reliability validity and trustworthiness in qualitative research

Reliability, Validity, and Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research: A Plea for a Return to Terminology

Qualitative research has long been criticized for its lack of rigor, with many arguing that the focus on trustworthiness and utility has led to a decline in attention to reliability and validity. In this article, we argue that reliability and validity remain essential concepts for ensuring rigor in qualitative research.

In recent years, there has been a shift away from strategies that are implemented during the research process towards strategies for evaluating trustworthiness and utility once a study is completed. This shift has led to an interesting phenomenon where 'ensuring rigor' has become the responsibility of external reviewers rather than the investigator themselves.

We believe that qualitative researchers should reclaim responsibility for reliability and validity by implementing verification strategies that are integral and self-correcting during the conduct of inquiry itself. By doing so, we can ensure that our research is rigorous and trustworthy.

One way to achieve this is to use terminology that is used by mainstream science. This ensures that the attainment of rigor is based on strategies inherent within each qualitative design, rather than relying on external judgments. We argue that qualitative researchers should move away from relying on external reviewers' judgments and instead focus on implementing verification strategies during the research process.

In conclusion, we believe that reliability, validity, and trustworthiness are essential concepts for ensuring rigor in qualitative research. By reclaiming responsibility for these concepts and implementing verification strategies during the research process, we can ensure that our research is rigorous, trustworthy, and of high quality.

Reliability validity and trustworthiness in qualitative research