Meaning, Meaningfulness, and Purpose at Work: Towards Conceptual Clarity and Integration
DETAILS
Call for Papers
Meaning, Meaningfulness, and Purpose at Work: Towards Conceptual Clarity and Integration
Journal: Career Development International
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Special Issue
Manuscript Submission Opens: 1 September 2026
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 1 March 2027
Career Development International invites submissions for a Special Issue examining the related but distinct concepts of meaning, meaningfulness, and purpose at work, with the aim of strengthening conceptual clarity and advancing research on human fulfillment, career development, and sustainable working lives.
About the Special Issue
Questions about why people work, what work means to them, how they experience fulfillment, and where their careers are ultimately directed are central to several major career theories. Yet the concepts of meaning, meaningfulness, and purpose are often used interchangeably despite representing different dimensions of the work experience.
This Special Issue seeks to clarify these concepts and examine how they relate to one another. It encourages research exploring the meanings individuals assign to work, the lived experience of meaningfulness, and the longer-term sense of direction associated with purpose. The issue particularly welcomes contributions that deepen understanding of how these constructs shape career choices, wellbeing, sustainable careers, and human fulfillment at work.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address, but are not limited to:
Meaning of work
Meaningful work
Purpose of work
Decent work
Sustainable careers
Meaning-making in career development
Personal interpretations of work
Work and personal values
Authenticity at work
Alignment between work and individual values
Fulfillment and engagement at work
Career purpose and direction
Calling and vocation
Serving a higher purpose through work
Meaningfulness across occupations
Decent work across occupational contexts
Work and mental health
Work and wellbeing
Sustainable career development
Maintaining meaning and purpose over time
Human and technological interactions
Meaningful work in the future of work
Work within a whole-life framework
Career choices and personal values
Human fulfillment through work
Research Focus
The Special Issue seeks to promote clearer distinctions among three closely connected concepts:
Meaning of work: how individuals interpret and understand why they work and how work relates to their values and vocational choices.
Meaningfulness: the emotional and experiential sense of fulfillment, engagement, and value derived from work.
Purpose: the broader direction or long-term goal that guides an individual's career and working life.
Research that integrates these dimensions while maintaining conceptual clarity is particularly encouraged.
Submission Information
Submission Opens: 1 September 2026
Submission Deadline: 1 March 2027
Manuscripts should be submitted through the Career Development International ScholarOne Manuscripts system.
Authors must select “Meaning, Meaningfulness, and Purpose at Work: Towards Conceptual Clarity and Integration” from the Special Issue options during submission.
Submitted manuscripts must follow the journal's author guidelines, be original, and must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere while under review.
Guest Editors
Dr. Mirit K. Grabarski
Email: mgrabars@lakeheadu.ca
Dr. Galina Boiarintseva
Email: galinab@niagara.edu
Dr. Maria Hameed Khan
Email: maria.khan@qut.edu.au
Maria Mouratidou
Email: M.Mouratidou@ljmu.ac.uk
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