QRCA Thought Leader Program

The QRCA Thought Leader program is intended to acknowledge QRCA members who actively drive new thinking in the field of qualitative research and create content that is shared in presentation and written formats.

Thought Leader Stars and status will be awarded for contributions to qualitative thinking by QRCA members, up to a maximum of 3 stars. Once earned, the stars/status do not expire.

How can you earn Thought Leader recognition?

Presentations

• A presentation on a topic directly about or related to qualitative research that is presented at a QRCA Event (in-person or virtual).
• A presentation on a topic directly about or related to qualitative research that is presented at a Non-QRCA Event (in-person or virtual) of at least 25 people or a QRCA "industry partner" organization event of any size. (Industry partners include: AQR, CRIC, CXPA, ESOMAR, Greenbook, Insights Association, Intellius, MRS, Quirks, UXPA, Women in Research)

Articles

• An article published in QRCA VIEWS or on the QualPower blog.
• An article published in a Non-QRCA industry publication or peer-reviewed journal.

Courses

• Creating/Designing/Teaching a course at the college or university level (submit curriculum to earn 1 point per course – even if taught over multiple years).

A presentation or article on the same topic can earn a maximum of 2 points, regardless of how often it is delivered.

Other Guidelines

• Thought Leader points can be awarded retroactively for presentations given/articles written over the past 10 years. (Initial period will look back to January 2015.)
• Points cannot be awarded for future events. Please wait until your presentation has concluded before submitting your application. If submitted early, you will need to resubmit after the event date.
• Points and stars cannot be awarded to non-QRCA members, or for content created and shared before qualifying as a QRCA member.
• Priority is given to content that is shared within QRCA events and publications. A point can be earned when a QRCA member shares content outside of QRCA, as long as it meets established guidelines. No more than 50% of qualifying points can be earned for content shared outside of QRCA.

**There will be exceptions to these guidelines. Please inquire to apply for consideration outside of these published guidelines.

What doesn't earn points?

• Presentations or articles given or written while not in good-standing as a QRCA member.
• An article written for the QRCA News or Event Bites or Connections publications.
• Leading a roundtable at a QRCA Event