credibility of qualitative knowledge. The article is based on the premise that the quality of qualitative research should be assessed primarily through the transparency and internal coherence of the research process rather than through the mechanical application of verification techniques. Drawing on contemporary methodological literature and a review of publication practices in Russian sociology journals, the authors propose a set of practical recommendations for preparing manuscripts based on qualitative data. These recommendations address the description of research design, sampling strategies, analytical procedures, ethical considerations, the relationship between empirical evidence and analytical interpretation, and the analytical generalization of findings. Rather than proposing a rigid reporting standard, the article outlines a practical framework for presenting qualitative research that may assist authors in preparing journal manuscripts and in demonstrating methodological rigor, empirical grounding, and the transferability of qualitative findings.
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