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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.
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    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. JIE also welcomes critiques of existing ideas or practices, articles addressing theoretical questions, and ontologies of IE. Manuscripts are evaluated based on the importance of the topic and the logical development of the argument. Scholarly Essays undergo blind peer 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. Media reviews are commissioned by the editors or submitted with prior approval and are subject to editorial review only.
      3. Research Papers (~6,000–9,000 words; approximately 25 pages including references). Research Papers employing institutional ethnography investigate institutional processes and their impact on individuals’ everyday lives. These papers trace the connections between local experiences and broader institutional structures, uncovering the ruling relations that organize and shape those experiences. Research Papers undergo blind peer review to ensure the validity and originality of the research.
      4. Pedagogy, Research Impact, and Practical Implementation Descriptions (~4,000–8,000 words). These manuscripts describe innovative or particularly effective methods of teaching institutional ethnography, practical applications of IE, or the impact of institutional ethnographic findings in practice. Descriptions should provide sufficient detail to enable replication. Examples include course curricula, teaching methods, or programs developed from IE findings. Authors should also describe the methods used to assess the implementation and provide evidence of its impact. These submissions are typically subject to editorial review but may be sent for blind peer review at the editors’ discretion.