ABSTRACT
Qualitative research methods are used in social science and public health research to provide important information pertaining to social issues that affect many groups. These methods can be used singularly or in combination with quantitative methods to provide a more robust representation of responses to research inquiries. Qualitative methods should not be regarded as a lesser approach to studying social phenomena. These methods provide researchers with opportunities to engage populations in a more in-depth way and to understand their beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and the contexts that shape them. Quantitative research methods cannot achieve this goal in the same way, which is a strength of qualitative research methods. The choice to use qualitative research methods should be made with the idea of conducting meaningful, in-depth, and thorough investigations. The results of qualitative research should be reported to highlight the core themes and concepts conveyed by research participants and the contexts that shape these themes and concepts. The ability to conduct important qualitative research relies on the acknowledgment of the strengths and boundaries of qualitative research, to avoid mimicking quantitative research methods, in order to uniquely illustrate a different form of data that tell a rich story about our most pressing social and public health issues.
