Publication trends for qualitative inquiry in American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science journals.

Framed against the long-standing dominance of quantitative methods in psychological science, this study examined contemporary publishing patterns for qualitative inquiry in American Psychological Association (APA) and Association for Psychological Science (APS) journals. We examined 19,012 publications across 95 APA and APS journals across four time points (2005, 2012, 2019, and 2022). The percentage of qualitative articles was determined using the methodology field value within APA PsycInfo, a process that we validated through a batch test. We also conducted a content analysis of journal mission statements and submission guidelines, and we made comparisons in light of journal impact factors. Our findings show a nearly threefold increase in qualitative publications accelerating over time from 2005 to 2022, albeit with wide variations depending on the type of journal. Qualitative-friendly journals were more likely to be published by APA, be specialty journals, be dedicated to diverse populations, and have lower impact factors. Conversely, qualitative research was less likely to be published in APS journals, core psychology journals, journals focused on general populations, and journals with higher impact factors (with some notable exceptions). We discuss these findings in terms of implications for the advancement of psychological science, including the discipline's need for development in qualitative training and expertise, its commitments to antiracism and anticolonialism, its fragmentation, and its equity in publishing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).