Abstract
What is qualitative research? If we look for a precise definition of qualitative research, and specifically for one that addresses its distinctive feature of being "qualitative," the literature is meager. In this article we systematically search, identify and analyze a sample of 89 sources using or attempting to define the term "qualitative." Then, drawing on ideas we find scattered across existing work, and based on Becker's classic study of marijuana consumption, we formulate and illustrate a definition that tries to capture its core elements. We define qualitative research as an iterative process in which improved understanding to the scientific community is achieved by making new significant distinctions resulting from getting closer to the phenomenon studied. This formulation is developed as a tool to help improve research designs while stressing that a qualitative dimension is present in quantitative work as well. Additionally, it can facilitate teaching, communication between researchers, diminish the gap between qualitative and quantitative researchers, help to address critiques of qualitative methods, and be used as a standard of evaluation of qualitative research.
Keywords
Qualitative researchManagement scienceDimension (graph theory)Computer scienceProcess (computing)PhenomenonQualitative propertyCross-cultural psychologySociologyEpistemologyData sciencePsychologySocial psychologySocial scienceMathematicsEngineering
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No. 131
Thematic analysis is a widely used, yet often misunderstood, method of qualitative data analysis. It is a useful and accessible tool for qualitative researchers, but confusion r...
Evaluation of qualitative research
Summary • It is necessary to subject published research to critical scrutiny, in order to evaluate the robustness of the findings. • The criteria used in evaluation require to b...
How to Do a Systematic Review: A Best Practice Guide for Conducting and Reporting Narrative Reviews, Meta-Analyses, and Meta-Syntheses
Systematic reviews are characterized by a methodical and replicable methodology and presentation. They involve a comprehensive search to locate all relevant published and unpubl...
Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research: ENTREQ
The ENTREQ statement can help researchers to report the stages most commonly associated with the synthesis of qualitative health research: searching and selecting qualitative re...
The good, the bad and the relative, part one: Conceptions of goodness in qualitative research
The good, the bad and the relative, part one: Conceptions of goodness in qualitative research This (part one) paper traces efforts to define ‘goodness’ in qualitative research w...
Publication Info
- Year
- 2019
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 139-160
- Citations
- 1142
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
1142
OpenAlex
Cite This
Patrik Aspers,
Ugo Corte
(2019).
What is Qualitative in Qualitative Research.
Qualitative Sociology
, 42
(2)
, 139-160.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-019-9413-7
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11133-019-9413-7