Uniquely, qualitative research typically utilises a range of methods (and research instruments) which are flexible according to individual or group circumstances, and gathers data which are unstructured, detailed, rich and complex. Determining the ‘quality’ of qualitative outputs (typically, a research report) is thus both conceptually and practically challenging – particularly when compared to its more structured quantitative sibling (where we can at the very least review a fixed survey instrument, and examine consistent, ordered, numeric data).
The main aim of this paper is to bring issues of ‘quality’ in qualitative research to the forefront of debate and discussion, and to consider the efficacy of standards or ‘indicators’ around quality for qualitative research (or whether this could in fact work ‘against the grain’ of qualitative practice). The notion of ‘quality’ in qualitative research is at best vague. Researchers have long debated the notion of quality – how it is defined and measured – and have demonstrated a shared commitment to rigour, robustness and relevance but without a solid agreement on what this means, and indeed to what extent such standards or measures can be formalised given the nature of qualitative enquiry.
The presentation will begin by examining the debate thus far. Drawing particularly on progress made in the UK, the US and Canada over the last decade on this subject, it will focus on:
• Four central principles of qualitative research (that it adds new knowledge or evidence, that the chosen research design is defensible, that the conduct is rigorous and that the findings are credible and clearly linked to the data)
• Quality at different stages of the qualitative research process (design, sampling, recruitment, fieldwork, analysis and reporting) – what kind of indicators could we be looking at, how and why? How does this differ in face-to-face, telephone and online qualitative settings?
• Quality elements that run throughout the research process (relating to, for example, research ethics, neutrality, reflexivity, appropriate skills).
The intended outcome of the presentation is to prompt further thinking, dialogue and debate in the sector about how we define and judge quality in qualitative research and to begin to develop accepted frameworks for assessment in this area. At an individual level, it will also encourage self-reflective practice to continue to raise the standard of qualitative research in a social and market research setting, and to build knowledge, capacity and expertise.