The Importance of Analytic Integrity and Reporting Guidelines in Reporting Qualitative Research

The journey to publication can be arduous, requiring considerable time, effort and resources. Researchers face numerous challenges, right from initially conceptualising a research idea, forming the research team, securing ethical approvals, recruiting participants, collecting data, analysing findings and making recommendations. Ultimately, these efforts culminate in preparing a manuscript that must meet the standards of reputable and rigorous academic journals to share study findings with the broader nursing and health community. Transparent and ethical reporting plays a crucial role not only in ensuring transparency but also in saving time for both authors and reviewers. Well-structured and complete manuscripts help streamline the review process by minimising the need for revisions related to organisation, clarity and missing information, enhancing transparency and hopefully reducing the time in peer review.

However, it has been noted that many qualitative manuscripts are rejected before peer review due to poor reporting associated with analytical deficiencies (Jackson and Bradbury-Jones 2020). In some cases, authors who have claimed to have conducted multistage thematic analyses have only performed basic clustering and coding, producing findings that lack depth and are methodologically compromised due to poor quality analyses (Jackson and Bradbury-Jones 2020). Rigorous analysis, combined with transparent reporting, is essential for meaningful interpretation and practical application of research findings, ultimately increasing the impact of qualitative research in addressing complex questions.

Receiving a desk rejection after investing so much time and effort can be disheartening, especially when the rejection results from analytical deficiency rather than a lack of originality or relevance. Beyond the frustration for researchers, it can feel like a failure to honour the stories and experiences of participants who contributed to the study. Proper and complete analysis of qualitative data is not only an ethical responsibility but also critical for ensuring that research findings can make a valuable contribution to knowledge. Some useful tools can assist researchers in conducting and reporting their research, and using these can help ensure that manuscripts have a higher chance of successfully getting into peer review.

In this editorial, we will discuss the importance of analytic integrity and the role of reporting guidelines in enhancing manuscript preparation.