JCTS Call for Papers: The Qualitative Dimensions of Translational Science
The Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (JCTS) is accepting manuscripts for an upcoming thematic issue: The Qualitative Dimensions of Translational Science.
This upcoming issue will focus on advancing the value of qualitative thinking across the CTS ecosystem, highlighting innovation, theory development, methodological rigor and translational impact.
Qualitative approaches deepen our understanding of translational science processes and impact in real-world settings by richly articulating them within lived human experience. Far more than narrative add-ons to quantitative findings, qualitative engagement offers distinct ways of seeing—exposing assumptions, revealing mechanisms, identifying translational gaps, and supporting learning cycles that allow translation to adapt and improve over time.
For example, qualitative methods have been essential for understanding how patients and families experience illness and treatment; how CTS trainees, scholars, and investigators form professional identities as translational scientists; how community members make sense of and determine trust in healthcare systems; and how scientific teams navigate interpersonal dynamics shaping productivity. By attending to people, context, incentives, workflows, relationships, power, and everyday breakdowns in real-world settings, qualitative inquiry surfaces factors that quantitative study alone often misses, supporting translation by pointing toward actionable changes in practice and process.
JCTS invites submissions addressing conceptual or methodological advances (including mixed methods), implementation, and exemplary research demonstrating how qualitative inquiry informs action. Papers examining why qualitative research may be underused in CTS and how qualitative contribution can be particularly valuable are also encouraged. Manuscripts should be written for a broad target audience of all clinical and translational researchers.
Areas of particular interest include but are not limited to:
- study design or analysis
- evaluation and CQI
- community engagement
- clinical trials, recruitment, and retention
- education and career development
- team science
- digital health and artificial intelligence, including human-AI approaches to textual analysis
- dissemination and implementation
- administrative/operational challenges
As part of the themed issue, an editorial will be developed by the guest editors. Accepted articles will be published online ahead of being compiled on the JCTS Thematic Issues page.
Deadline for Submission: May 31, 2027
For more information and submission guidelines, visit cambridge.org