Hi team,
I have a query about mixed-methods research, particularly sequential explanatory design.
I have completed a study assessing the effectiveness of a health behavioral intervention in improving health-related quality of life in people with Type 2 diabetes, measured by the EQ5D tool. This paper is currently under review.
Currently, I am working on a follow-up qualitative paper, which aims to gain deeper insights into participants' perceptions about their quality of life, lived experience with Type 2 diabetes, and how the intervention affected them in various domains of their lives. So, basically, the qualitative paper further explores the meaning of prior quantitative findings. However, since this paper will be a separate journal publication from the previous quantitative paper, can I indicate in my qualitative paper, that it has a sequential explanatory design? I will not be including quantitative findings in this qualitative paper, so I am not sure if I can say it follows the sequential explanatory design. Or, can I frame the sentence around something like - this qualitative paper is a follow-up phase of a larger sequential mixed-methods research, and cite the quantitative paper directing the readers/reviewers to refer to the quantitative paper for quantitative findings?
Look forward to hearing from experts on this matter and understanding what the most appropriate way is.
Thank you!