Qualitative approaches in the Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva (1996-2020)

This study aims to analyze the qualitative papers published in the 25-year existence of the Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva (from 1996 to March 2020), taking into account themes, theoretical-conceptual anchors, methods, and techniques. This is a bibliographic study based on the principles of categorical analysis, dialoguing with the aspects of Social Sciences. We highlight the following outcomes. The collection spans over a variety of themes, and violence is the most recurrent topic. However, themes such as race/ethnicity are absent from the collection; 53% of the publications used Social Sciences references, and Bourdieu was the most cited author. Most papers (77%) show methodological information, under a predominantly Bardin's perspective. The collection with qualitative approaches is modest, with less than 10% of publications. We conclude, however, that the collection makes a significant contribution to Public Health because: (a) it establishes connections with different clinical areas; (b) it recognizes the voice of the actors, turning them into leading figures; (c) it collaborates with the epidemiological dimension to understand health contexts; (d) it subsidizes decision-making in health policies, planning and management; and (e) it unveils the symbolic dimensions of health-disease-care processes.