Research Design Review published 13 articles in 2013 that dealt explicitly with qualitative research design.  These range from general topics – such as the “10 Distinctive Qualities of Qualitative Research,” Unilever’s accreditation program (and the absence of design considerations in its priorities), and the “messiness” (even scariness) of qualitative research design to quantitative-leaning researchers and/or clients with a discussion on ways to overcome their trepidation – to method-specific issues – such as the implications of group composition and interactions in focus group research, the roles of “analytical sensibilities” and deception in ethnography, and the unique design factors associated with multi-method, case-centered research.  And, while all of the articles discuss quality design measures in some fashion, several posts extend quality considerations to particular facets of the research process, such as participant cooperation, the use of projective techniques, data validation, proposal writing, and the reporting of design in the final research document.

The 13 articles on qualitative research design from RDR in 2013 have been compiled into one pdf document which can be accessed here.  As always, it is hoped that greater awareness of the issues impinging on quality in qualitative research design will foster a greater appreciation for and discussion of these issues leading to more credible, analyzable, transparent, and ultimately more useful qualitative research studies.