Rationale for Methodological Innovations Online

Rarely has there been such a period of methodological innovation in the social sciences as now. Much of the innovation has arisen from the possibilities of new technologies, particularly fast computing and the internet, but additionally there is a willingness amongst many researchers to work across disciplinary and methodological boundaries. Advances in statistical techniques, survey interfaces and sophisticated qualitative data analyses have been facilitated by technological advance, but other imaginative non traditional methods, such as auto-ethnography, visual methods and neural networks have opened up new ways of accessing the social world. Methodological Innovations Online will be a forum for methodological advances and debates in social research method and methodology.

The Journal is a fully peer reviewed, English language, on line, free access journal. It is hosted from the University of Plymouth but is advised by a Consultant Editorial Board of experienced scholars and researchers across disciplines and countries. The submission of articles from all social research disciplines and methodological approaches is encouraged. In future issues articles will focus on areas such as methodological problems and their solutions, new methods and techniques, innovative ways of combining methods and techniques and new applications of traditional methods.

We are aware that some of the most innovative methods and approaches are being pioneered by students undertaking doctoral research or by researchers earlier in their careers. We actively encourage such researchers to submit articles with the aim to provide for them a supportive and encouraging refereeing process.