ABSTRACT

‘As with any kind of research, the methods and conclusions need to be justifiable. Such justification cannot be assertion or an act of faith, but must rely on demonstrating to the reader the nature of the decisions taken during the research and the grounds on which the decisions can be seen as “reasonable”’ (Denscombe, 1998: 212). To ensure that your research findings are viewed as credible – that is, ‘true’ and worth taking notice of – a series of evaluative measures must underpin your design. The types of evaluation will depend on whether your research aligns itself most closely with the interpretivist or positivist paradigm. The reader requires several pieces of information before they can evaluate whether research findings are credible. This chapter will discuss the approaches for evaluating both positivist and interpretivist research. First, however, key factors that enable the evaluation of all research will be discussed.