Commentary: exposing a research bias or a relic of research practice
ISSN: 0887-6045
Article publication date: 2 March 2020
Issue publication date: 20 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to represent a response to issues raised in the continuing quantitative-qualitative debate by Valtakoski (2020). Which appeared in a Journal of Services Marketing (JSM) special issue on qualitative research in service-oriented research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors performed a content analysis of 1,268 papers that were published in JSM (1987-2019). In addition, the authors had data that is held in JSM’s manuscript central submission portal.
Findings
The analysis shows that while there is a dominance of quantitative methods in the journal, the proportion of qualitative papers is growing. During 2014-2019, 83.4 per cent of submitted papers to JSM represented quantitative research and 14 per cent represented qualitative research; however, 75 per cent of accepted papers were quantitative and 25 per cent were qualitative/mixed methods. Thus, the proportion of published qualitative studies are increasing and have a higher chance of receiving an acceptance decision compared to quantitative studies. Additionally, the largest percentage of qualitative papers published in JSM derive from corresponding authors outside of North America.
Research limitations/implications
Service researchers who opt to use inductive research methods, which tend to use qualitative research, will not confront discrimination based solely upon the use of a research methodology among editors or reviewers at JSM.
Practical implications
JSM welcomes qualitative research that has rich practical implications.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to provide authors with a detailed analysis and responses to the qualitative-quantitative debate in marketing.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper has been solely reviewed by the editor.
Citation
Russell-Bennett, R., Rosenbaum, M.S. and McAndrew, R. (2020), "Commentary: exposing a research bias or a relic of research practice", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 24-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2019-0439
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited