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404 College & Research Libraries September 1998

 

Editorial 

Let Us Stop Apologizing for 
Qualitative Research 
For too long, qualitative research on aca­
demic libraries has been marked with a 
negative definition—for example, 
nonquantitative handling of unstructured 
data. These terms carry a tone of apology 
and often mean impressionistic analysis 
of messy data. When compared to quan­
titative research, qualitative research is 
perceived as being less rigorous, prima­
rily because it may not include statistics 
and all the mumbo jumbo that goes with 
extensive statistical analysis. Qualitative 
and quantitative research methods in li­
brarianship and information science are 
not simply different ways of doing the 
same thing. 

Myths and Observations 
Unfortunately, there are mixed feelings 
about qualitative research. Contributors 
to professional/research journals, review­
ers of journal manuscripts, and some jour­
nal editors do not have an appreciation 
for, or understanding of, qualitative re­
search. Why is this the case? One obvi­
ous reason is that scholarly research has 
long had a primary focus on quantifica­
tion (how many? how much?), empiri­
cism, prediction, control, inanimate in­
struments (tests, surveys, questionnaires), 
and precision in its findings. Many of the 
scholars contributing to research journals 
were trained principally to perform quan­
titative research. And many of the re­
search journals have a readership prima­
rily composed of quantitative researchers. 
It is difficult for this readership to find 
meaning in a research process that in­
volves evolvement and flexibility. An in­
ductive mode of analysis may be confus­

ing to researchers who depend 
on deductive analysis (e.g., sta­
tistical analysis). 

Specific myths exist regarding the 
goals of qualitative research. For example, 
contrary to the belief of some, qualitative 
research seeks depth rather than breadth. 
In lieu of drawing from a large represen­
tative sample of an entire population of 
interest, qualitative researchers seek in-
depth information about a smaller group. 
Also, there is the myth that qualitative 
researchers cannot obtain sufficient data 
by focusing on how and why people be­
have and think; such beliefs are held by 
people who do not understand—or care 
not to understand—the goals/purposes 
of qualitative research. 

In my role as C&RL editor, it is com­
mon to witness reviewers failing to un­
derstand how and why qualitative re­
search operates in the context of discov­
ery rather than verification. The socializa­
tion and change processes drive new 
practices, new ways of thinking, and re­
direction or modification of new ideas. 
Unlike quantitative research, qualitative 
research is not propelled by traditional 
perspectives, literature-driven questions, 
and hypotheses. 

Qualitative research takes many forms 
in terms of methods. For example, natu­
ralistic qualitative methods include in-
depth interviews, case studies, open-
ended questionnaires, ethnographic stud­
ies, participant observation, and focus 
groups. It is common to see an emphasis 
on words in qualitative research (e.g., 
spoken words, written words, recorded 
field notes, visual observation—including 

404 



 

  

 

live, videotaped, and multimedia—and 
narrative stories in either written or oral 
form). We should not underemphasize the 
importance of meanings in qualitative re­
search. How do people make sense of their 
world and the experience they have in it? 
Qualitative research “implies a direct con­
cern with experience as it is ‘lived’ or ‘felt’ 
or ‘undergone.’”1 Unlike journal articles 
resulting from quantitative research 
whereby the content displays or implies 
examining specific component parts, the 
content of articles produced via qualita­
tive research tends to reflect how all the 
parts work together to form a whole. It is 
assumed that meaning is embedded in a 
person’s experience and that such mean­
ing is mediated through the researcher’s 
own perceptions. 

Strengths of qualitative research derive 
primarily from its emphasis on words 
rather than on numbers. And the under­
standing of the words is a must. Affect, 
cognition, and intentions also require a 
comprehension not commonly found in 
quantitative research. The “interpretive” 
approach to the understanding of words 
and meanings is central to the goals of 
qualitative research. Due to the special 
emphasis on understanding, qualitative 
researchers get better results from study­
ing a small group or individuals or envi­
ronments that preserve the individuality 
of the study’s participants. They cannot 
obtain the same understanding/results 
from collecting data from large samples 
and aggregating the data across individu­
als or situations. By working with smaller 
groups/situations, qualitative researchers 
are able to understand how actions, 
events, and meanings are shaped by the 
unique circumstances in which they take 
place. 

Evaluating Qualitative Research 
Even though qualitative research is dif­
ferent from quantitative research, both 
must be evaluated on the same basis; that 
is, does it make a significant contribution 
to the knowledge base and/or advance 

Editorial 405 

theory? Qualitative research is capable of 
achieving these criteria in several ways. 
For example, it can provide data from 
groups not heard from before, replicate 
previous studies during a different time 
and space frame, and by studying new li­
brary services for the first time. It can be 
argued that qualitative research is so much 
different than quantitative research that it 
deserves its own evaluation guidelines. 
Much more work with, and understand­
ing of, qualitative research must occur 
before we can establish distinct evalua­
tion systems for this type of research. 

Conclusion 
Qualitative research remains underutilized in 
the study of library issues and practices. A 
new mind-set for accepting qualitative re­
search in formal studies of libraries and their 
activities has to be established and sus­
tained. Performing qualitative research 
should not be perceived as easy. More­
over, improvements in qualitative meth­
ods should and must occur, and they have 
to come from experts in the field. Sea­
soned qualitative researchers have to ex­
plore strategies for pushing the tradi­
tional methodological boundaries back. 
Authors, editors, and reviewers have to 
gain a better understanding of qualitative 
research methods. 

There is much to be realized in the li­
brary world by understanding, accepting, 
and using qualitative research. We must 
embrace and support qualitative research 
while making mistakes during its appli­
cation, refining procedures and processes, 
and reaping its many short- and long-
term benefits. This exciting research phe­
nomenon is offering much more than ever 
anticipated by its critics. 

DONALD E. RIGGS 

Note 
1. Robert R. Sherman and Rodman B. Webb, 

“Qualitative Research in Education: A Focus,” 
in Qualitative Research in Education: Focus and 
Methods, eds. Robert R. Sherman and Rodman 
B. Webb (New York: Falmer Pr., 1988), 7. 

















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