The qualitative research audit trail: A complex collection of documentation

Rodgers, Beth L.; Cowles, Kathleen V.

doi:10.1002/nur.4770160309

Cited by 441 publications

(285 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

282

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This is a clear decision trail of all key theoretical, methodological and analytical decisions made in the research from beginning to end (Koch, 1994). Audit trails help to substantiate trustworthiness of the research (Rodgers & Cowles 1993). We recommend the researcher regularly use a journal that is dedicated to capturing this information.…”

Section: Methodological Rigormentioning

confidence: 99%

The Delphi Method for Graduate Research

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Executive SummaryThe Delphi method is an attractive method for graduate students completing masters and PhD level research. It is a flexible research technique that has been successfully used in our program at the University of Calgary to explore new concepts within and outside of the information systems body of knowledge. The Delphi method is an iterative process to collect and distill the anonymous judgments of experts using a series of data collection and analysis techniques interspersed with feedback. The Delphi method is well suited as a research instrument when there is incomplete knowledge about a problem or phenomenon; however it is not a method for all types of IS research questions. The Delphi method works especially well when the goal is to improve our understanding of problems, opportunities, solutions, or to develop forecasts. In this paper, we provide a brief background of the Classical Delphi followed by a presentation of how it has evolved into a flexible research method appropriate for a wide variety of IS research projects, such as determining the criteria for IS prototyping decisions, ranking technology management issues in new product development projects, and developing a descriptive framework of knowledge manipulation activities. To illustrate the method's flexibility, we summarize distinctive non-IS, IS, and graduate studies Delphi research projects. We end by discussing what we have learned from using the Delphi method in our own research regarding this method's design factors and how it may be applied to those conducting graduate studies research: i) methodological choices such as a qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods approach; ii) initial question degree of focus whether it be broad or narrowly focused; iii) expertise criteria such as technical knowledge and experience, capacity and willingness to participate, sufficient time, and communication skills; vi) number of participants in the heterogeneous or homogeneous sample, v) number of Delphi rounds varying from one to 6, vi) mode of interaction such as through email, online surveys or groupware, vii) methodological rigor and a research audit trail, viii) results analysis, ix) further verification through triangulation or with another sample, and x) publishing of the results. We include an extensive bibliography and an appendix with a wide-ranging list of dissertations that have used the Delphi method (including brief research description, number of rounds and sample size). The Delphi method is a flexible, effective and efficient research method that can be successful used by IS graduate students to answer research questions in information systems and to rigorously advance the IS body of knowledge.

show abstract

Section: Methodological Rigormentioning

confidence: 99%

The Delphi Method for Graduate Research

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[36,45] Although the importance of research notes in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis has remained relatively unexplored, it helps identify the audit trail to substantiate trustworthiness. [46,47] Notes facilitate reflexivity and provide researchers with an opportunity to remember, question, and make meaning of data. They also allow researchers to remain faithful to participants' perspectives and improve the validity of theme development.…”

Section: Writing Reflective Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis

Vaismoradi

Jones²,

Turunen³

et al. 2016

JNEP

1,370

1,028

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sufficient knowledge is available about the definition, details and differences of qualitative content and thematic analysis as two approaches of qualitative descriptive research. However, identifying the main features of theme as the data analysis product and the method of its development remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of theme and offer a method on theme construction that can be used by qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis researchers in line with the underpinning specific approach to data analysis. This methodological paper comprises an analytical overview of qualitative descriptive research products and the meaning of theme. Also, our practical experiences of qualitative analysis supported by relevant published literature informed the generation of a stage like model of theme construction for qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. This paper comprises: (i) analytical importance of theme, (ii) meaning of theme, (iii) meaning of category, (iv) theme and category in terms of level of content, and (v) theme development. This paper offers a conceptual clarification and a pragmatic step by step method of theme development that has the capacity of assisting nurse researchers understand how theme is developed. As nursing is a pragmatic discipline, nurse researchers have tried to develop practical findings and devise some way to "do something" with findings to enhance the action and impact of nursing. The application of a precise method of theme development for qualitative descriptive data analysis suggested in this paper helps yield meaningful, credible and practical results for nursing.

show abstract

“…Counting assures the reader that researchers have accounted for all and have not`d iscount[ed]'' (Dey, 1993, p. 220) any of their data, thereby avoiding the major pitfalls in qualitative analysis. These pitfalls include: (a) overweighting dramatic or vivid accounts of events; (b) underweighting data that do not conform to the pattern the researcher wants to ®nd (also called the``holistic fallacy'' [Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 263]); and, (c) regressing to the meanÐsmoothing out or averaging outÐor otherwise cleaning up the contradictions and messiness of human accounts and lives.``Playing the numbers game'' (Dey, 1993, p. 223) can be a useful corrective and is an element of the audit trail by which researchers can document their procedural and analytic moves (Rodgers & Cowles, 1993).…”

Section: Documenting Verifying and Testing Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Real qualitative researchers do not count: The use of numbers in qualitative research

Sandelowski

2001

Research in Nursing & Health

576

361

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two myths about qualitative research are that real qualitative researchers do not count and cannot count. These antinumber myths have led to the underutilization of numbers in qualitative research and to the simplistic view of qualitative research as non-or antinumber. Yet numbers are integral to qualitative research, as meaning depends, in part, on number. As in quantitative research, numbers are used in qualitative research to establish the signi®cance of a research project, to document what is known about a problem, and to describe a sample. But they are also useful for showcasing the labor and complexity of qualitative work and to generate meaning from qualitative data; to document, verify, and test researcher interpretations or conclusions; and to re-present target events and experiences. Although numbers are important in the treatment of qualitative data, qualitative researchers should avoid the counting pitfalls of verbal counting, overcounting, misleading counting, and acontextual counting.

show abstract

The qualitative research audit trail: A complex collection of documentation

Cited by 441 publications

References 7 publications

The Delphi Method for Graduate Research

The Delphi Method for Graduate Research

Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis

Real qualitative researchers do not count: The use of numbers in qualitative research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About