Researching the Third Sector: Approaches, Methods, and Applications
Open Call for a Special Issue to VOLUNTAS
Guest Editors:
Mirae Kim, PhD.
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Management and Policy
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
Georgia State University, USA
Paloma Raggo, PhD.
Assistant Professor
Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership
School of Public Policy and Administration
Carleton University, Canada
Please send abstracts between 300 to 400 words no later than May 1, 2020
to voluntas.method@gmail.com.
Please see the details in attachment.
Full paper submissions for initial review by guest editors will be due October 15, 2020.
The methodological toolbox of researchers investigating the third sector is diverse in terms of epistemologies, approaches, academic traditions, fundamental assumptions, methods, and practice. However, our conversations and debates often focus on the results of our studies, not the research processes behind the findings. There is an increasing demand for greater transparency in research processes and decisions from peer reviewers, editors, funding agencies, institutional review boards, students, organizations we partner with, and other stakeholders involved in the research endeavor. With this increased demand for greater research accountability, scholars have been asked to justify their methodologies in the research they publish. Yet, there are very few methodological articles published about the process of researching the third sector, its challenges, and implications despite the centrality of methodology for published and peer reviewed research.
In this themed issue, interested contributors are invited to think about the methods, research processes, and challenges specific to the study of the third sector.
The ideal final contribution would be between 4000 to 5000 words including citations. It would narrow down to one particular research issue, theme, method, or approach. Please refer to the detailed calls for guidelines.
Contributions should reflect the broad diversity of research in our field. Scholars studying a broad range of organizations, people, and critical issues are invited to contribute. Some of the research focus could include (but is not limited to): grassroots organizations, governance research, leadership, fundraising, volunteerism, activism, nonprofit organizations, civil society organizations, international nongovernmental organizations, foundations, philanthropists, volunteerism, and the social economy.
Contributions can include but are not limited to the following methodological themes:
- Access to data
- Archival research
- Big data analysis
- Case study research
- Coding (qualitative and/or quantitative)
- Content analysis
- Data standards
- Defining the unit of analysis
- Ethical research
- Ethnographic research
- Experiments (Natural, Lab, Quasi, Survey)
- Feminist Research
- Images and visual data
- Interpretive approaches
- Interviewing
- Levels of analysis issues
- Machine learning
- Measurement issues/challenges
- Mixed-method research designs
- Participatory research
- Qualitative data software
- Qualitative interviewing
- Quantitative analysis/large datasets
- Social Media data analysis
- Surveys
- Textual analysis (manual and automated)
- Transparency in research
Feel free to contact voluntas.method@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding a potential contribution to this themed issue.
Abstract submission guidelines:
- Include email and corresponding address (not included in word count)
- Title of the paper
- 300-400 word abstract (not including citations)
- Abstract should clearly address the three essential aspects as discussed above.
- Please submit in a word document and include your last name in the document's name (example:Lastname_methodspiece.docx)
- Include in the subject of your email: Voluntas Method themed issue
Timeline:
- May 1, 2020: Submission of abstracts to themed issue guest editor
- June 1, 2020: Selected authors receive an invite to submit a full manuscript
- October 15, 2020: Submission of 4000-5000-word documents (including citations) to themed issue guest editors.
- January 5, 2020: Papers reviewed by themed issue guest editors and returned to authors with feedback.
- March 1, 2021: Authors revise their papers for blind peer review and submit directly to VOLUNTAS.
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Jaclyn Piatak
Associate Professor
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte NC
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