Preparing Manuscripts that Report Qualitative Research: Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Illegitimate Questions

The growing scholarship about qualitative inquiry means it has become an umbrella term for a diverse range of studies with differing theoretical underpinnings and methods. Nevertheless qualitative studies share a common purpose of representing or interpreting complex and situated social processes and experiences and continue to be the most common type of manuscript published by Australian Social Work. Telling a clear and concise story in a 6,000 word journal article about the what, how, and why aspects of the social world requires well-honed writing skills and good judgment about what must be included and what can be left out. This paper provides guidance to preparation of qualitative manuscripts drawing on the authors’ experience as an academic author and past editor of Australian Social Work.