To make sure qualitative research is of high quality, it’s really important to do it in a careful and thorough way. We call this “rigor.” Rigor means being very precise, strong, and appropriate in how we think, do our methods, use our concepts, theories, and interpretations in a research project, or when we judge someone else’s work (Smith, 2018). Some researchers think that rigor can be achieved by following a set of universal rules, like member checking. But many other researchers disagree. They say that using universal rules can be a problem because it forces the researcher to judge all research in the same way, which limits what we think of as rigorous and stops new ideas from coming up. Instead of thinking of rigor as following universal rules, some people suggest a different way. They think of rigor as a process where we use certain rules for each research project, but the rules are chosen as we go along. This means that what counts as rigor isn’t decided before the project starts. Rigor is a flexible process that aims to make research better and keep standards high for that particular project (Schinke et al., 2013). Some examples of the rules we might use to make research more rigorous or judge how rigorous it is are: Is the topic of the research important and relevant? Did the researcher spend a long time collecting data and being involved in the subject? Was the analysis done properly and explained well enough? Did the researcher ask the participants what they thought about the interpretations of the data? Did they agree or disagree? Did the researcher talk to another researcher to get their thoughts and ideas? Is there enough evidence to support the findings? Do all the different parts of the interpretation make sense together? This list of rules for rigor can change depending on the purpose of the research (Smith & McGannon, 2017).
Schinke, R. J., Smith, B., & McGannon, K. R. (2013). Pathways for community research in sport and physical activity: Criteria for consideration. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 5, 460 468.
Smith, B. (2018). Generalizability in qualitative research: Misunderstandings, opportunities and recommendations for the sport and exercise sciences. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 10, 137 149.
Smith, B., & McGannon, K. R. (2017). Developing rigor in qualitative research: Problems and opportunities within sport and exercise psychology. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance online publication. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2017.1317357.