ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author identifies the criteria by which ethnography, and in fact all social research, should be assessed. The author examines some attempts to put forward criteria distinctive to the ethnographic or qualitative tradition. The author argues that some of these were not criteria at all but means of providing data relevant to assessment. Furthermore, those that were criteria were not always distinctive to ethnography or relevant to all research goals. Some ethnographers have, of course, sought to apply the criteria developed by quantitative researchers to their work. The author looks at the potential of this strategy, suggesting that while these criteria certainly identify important issues, they involve some misconceptions and are not sufficient in themselves as the basis for assessment. The author identifies what seem to be the two overarching criteria that must govern assessment of the value of social research: validity and relevance.
