There is no single qualitative method in the social sciences, but rather a range of research approaches that fall under the umbrella of ‘qualitative methods’. Various social science disciplines tend to have different approaches to best practices in qualitative research.
In general, qualitative methods include ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, action research, case studies and narrative designs. In addition, different approaches have different classifications. In qualitative research, if the approach and design used can be justified and the role of the researcher can be explained in detail, it will be in accordance with the nature of qualitative method and analysis.
In this direction, the Journal of Qualitative Social Sciences has prepared a good practice guide for studies that prioritise a qualitative approach and state that they analyse qualitative data. These researches can be only qualitative or mixed methods, but can also include methods that emphasise qualitative analysis.
Fit for Purpose
In qualitative research, phenomena are approached with ‘why’ questions to learn the source of the event, ‘how’ questions to learn the way the event occurred, and ‘why’ questions to learn the purpose of the event. The following questions are expected to be answered in the methodology part of the research:
1. Is the method of the research appropriate to the nature of the questions asked?
2. Does the research seek to understand social processes or social structures and/or illuminate subjective experiences or meanings?
3. Is the research question compatible with the research design adopted for the methodology (e.g. the research question of a researcher who has adopted a phenomenological design should be about how a phenomenon is perceived and experienced)?
Methodology and Methods
All articles should include a methodology section stating the method of selecting the study group/participants and the approach/pattern of analysis. It should explain why qualitative research was chosen to clarify the issue addressed. What is important here is that the research method can be justified and explained.
The research design used in your research should be included in this section. The qualitative research approach used and the ways in which a research design will address the research question should be explained.
Which data collection tool (observation, interview, documents) was used to collect the research data and why this data collection tool was chosen should be explained.
Working Group / Participant Selection
Participant selection should be theoretically justified; it should be explained where the research was conducted (region, city, place, etc.) and why this research site was chosen.
It should be clearly stated how the participants were selected. There should be a rationale for the sources of the data.
The process of accessing data sources and any unexpected situations experienced in the process should be discussed. Important problems experienced in accessing the data should be explained (such as non-response, refusal to participate).
The following points should be considered in the research process:
- Data access process
- How was the data collected and recorded?
- Who collected the data?
- When was the data collected?
- How was the research explained to the participants?
Research Ethics
Details of formal ethical approval (e.g. University Ethics Committee) should be provided in the main body of the manuscript. If authors were not required to obtain ethical approval, they should explain this. How informed consent was obtained (written or oral) should be stated.
Ethical concerns that arose during the research should be discussed.
Analysis
The analysis process should be made as transparent as possible.
The data analysis strategy (thematic analysis, content analysis, discourse analysis, semiotic analysis, etc.) found appropriate for the analysis of the research data should be explained. Why this analysis strategy was chosen should be explained.
In this direction, how the themes were determined should be explained in detail. For example, how was the data selected?
In the process of processing qualitative data, analyses can be carried out by means of programmes such as MAXQDA, Nvivo, Atlas.ti or without using a programme. If a programme was used, information about this programme should be given, if not, information about how the data analysis was carried out should be given.
It should be explained how themes, concepts and categories were created from the data and whether the analysis was computer-aided or not.
It should be stated who took part in the analysis and how. Inter-coder agreement and evaluations of validity and reliability (trustworthiness) should be explained.
The following points and questions should be considered in the analysis:
Was triangulation performed?
Has participant and expert control been made in the creation of the analysis and data?
Were the data and analysis presented to the participants? Can experts and participants confirm the data and analysis?
The researcher's own position in the analysis process should be clearly stated. Did the researchers examine their own roles, possible biases and their impact on the research?
Presentation of Findings
It is important to assess the research context.
Information about the context and participants should be provided. The fit of the analysed phenomenon with the social context is important.
If the presentation of the findings is not related to the concepts and social context and only a descriptive analysis is made, these relationships should be established in the discussion section of the study.
Presentation of Data
Quotations, field notes and other data should be identified in a way that allows the reader to evaluate the evidence used.
Distinctions between data and their interpretation should be clear.
Sufficient original evidence should be presented to demonstrate the relationship between the evidence and the conclusion (Validity).
Cases or evidence to refute the conclusion should be considered and discussed in the same way.