Advancing Human Resource Development Through Rigorous and Innovative Qualitative Research
DETAILS
Call for Papers
Advancing Human Resource Development Through Rigorous and Innovative Qualitative Research
Journal: Human Resource Development International
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Group
Special Issue
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 March 2027
Human Resource Development International (HRDI) invites submissions for a Special Issue focused on advancing Human Resource Development through rigorous, transparent, reflexive, and innovative qualitative research. The issue seeks studies that make meaningful contributions to HRD theory, practice, and policy while demonstrating methodological excellence.
About the Special Issue
Qualitative research plays an important role in understanding complex HRD phenomena such as workplace learning, leadership development, career development, organizational transformation, inclusion, wellbeing, and sustainable capability development.
As expectations surrounding research transparency, methodological rigour, reflexivity, research integrity, and open science evolve, this Special Issue explores how qualitative HRD research can maintain contextual richness and interpretive depth while strengthening credibility and methodological coherence. It also considers emerging opportunities associated with digital methods, AI-assisted analysis, multimodal data, and participatory research.
The Special Issue welcomes diverse qualitative traditions rather than prescribing a single model of methodological quality, including interpretivist, critical, constructivist, participatory, ethnographic, narrative, phenomenological, discourse-analytic, and post-qualitative approaches.
Topics of Interest
Submissions may address, but are not limited to:
Learning and development interventions
Leadership and leadership development
Coaching and mentoring
Talent and capability development
Career development and employability
Workplace and organizational learning
Organizational development and change
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
Employee wellbeing and thriving
Sustainable and green HRD
Digital learning and AI in HRD
Professional identity and expertise development
Knowledge creation and sharing
Cross-cultural and global HRD
Informal learning and communities of practice
Skills development for the future of work
Research and Methodological Approaches
The Special Issue particularly encourages research demonstrating methodological excellence through:
Innovative qualitative research designs
Transparent and well-justified analytical processes
Strong reflexive practices
Creative approaches to theory development
Longitudinal qualitative inquiry
Digital, visual, sensory, and multimodal qualitative methods
Participatory and action-oriented research
Responsible and transparent use of AI-assisted qualitative analysis
Novel approaches to methodological rigour, transparency, and coherence
Conceptual and methodological papers are also welcomed when they make a clear contribution to advancing qualitative HRD research rather than considering methodology in isolation.
Key Research Questions
Potential questions include:
How can qualitative inquiry deepen understanding of important HRD challenges?
What methodological innovations can strengthen research on learning, leadership, careers, development, and organizational change?
How can researchers demonstrate rigour while preserving contextual richness and interpretive depth?
What does research transparency mean across different qualitative paradigms?
How can AI and emerging digital technologies responsibly strengthen qualitative HRD research?
How should qualitative HRD research be evaluated across different epistemological traditions?
How might methodological innovations influence the reviewing, publishing, and evaluation of qualitative HRD scholarship?
Preferred Article Types
Research Article – Maximum 8,000 words
Empirical qualitative or mixed-method studies making significant contributions to HRD theory and practice, including methodologically innovative qualitative research.
Registered Report Proposal – Maximum 4,000 words
Proposals addressing significant HRD questions through appropriate qualitative or mixed-method approaches.
Insights Piece – Maximum 4,000 words
Conceptual or methodological contributions introducing new ideas, approaches, frameworks, tools, or guidance for qualitative HRD research and practice.
Commentary – Maximum 2,000 words
Critical essays or scholarly commentaries addressing published work or future directions for qualitative inquiry in HRD.
Evaluation Criteria
All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review and will be evaluated according to:
Theoretical contribution to HRDI
Empirical rigour and methodological quality
Alignment with the Special Issue theme
Open Science practices
Adherence to research ethics
Submission Information
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 March 2027
Authors should follow the Human Resource Development International manuscript guidelines and submit their manuscripts through the journal's online submission system.
All contributions are also asked to explain within their methods how they have addressed the dimensions of the Qualitative Review Value Proposition Canvas by Diller et al. (2026), which is intended to support developmental, coherence-oriented reviewing and self-evaluation.
Submit to Human Resource Development International
Human Resource Development International – Instructions for Authors
Human Resource Development International – Journal Page
Special Issue Editors
Sandra J. Diller
Seeburg Castle University, Austria
Email: Sandra.Diller@uni-seeburg.at
Majid Khan
Massey University, New Zealand
Email: M.Khan@Massey.ac.nz
Helen Meyer
North-West University, South Africa
Email: Helen.Meyer@nwu.ac.za
Stefanos Nachmias
Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, UK
Email: Stefanos.Nachmias@ntu.ac.uk
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