Qvigstad also made a name for himself as an academic. An interest in Sami language and culture started when he was hired at Tromsø Seminary, and he published his first of 112 academic works in 1881. This was "Beiträge zur Vergleichung des verwandten Wortvorrathes der Lappischen und der finnischen Sprache", published in the Finnish journal "Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae". Other important linguistic works include "Nordische Lehnwörter in Lappischen" (1893). He co-wrote the eighteenth volume of "Norske Gaardnavne", about farm names and place names in Finnmark, and followed with "Spitsbergens stedsnavne før 1900" (1927), "De lappiske stedsnavn i Troms fylke" (1935), "De lappiske stedsnavn i Finnmark og Nordland fylker" (1938) and "De lappiske appellative stedsnavn" (1944). Historical works include "Den kvenske indvandring til Nord-Norge" (1921), about Kven immigration to Northern Norway. Cultural historical works include "Lappiske Eventyr og Folkesagn" (with Georg Sandberg, 1887), "Lappiske eventyr og sagn" (four volumes, 1927–1929) and "Lappische Heilkunde" (1932). His academic institution was Tromsø Museum, where he was a board member from 1884, and curator of the Sami collections from 1884 to 1931. However, most of his publications came after his retirement age. His last academic work was "Opptegnelser fra samenes liv", released in 1954 when Qvigstad was 101 years old.