“AI, Social Justice, and Methodological Integrity in Qualitative Research Across Linguistic and Cultural Contexts”

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “AI, Social Justice, and Methodological Integrity in Qualitative Research Across Linguistic and Cultural Contexts”

Journal: Qualitative Research Journal
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 01 September 2026

Overview

This special issue—published by Emerald Publishing—advances methodological clarity on how AI reshapes the production, interpretation, and validation of qualitative knowledge. Moving beyond abstract ethical debates, it centers on research design, methodological reflexivity, and innovation. It specifically addresses how AI tools provide uneven support across languages, aiming to counter "cognitive imperialism" and epistemic inequality by promoting inclusive, culturally grounded AI-assisted qualitative inquiry.

Key Research Themes

• Methodological Innovation: Human-in-the-loop workflows for AI-assisted qualitative analysis, including validation protocols and hybrid human-AI workflows.

• Linguistic Inequality: Addressing how AI models, often trained on dominant-language data, misinterpret culturally embedded meanings and how to prevent the loss of nuance in cross-linguistic interpretation.

• Epistemic Justice & Decolonization: Co-designing AI research architectures with Indigenous and Global South researchers to amplify marginalized voices and counter-narratives.

• Governance & Infrastructure: Examining AI adoption challenges in low-resource settings and establishing transparent reporting standards and audit trails.

Submission Details

• Closing date for submissions: 01 September 2026.

• Submission portal: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/qrjnl

• Special Instructions: During the submission process, ensure you select the special issue title from the "Please select the issue you are submitting to" drop-down menu.

Guest Editors

• Shuangyu Li, King’s College London (Shuangyu.li@kcl.ac.uk)

• Edward Ademolu, King’s College London (edward.ademolu@kcl.ac.uk)

• Sandro Radovanović, University of Belgrade (sandro.radovanovic@fon.bg.ac.rs)

Why This Issue Matters

Qualitative research informs critical policy and organizational practice. When AI-assisted methods misinterpret culturally situated narratives or under-serve linguistic groups, distorted findings can reinforce digital and social inequality. This issue—published by Emerald Publishing—aims to set practicable, internationally grounded standards for responsible AI-assisted research, ensuring that qualitative inquiry remains rigorous, inclusive, and socially just.

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