Studies on research quality criteria and their application have largely not defined the concept of 'research quality'. This reluctance to define and theoretically position the concept of research quality consigns empirical research to remain descriptive and makes methodological decisions more difficult. This paper aims to propose a theoretical approach to research quality by presenting a definition, grounding it in social theory, illustrating its applicability and exploring its methodological consequences for empirically investigating notions of research quality held by members of scientific communities.