Submissions

Author Guidelines

Grounded Theory Review Author Guidelines

Updated for Continuous (Rolling) Publication – 2026

The Grounded Theory Review (GTR) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated exclusively to the publication of classic grounded theory research. Beginning in 2026, the journal publishes articles on a rolling basis, releasing each article as soon as it completes peer review, revision, copyediting, and production. Authors may submit manuscripts at any time throughout the year.

These Author Guidelines reflect our updated workflow, citation format, and publication structure.

Scope of the Journal

GTR publishes work rooted in classic grounded theory. Submissions must:

• Demonstrate clear alignment with the classic grounded theory methodology.
• Present theory in conceptual language rather than descriptive or phenomenological detail.

We accept:

• Full classic grounded theory studies
• Methodological papers
• Book reviews (by invitation)

We do not publish:

• Literature-driven analyses
• Thematic analyses
• Phenomenological or descriptive qualitative studies
• Work based on other grounded theory approaches

Submission Types

Full Articles

Typically, 4,000–8,000 words (excluding references). Must include:

• Abstract (100-250 words)
• Introduction
• Methodological section establishing classic grounded theory procedures
• Presentation of the grounded theory
• Discussion with integration of literature
• References

Methodological Papers

Focus on classic grounded theory techniques, coding procedures, or analytic insights.
Recommended length: 3,000–6,000 words (excluding references).

Book Reviews

Invited only.

Guest Editorials

Invited only.

Manuscript Preparation

Formatting Requirements

Authors are required to adhere to the latest version of APA (American Psychological Association) style and to the guidelines outlined here and used in the provided template. Submissions that do not follow the style guide will be returned to the authors.

• Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word (.docx) format.
• Use double-spaced text with 0 pt before and after, use a 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch images. Employ italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses).
• Two documents will be submitted: (1) title page and (2) manuscript. The title page contains the title, authors' names, affiliations, and declarations. (Access the template here: GTR Title Page Template 2026.docx). The anonymized manuscript includes the title, abstract (100-200 words with 5-6 keywords), body of the paper, and references for review. (Access the template here: GTR Author's Template Jan 2026.docx).
• References should appear as a separate section titled References at the end of the paper. References should conform to the latest APA publication format. Please do not use endnotes or footnotes for references.
• Whenever appropriate, please use Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) in your references. DOIs can be obtained from http://www.crossref.org/SimpleTextQuery/. If a DOI is not available, include a direct URL to the article in the references.

Order of pages

• Title page (separate document)
• Abstract with Keywords
• Text
• References
• Appendices

Anonymous Review

All submitted manuscripts undergo double-anonymous peer review. Authors must:

• Except for the title page, which should be submitted as a separate document, the author's name(s) should be removed from the paper and replaced with the word author. 
• Remove any other potentially identifying information from the manuscript.

Figures, Tables, Appendices, and Biographical Statement and Email

• Minimize the use of graphics, figures, models, and tables. If they are necessary, authors of papers accepted for publication will be asked to supply print-ready artwork.
• Graphics should be placed in the appendix with a reference to them embedded in the manuscript.
• You must obtain any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. 
• During the submission process, authors will have the option to submit a brief biographical statement (100-200 words) for each author and an email address to be published with the article.

Proofread

• Authors are encouraged to conduct a thorough proofreading of the manuscript prior to submission to check grammar, spelling, and APA formatting.
• Some Common Issues/Concerns

• There is one space after all periods in APA.
• All paragraphs are to be indented.
• Use the term classic grounded theory, which is not capitalized.
• Do not capitalize any concepts or theories about which you might write.
• The paper can be written in either American or British English.
• In APA, the word “data” is plural, not singular.
• In American English, punctuation such as commas, semi-colons, periods, question, and exclamation marks occur within quotation marks.
• A period is required after the “al” as in “et al.”
• If you need additional APA headings, please use them. A description of APA headings is found at https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/headings.
• For quotes of 40 words or more, please block indent the entire quotation and do not use quotation marks.

Citation Format (Updated for Continuous Publication)

GTR now publishes continuously and does not use issue numbers. Articles must be cited using the following format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the article. Grounded Theory Review, Volume, Article Number. https://groundedtheoryreview.org/ (use a direct link to the article)

Submission Process

All submissions must be made through our online submission system at:
Submit an Article | Grounded Theory Review (https://groundedtheoryreview.org/index.php/gtr/submission/wizard)

Before submitting, authors should ensure:

• The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
• Submission focuses on classic grounded theory.
• The authors followed the templates for the title page and manuscript.

Peer Review Process

We use a double-anonymous, multi-reviewer process.

Steps

1. Initial Editorial Screening
   Checks fit with the journal scope and methodological alignment.
2. Peer Review
   Typically, 2–3 expert reviewers evaluate conceptual clarity, methodological rigor, theoretical integration, and contribution.
3. Revision Rounds
   Authors may be invited to revise and resubmit. Multiple rounds are common for grounded theory development.
4. Final Decision
5. Copyediting and Production

Publication Timeline

Because we publish on a rolling basis, accepted articles are released as soon as they successfully complete the editorial and production stages.

Research and Publication Ethics

The Grounded Theory Review (GTR) publisher and editor encourage ethics in the research process, including trustworthiness of the data and research processes.  The editor strongly discourages research ethics misconduct and will not knowingly allow publication of research in which misconduct has occurred. The editor will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of such papers.  If made aware of allegations of research misconduct involving papers previously published, the editor will act appropriately, including the publication of retractions, corrections, clarifications, and apologies. For specific guidance on the wide range of ethics mandates, GTR follows the broad ethics guidelines published on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) webpage Promoting Integrity in Research and its Publication. Plagiarism or duplicate publication results in immediate withdrawal.

Declarations

Author Contributions

This section is mandatory. For research articles with several authors, a short paragraph specifying their individual contributions must be provided. Authorship must be limited to those who have contributed substantially to the work reported.

Example: (please use initials to refer to each author’s contribution): "AB, CD, MJ conceived and designed the research, AB and CD carried out the field measurements, EF performed laboratory analysis, AB and EF processed the data and performed the statistical analysis, MJ secured the research funding, supervised the research and helped to draft the manuscript, AB and CD wrote the manuscript."

Acknowledgments

This section is not mandatory. Here you can acknowledge anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship but contributed to the work (e.g., administrative, technical support, etc.) or any support given that is not covered by the funding section.

Conflicts of Interest

This section is mandatory. A statement expressing conflicts of interest is required for all article submissions to the Grounded Theory Review journal. A conflict of interest may involve financial or commercial arrangements connected to the proposed article. If you have no conflict of interest, please include the following statement: “The author(s) declared no conflicts of interest regarding research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.”

If there is a conflict or perceived conflict of interest, please add an explanation. Authors must identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of reported research results. Any role of the funders in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results must be declared in this section.

Ethics approval and informed consent

This section is mandatory. For all research involving human subjects, we require a statement about ethics approval. Here are two examples:

This study was approved by the XXXX Research Ethics Committee or IRB (approval no. XYZ123) on Month DD, YYYY.

This study was reviewed by the XXXX Research Ethics Committee or IRB (determination #XYZ123) and was determined to meet the criteria of an exempt study on Month DD, YYYY. 

This study does not require a research ethics review per [add the link to a document from your country that supports this statement].

Funding

This section is mandatory. All sources of funding for the study should be disclosed. Please clearly indicate any funding that you have received for your research. Authors should include one of the following statements:

Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by [Funder’s Name and Grant Number, if applicable].

Open Access Policy

As an academic, open-access journal, the Grounded Theory Review is dedicated to the open exchange of information. Copies of articles in this journal may be distributed for noncommercial purposes free of charge and without permission. The copyright of papers published in the Grounded Theory Review stays with the author. The Grounded Theory Review does not have a specific Creative Commons license but allows readers to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of its articles.  Derivative works are allowed with proper citation.

Copyright

The author retains copyright for papers published in the Grounded Theory Review. Include the following

© Year, First name Middle Initial Lastname, First name Middle Initial Lastname, and First name Middle Initial Lastname

Please note that when you upload your paper, there is a Rights component that is required. For that component, please add this copyright information:

© Year, First name Middle Initial Lastname, First name Middle Initial Lastname, and First name Middle Initial Lastname

Article Processing Charge

The GTR has a $50 article processing charge (APC) to help offset the costs associated with publishing the journal. This fee is not collected until after an article has been accepted for publication. Our primary goal is to publish high-quality classic grounded theory articles. We do not want the APC to be a deterrent to publishing in the GTR. If the APC is a significant financial hardship, please contact GTR@mentorningresearchers.org to request a waiver.

Data Availability

Grounded theory does not require dataset sharing; however:

• Authors should describe their data sources, collection approach, and analytic procedures.
• Anonymization of raw data is essential.
• Memoing, coding examples, or audit trail materials may be included as supplementary files at the author's discretion.

After Acceptance

Once accepted:

• Authors complete final revisions.
• Authors pay the article processing charge.
• Manuscripts undergo copyediting for clarity and APA compliance.
• Article proofs are created and sent for review to authors.
• Once the proofs are approved by the authors, articles are published immediately in the current annual volume.

Authors may share the published PDF freely.

Contact

For questions or pre-submission inquiries: GTR@mentorningresearchers.org