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Journal decision profile

Qualitative Health Research

Social Sciences · Health Professions
SAGE PublishingUnited StatespISSN 1049-7323eISSN 1552-7557
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Journal Metrics Score
i
Journal Metrics ScoreThe raw score is citations received in the latest complete year by works from the two previous years, divided by the number of those works. It is calculated from OpenAlex open data (CC0) and is not a percentage grade.
2026
3.4

Journal Metrics Score 2026 · 2021–2024 window citedness 3.14.

Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceCalendar days between the received and accepted dates reported in recent PubMed records. This interval includes editorial handling and author revisions, so it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
PUBMED

Not available — there are not enough recent PubMed records with both received and accepted dates.

Indicative APC
i
Indicative APCThis journal-level estimate comes from the OpenAlex source record. It is not a verified quote and may exclude taxes, waivers, society discounts, or article-type charges. Check the journal's official website before deciding.
OPENALEX · VERIFY
Not available

No journal-level APC is available in the current OpenAlex snapshot. Cost is excluded from scoring.

At a glance

Journal decision profile

Each spoke is a 0–100 percentile within a comparable journal cohort—not a percentage grade or a single black-box rating.

Relative profile

Metrics ScoreThe raw 2026 Journal Metrics Score is the recent two-year citation average shown above. The radar converts it to a 0–100 cohort percentile: farther out means a higher score than more comparable journals. It is not a percentage grade.iSource outputThe raw rank compares lifetime output inside the journal’s leading-topic source set. The radar then compares that rank position across Decision Profile journals in the same primary OpenAlex field; when that field has too few profiles, it uses the broader profile set. Farther out means relatively more output, not better research quality.iTop 10% shareThe share of recent papers in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield. The radar converts that share to a 0–100 cohort percentile; it does not predict how a new paper will perform.iMedian FWCICitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected citation level for comparable papers; the radar shows its 0–100 cohort percentile.iOutput volumeAverage works published per year in the recent analysis window, converted to a 0–100 cohort percentile. Farther out means the journal publishes more papers; it does not mean those papers are better.i
Cost is intentionally excluded. Missing APC data is never converted to a zero-dollar fee or a fabricated cost score.

Raw values behind the shape

Always visible
Metrics Score
i
Metrics ScoreThe 2026 raw Journal Metrics Score shown above. The bar is its 0–100 percentile within the radar's comparable journal cohort; it is not a percentage score.
3.42026 · OPENALEX
Source output rank
i
Source output rankThis lifetime journal-wide output rank compares works published by the OpenAlex source with sources associated with the journal’s leading topic. More output does not mean higher quality.
#23 / 1,229LIFETIME OUTPUT
Highly cited papers
i
Highly cited papersShare of recent works in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield.
36.1%FIELD-NORMALIZED TOP 10%
Field-normalized impact
i
Field-normalized impactCitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected level for comparable work.
1.77MEDIAN FWCI
Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceReceived-to-accepted calendar days from qualified PubMed records. It includes editorial handling and author revisions; it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
—NOT AVAILABLE
Recent output
i
Recent outputAverage works published per year across the complete analysis window. This is a volume measure, not a quality score.
163 / yr2021–2024 AVG
Field-normalized top 10% share36.1%

235 of 651 works · same type, year & subfield

Field-normalized top 1% share2.5%

16 works · same type, year & subfield

Median FWCI1.77×

Above field-year expectation

Source output rank#23

of 1,229 topic-associated OpenAlex sources by lifetime output

What does Median FWCI mean?

FWCI compares papers with the same publication year, type, and field. 1.0 is the world average; above 1.0 is above expectation. This journal's median is 1.77, so its typical recent paper runs about 77% above its field benchmark.

What does Top 10% Share mean?

36.1% of recent papers rank in the global top 10% after field normalization. This is easier to compare across specialties than raw citation totals.

Publishing pattern

Publication volume and article mix

Volume is separated from citation accumulation so newer papers are not presented as weaker simply because they are newer.

Works published by year

OpenAlex source records · 2016–2025

1212016
1332017
2232018
1402019
1672020
2092021
1212022
1432023
1782024
1972025

Recent work-type mix

651 OpenAlex works · 2021–2024

Article97.4%
Editorial1.7%
Review0.5%
Erratum0.3%
Paratext0.2%
OpenAlex article is broader than “original research.” PubMed Publication Types can add case-report and clinical-study detail.
Fit signals

Topics and medical subject coverage

OpenAlex topics show research communities; MeSH keeps the medical taxonomy recognizable.

Major MeSH signals

PubMed-indexed works
COVID-19Qualitative ResearchNeoplasmsCaregiversHIV InfectionsMental DisordersSexual and Gender MinoritiesPhysiciansAdaptation, Psychological

Leading OpenAlex topics

2021–2024 works
Participatory Visual Research Methods25
Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health21
Mental Health and Patient Involvement20
Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics19
HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions18
Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues15
Empathy and Medical Education14
LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy14
Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life11
Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions11
Methodology: OpenAlex snapshot 2026-08-12. FWCI, percentile badges, topics, and type mix use 651 works published 2021–2024. Radar normalization is versioned in the cached profile, and no cost score is assigned without reliable APC data.

Recommended alternatives

Candidates share the leading OpenAlex topic, then subfield or field when needed, and are ranked by current Journal Metrics Score.

OpenAlex topic-neighbor model · Preview
International Journal of Qualitative MethodsTopic-neighbor alternative4.9Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$$Cost*Qualitative ResearchTopic-neighbor alternative2.3Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*Qualitative InquiryTopic-neighbor alternative2.1Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*Qualitative PsychologyTopic-neighbor alternative2.1Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*Qualitative ReportTopic-neighbor alternative1.9Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$Cost*Qualitative Research JournalTopic-neighbor alternative1.8Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*

More alternative journals

International Journal of Social Research MethodologyNurse ResearcherQualitative SociologyQualitative Sociology ReviewDepartures in Critical Qualitative ResearchStability-International Journal of Security and Development

* Cost is indicative only. APCs, taxes, waivers, and member discounts can change—always verify on the journal's official website.

Subject Category Quartiles

Quartiles computed within each OpenAlex subfield
CategoryQuartile
Sociology and Political ScienceQ1
General Health ProfessionsQ1

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Q1
Subfield Quartile
B2
CAS Block

Ranking and source check

#1,143
of 6,254 Medicine field journals
#1,136
among Q1 Medicine journals

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Journal Details

OpenAlex Works
4,323
H-Index
188
Fully Open Access
No
Recent OA Works
1,175
Subject Areas
Sociology and Political ScienceGeneral Health ProfessionsGeneral Health ProfessionsSociology and Political Science

Source: the current OpenAlex source record. OpenAlex works can include multiple work types. Fully Open Access is a source-level flag. Recent OA Works is summed from OpenAlex's counts_by_year series (up to the latest ten years); it is not a lifetime OA percentage. Any APC shown here is an indicative OpenAlex value—verify current charges on the journal's official website.

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