Qualitative methods blog posts

Articles on qualitative methods

This series aims to introduce qualitative methods and some of the main approaches in collecting qualitative data.

Why qualitative research?
There are lies, damn lies, and statistics It's easy to knock statistics for being misleading, or even misused to support spurious findings. In fact, there seems to be a growing backlash at the...

What is a Qualitative approach
The benefit of having tastier satsumas is difficult to quantify: to turn into a numerical, comparable value. This is essentially what qualitative work does: measure the unquantifiable quality of...

An overview of qualitative methods
There are a lot of different ways to collect qualitative data, and this article just provides a brief summary of some of the main methods used in qualitative research. Each one is an art in its own...

Thinking About Me: Reflexivity in science and qualitative research
Reflexivity is a process (and it should be a continuing process) of reflecting on how the researcher could be influencing a research project. In a traditional positivist research paradigm...

Qualitative Interviews

10 tips for semi-structured qualitative interviewing
Many qualitative researchers spend a lot of time interviewing participants, so here are some quick tips to make interviews go as smooth as possible: before, during and after! 1. Let your...

Designing a semi-structured interview guide for qualitative interviews
Interviews are a frequently used research method in qualitative studies. You will see dozens of papers that state something like We conducted n in-depth semi-structured interviews with...

Focus Groups

Considering and planning for qualitative focus groups
This is the first in a two-part series on focus groups. This week, we are looking at some of the why you might consider using them in a research project...

Tips for running effective focus groups
In the last blog article I looked at some of the justifications for choosing focus groups as a method in qualitative research. This week, we will focus on some practical tips to make sure that focus groups run smoothly...

Participatory Methods

Participatory Qualitative Analysis
Engaging participants in the research process can be a valuable and insightful endeavour, leading to researchers addressing the right issues, and asking the right questions. Many funding...

Participant diaries for qualitative research
I've written a little about this before, but I really love participant diaries! In qualitative research, you are often trying to understand the lives, experiences and motivations of...

Qualitative and mixed method surveys

Bringing survey data and mixed-method research into Quirkos
Later today we are releasing a small update for Quirkos, which adds an important feature users have been requesting: the ability to quickly bring in quantitative and qualitative data from any...

The importance of keeping open-ended qualitative responses in surveys
I once had a very interesting conversation at a MRS event with a market researcher from a major media company. He told me that they were increasingly ‘costing-out’ the qualitative open-ended questions from customer surveys...

How to set up a free online mixed methods survey
It's quick and easy to set up an on-line survey to collect feedback or research data in a digital format that means you can quickly get straight to analysing the data. Unfortunately, most...

Qualitative evaluations

Qualitative evaluations: methods, data and analysis
Evaluating programmes and projects are an essential part of the feedback loop that should lead to better services. In fact, programmes should be designed with evaluations in mind, to make sure that...

Using Quirkos for Systematic Reviews and Evidence Synthesis
Most of the examples the blog has covered so far have been about using Quirkos for research, especially with interview and participant text sources. However, Quirkos can take any text source you can...

Qualitative evidence for evaluations and impact assessments
For the last few months we have been working with SANDS Lothians, a local charity offering help and support for families who have lost a baby in miscarriage, stillbirth or soon after birth. They...

Sampling and sample sizes

Sampling considerations in qualitative research
Two weeks ago I talked about the importance of developing a recruitment strategy when designing a research project. This week we will do a brief overview of sampling for qualitative research...

Reaching saturation point in qualitative research
A common question from newcomers to qualitative research is, what's the right sample size How many people do I need to have in my project to get a good answer for my research...

Triangulation in qualitative research
Most qualitative research will be designed to integrate insights from a variety of data sources, methods and interpretations to build a deep picture. Triangulation is the term used to describe this comparison and meshing of different data...

Recording and Transcribing

Recording good audio for qualitative interviews and focus groups
Last week's blog post looked at the transcription process, and what's involved in getting qualitative interview or focus-group data transcribed. This week, we are going to step...

Transcribing your own qualitative data
In a previous blog article I talked about some of the practicalities and costs involved in using a professional transcribing service to turn your beautifully recorded qualitative interviews and...

Transcription for qualitative interviews and focus-groups
Audio and video give you a level of depth into your data that can't be conveyed by words alone, letting you hear hesitations, sarcasm, and nuances in delivery that can change your...