Methodological choices in Relationship Quality (RQ) research 1987 to 2015: A systematic literature review

Di erent methodological choices (i.e., data collection method, sample size, sample characteristics, and analytical instrument) in 122 relationship quality (RQ) peer-reviewed articles published in accredited academic journals between 1987 and 2015 are reviewed. The results revealed that RQ researchers need to look into other relationship types in which businesses/organizations engage in order to survive, as existing studies have been limited to interpersonal relationships (i.e., relationships between individu- als), business to business relationships (B2B), business to customer relationships (B2C), and customer to business relationships (C2B). Also, the results show that too much attention has been given to the quantitative method of data collection, as only a small number of researchers in this eld utilize the qualitative method. Furthermore, the sample choice and size identi ed in existing studies are somewhat constrained to the method of data collec- tion employed. Researchers should be more transparent in pro- viding detailed information on their methodological choices and the rationale for those choices.