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Annals of Family Medicine 6:331-339 (2008)
© 2008 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
doi: 10.1370/afm.818
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Evaluative Criteria for Qualitative Research in Health Care: Controversies and Recommendations

Deborah J. Cohen, PhD and Benjamin F. Crabtree, PhD

Department of Family Medicine, Research Division, University of Medicine and Dentistry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Somerset, New Jersey

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Deborah Cohen, PhD Research Division, Department of Family Medicine University of Medicine and Dentistry Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 1 World’s Fair Dr Somerset, NJ 08873 cohendj{at}umdnj.edu

PURPOSE We wanted to review and synthesize published criteria for good qualitative research and develop a cogent set of evaluative criteria.

METHODS We identified published journal articles discussing criteria for rigorous research using standard search strategies then examined reference sections of relevant journal articles to identify books and book chapters on this topic. A cross-publication content analysis allowed us to identify criteria and understand the beliefs that shape them.

RESULTS Seven criteria for good qualitative research emerged: (1) carrying out ethical research; (2) importance of the research; (3) clarity and coherence of the research report; (4) use of appropriate and rigorous methods; (5) importance of reflexivity or attending to researcher bias; (6) importance of establishing validity or credibility; and (7) importance of verification or reliability. General agreement was observed across publications on the first 4 quality dimensions. On the last 3, important divergent perspectives were observed in how these criteria should be applied to qualitative research, with differences based on the paradigm embraced by the authors.

CONCLUSION Qualitative research is not a unified field. Most manuscript and grant reviewers are not qualitative experts and are likely to embrace a generic set of criteria rather than those relevant to the particular qualitative approach proposed or reported. Reviewers and researchers need to be aware of this tendency and educate health care researchers about the criteria appropriate for evaluating qualitative research from within the theoretical and methodological framework from which it emerges.

Key Words: Qualitative research • methodology • health care research




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In this issue: community care, healing, and excellence in research.
Ann. Fam. Med, July 1, 2008; 6(4): 290 - 291.
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