About the Journal

The International Journal of Human Post-Edited AI Qualitative Data Analysis (IJHPAQDA) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal at the forefront of qualitative research and artificial intelligence. It focuses on the critical integration of human insight and AI-assisted data processing in the analysis of qualitative data. IJHPAQDA provides a unique platform for researchers, technologists, and practitioners exploring how AI tools—such as large language models, qualitative data analysis software such as NVivo and ATLAS.ti—can be used with and through human interpretation to advance the depth, reliability, and ethics of qualitative research.

Aim & Scope

IJHPAQDA aims to foster rigorous scholarship that investigates or applies collaborative frameworks between humans and AI in qualitative analysis. The journal promotes ethical, reflexive, and methodologically sound approaches where human reasoning, contextual sensitivity, and critical theory are combined with computational power to enrich interpretive research. It welcomes both empirical applications and conceptual critiques.

Research Areas

IJHPAQDA welcomes original research, methodological innovations, critical essays, and case studies across topics such as:

• Human-in-the-loop AI for qualitative coding
• Machine assisted qualitative data analysis
• Reflexivity and bias in AI-assisted thematic analysis
• AI-generated themes and their post-editing processes
• Combining grounded theory with phenomenology and ethnography
• Use of ChatGPT, Deepseek and LLMs for first-pass qualitative interpretation
• Visualizations and dashboards in human-refined qualitative analysis
• Ethical concerns in automated qualitative coding
• Case studies of AI-augmented ethnography, interviews, and focus groups
• Comparative studies of manual vs AI-assisted qualitative analysis
• Hybrid methods combining qualitative rigor with AI summarization or suggestion
• AI thematic analysis (AITA) and AI reflexive thematic analysis (AIRTA)

Frequency of Publication

IJHPAQDA is published quarterly, with four regular issues per year. The journal also features special editions that focus on tools (e.g., ATLAS.ti / NVivo + GPT), emerging methods, or industry-academic partnerships in AI-augmented qualitative research.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

To support open access and transparent scholarship, IJHPAQDA has an APC of $50 USD per accepted article. Discounts and full waivers are available for independent researchers, scholars from the Global South, or unfunded submissions.

Additional Features

• Open Access: Published under Creative Commons licenses for global reach and reuse.
• Tool Reviews & Tutorials: Includes peer-reviewed assessments of AI platforms and workflows (e.g., Quirkos, NVivo + AI, MAXQDA Assist, Transkribus).
• Sample Workflow Deposits: Authors can share annotated AI post-editing pipelines and example data as long as they abide by the research ethics in the Institute Review Boards (IRBs) or equivalent bodies.
• Dialogue Section: Critical commentaries and researcher reflections on the balance between automation and interpretation.
• Tech Ethics Forum: Invites perspectives on surveillance, consent, and labor ethics in AI-supported qualitative research.
• Student & Early-Career Spotlights: Recognizing innovative applications or theoretical critiques by new researchers.