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 distinct yet interconnected concepts of meaning, meaningfulness, and purpose at work, with the goal of strengthening conceptual clarity and advancing research on careers, work experiences, and human fulfilment.
About the Special Issue
Meaning-related dimensions of work occupy an important place across career theories, including sustainable careers, career construction, protean careers, the psychology of working, and person-career fit. Yet, although meaning, meaningfulness, and purpose are closely connected, they represent different dimensions of how individuals understand and experience their working lives.
The Special Issue seeks research that clarifies these concepts and examines their relationships. It encourages scholars to investigate the meanings individuals assign to work, the conditions that make work meaningful and fulfilling, and the longer-term purposes that guide career choices and trajectories. Particular attention is given to work that creates positive impact and contributes to a deeper understanding of human fulfilment rather than focusing only on subjective career success.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address, but are not limited to:
Meaning of work
Meaningful work
Purpose of work
Decent work
Sustainable careers
Authenticity at work
Alignment between work and personal values
Meaningfulness across occupations
Career choices and personal values
Human fulfilment through work
Human-technology interaction and the future of work
Meaning and purpose in technology-mediated workplaces
Work within a whole-life framework
Calling and vocational orientation
Serving a higher purpose through work
Sustaining meaning and purpose throughout careers
Meaning-making in career development
Relationships between meaning, meaningfulness, and purpose
Positive impact and purpose through work
Submissions from all countries and regions are welcomed.
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 the submission process.
Submitted manuscripts must follow the journal's author guidelines, be original, and must not have been previously published or be under consideration 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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