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Aims & Scope

JIE is an open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal dedicated to research and writing that advances institutional ethnography (IE) as a method of inquiry and a sociology for people. The journal provides a home for scholarship that begins from individuals’ everyday experiences and maps the institutional relations that organize and coordinate those experiences. We welcome manuscripts that:
  • Employ institutional ethnography as developed by Dorothy E. Smith and extended by IE scholars internationally.
  • Examine how texts, discourses, and ruling relations shape peoples’ lives, work, or social conditions.
  • Expand or clarify IE methodology, conceptual tools, or modes of analysis.
  • Engage in collaborative, community, activist, or practitioner-based institutional inquiry.
  • Introduce innovations in teaching, training, and mentoring IE researchers.
  • Offer thoughtful book reviews relevant to IE scholarship and practice.
All submissions should clearly articulate how the work engages institutional ethnography’s standpoints, mapping practices, analytic vocabulary, and treatment of texts. Manuscript Types
  1. Scholarly Essay- ~4,000–8,000 words. Essays that utilize existing literature to address important problems related to institutional ethnography. It also welcomes critiques of existing ideas or practices, articles addressing theoretical questions, and ontologies of IE. Evaluated based on importance and logical development. Manuscripts undergo blind review.
  2. Media Reviews: ~1,000–2,000 words (inquiry-based reviews prioritized). Reviews of media, such as books, films, and podcasts, contribute to scholarly conversations about institutional ethnography. They are commissioned by editors or submitted with prior approval. They are editorial reviews only.
  3. Research Paper- ~6,000–9,000 words (approx. 25 pages inclusive of references). Research Papers employing institutional ethnography investigate various aspects of institutional processes and their impact on individuals’ everyday lives. These papers focus on empirical studies that trace the connections between local experiences and broader institutional structures, employing institutional ethnography to uncover the ruling relations that organize and shape these experiences. Manuscripts are subject to blind review to ensure the validity and originality of the research.
  4. Pedagogy, Research Impact, and Practical Implementation Descriptions- ~4,000–8,000 words. Descriptions of innovative or particularly effective methods or avenues of teaching institutional ethnography or practical applications of IE, or the impact of its findings in practice. Pieces should include a description with sufficient detail to enable replication. Examples include course curricula with descriptions of teaching methods, or programs that result from IE findings. Additionally, the authors should provide details on the methods used to assess it, including a description of the implementation's impact. Program descriptions are usually subject to editorial review but may be sent for blind peer review at the editors' discretion.