How to Structure a Qualitative Research Paper for Publication

Published June 20, 2026  |  Last updated October 31, 2026

A qualitative paper fails at structure for a different reason than a quantitative one. The standard parts are usually there. What goes missing is the material that lets a reviewer judge how you reached your themes. This guide gives the section order, what each section must hold, and a real data set showing where authors most often leave gaps.

How to Structure a Qualitative Research Paper, Section by Section

Original research articles are usually divided into Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.¹ The SRQR items below show where each qualitative element belongs.² Where a journal sets its own headings, follow the journal and keep the same content.

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Title and abstract

Put the design in the title. SRQR recommends identifying the study as qualitative or naming the approach, such as ethnography or grounded theory, or the data collection method, such as interviews.² Write the abstract in the format of the journal you are targeting.

Introduction

State the problem, review the relevant theory and empirical work, and end on the purpose and the specific objectives or questions.² Keep the question open enough for qualitative inquiry and specific enough to guide your analysis.

Methods: the section reviewers read hardest

Qualitative methods need more space than most authors give them. Give each element a short labelled paragraph or subheading so a reviewer can find it:²

• Approach and paradigm: the qualitative approach, any guiding theory, and why you chose it.
• Researcher characteristics: attributes, qualifications and experience, relationship with participants, and assumptions that may influence the study.
• Context and sampling: the setting, how and why participants were selected, and the criteria for stopping sampling.
• Ethics: approval by an ethics review board and participant consent, plus confidentiality and data security.
• Data collection: data types, procedures, instruments such as interview guides, and any change to them during the study.
• Participants: number and relevant characteristics, and how far each took part.
• Processing and analysis: transcription, data management, coding, how themes were developed and who was involved.
• Trustworthiness: techniques such as member checking, an audit trail or triangulation, with the reason for each.

Findings

Present the main findings as themes or interpretations, and give evidence for each: quotes, field notes, text excerpts or photographs.² One theme per subheading, each with its own evidence, lets a reader trace how you reached it.

Discussion and end matter

Summarise the main findings briefly, explain how they connect to or challenge earlier research, discuss where the findings may apply, and state the unique contribution. Then address trustworthiness and the limits of the findings. Close with conflicts of interest and funding.²

A Real Example: Which Parts of 147 Qualitative Papers Got Reported

A 2026 scoping review in PLOS ONE applied the SRQR checklist to 147 qualitative health studies by Peruvian authors, published 2022 to 2025 and found through Scopus. Each of the 21 items was scored reported, partly reported or not reported, for a total of 0 to 42 points.³ The paper is open access under CC BY 4.0, so we re-plotted its numbers in R.

Three items that any paper needs were reported by almost every study: the abstract (95.9%), the study purpose (95.2%) and the main findings (93.9%). Three items that are specific to qualitative work were reported far less: the qualitative approach (49.0%), researcher reflexivity (37.4%) and title elements (31.3%).³

The review defined adequate reporting as 37 or more of 42 points, the top third of scores, and 48 of 147 papers (32.7%) met it.³ Adequate reporting was far more common in papers in English journals (52.4%, 44 of 84) than Spanish (6.3%, 4 of 63), in papers with eight or more authors (59.0%) than one to four (17.0%), and in papers with an international co-author (49.2%) than Peruvian authors only (20.9%).³ We recomputed the crude ratios from the reported counts and matched the authors’ values (for example 2.35 for an international co-author).

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What this shows: in this sample, authors followed the general conventions of a scientific paper and under-reported the items that make a paper qualitative: approach, reflexivity and the design in the title. The review’s authors reached the same reading.³ What it does not show: that low-scoring papers were weak studies, because SRQR measures reporting, not the strength of a design.³ It covers Peruvian health studies found in one database, the groups are compared crudely, and the 37-point cut-off was set from the data because no validated cut-off exists.³ Use it as a prompt to check your own draft, not as a benchmark.

Which Reporting Guideline Should Shape Your Structure?

A reporting guideline works as an outline for the sections above. Choose by study type and field, and follow the journal if it names one. For a full comparison of SRQR, COREQ and ENTREQ, read our guide to choosing a qualitative reporting standard.

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Structure Check Before You Submit

1. 1Title. Does it say the study is qualitative or name the approach or method?
2. 2Methods. Can a reviewer find the approach, researcher characteristics, sampling, ethics, analysis and trustworthiness in labelled paragraphs?
3. 3Findings. Does each theme have its own evidence, such as a quote or excerpt?
4. 4Discussion. Does it link back to earlier research and state your contribution?
5. 5Journal rules. Do headings, abstract format and reporting guideline match the author instructions?

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Frequently Asked Questions

How should I structure a qualitative research paper?

Use the usual IMRAD order of Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, which the ICMJE describes as the usual division of original research articles. Then make the qualitative-specific elements easy to find: the qualitative approach, researcher characteristics, context, sampling, how themes were developed, and how trustworthiness was supported. The SRQR checklist lists 21 items and places each one in a section.

What goes in the methods section of a qualitative paper?

SRQR items 5 to 15 sit in Methods: the qualitative approach and any guiding theory, researcher characteristics, context, sampling strategy, ethics approval and consent, data collection, instruments such as interview guides, participant numbers and characteristics, data processing, the analysis process, and techniques that support trustworthiness. SRQR notes that additional context may also be reported with the findings.

Do I need a reporting guideline for a qualitative paper?

Journal rules differ, so read the author instructions first. SRQR is a general checklist for the whole qualitative report, COREQ is a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups, and APA’s JARS-Qual covers qualitative research in psychology. Using one as an outline helps the paper cover what reviewers look for.

Which parts of qualitative papers are most often left out?

In a 2026 review of 147 qualitative health studies by Peruvian authors, the title elements (31.3%), the qualitative approach (49.0%) and researcher reflexivity (37.4%) were reported least often, while the abstract (95.9%), purpose (95.2%) and main findings (93.9%) were reported most often. That is one regional sample, so treat it as a pattern to check your own draft against.

What is reflexivity and where does it go?

Reflexivity means stating the researcher characteristics that may influence the study: personal attributes, qualifications and experience, relationship with participants, and assumptions. SRQR lists it as item 6 under Methods. Give it a short labelled paragraph so reviewers can find it.

How should I present participant quotes?

SRQR asks for evidence that substantiates the analytic findings, such as quotes, field notes, text excerpts or photographs (item 17), alongside the main findings, themes or interpretations (item 16). Present each theme with its own evidence so a reader can see how you reached it.

Should the title say the study is qualitative?

SRQR recommends it. Item 1 asks for a concise description of the nature and topic of the study and recommends identifying the study as qualitative or naming the approach, such as ethnography or grounded theory, or the data collection method, such as interviews or focus groups. In the 2026 review only 31.3% of papers did this adequately.

Which citation style should a qualitative paper use?

Use the style named in the journal’s author instructions. A reporting standard is a separate matter: JARS-Qual is the APA standard for what a qualitative report should contain in psychology, and it was the first inclusion of qualitative research in APA Style.

References

1. ICMJE. Preparing for submission, section 1 General Principles (states that original research articles are usually divided into Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, the IMRAD structure). Read 31 October 2026. www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html
2. O’Brien BC, Harris IB, Beckman TJ, Reed DA, Cook DA. Standards for reporting qualitative research: a synthesis of recommendations. Acad Med. 2014;89(9):1245-1251. EQUATOR Network record (PubMed ID 24979285). Item wording and explanations: Supplemental Digital Appendix 2 to the article, links.lww.com/ACADMED/A218. www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/srqr/
3. Rojas-Miliano C, Damaso-Roman A, Almeida-Huanca G, et al. Reporting quality of qualitative health studies published by Peruvian authors: a scoping review. PLoS One. 2026;21(6):e0351494. Open access, CC BY 4.0; counts and shares recomputed by Editverse in R. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351494
4. Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007;19(6):349-357. EQUATOR Network record. www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/coreq/
5. Levitt HM, Bamberg M, Creswell JW, Frost DM, Josselson R, Suarez-Orozco C. Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: the APA Publications and Communications Board task force report. Am Psychol. 2018;73(1):26-46. doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151

Editverse Research Team | Updated October 2026