Qualitative Research Resources
Find sources of qualitative training & support at UNC. How to search for and evaluate qualitative research, integrate qualitative research into systematic reviews, report/publish qualitative research. Includes some Mixed Methods resources.
About this Basics Page
If you are thinking of performing qualitative research, or are looking for a refresher on the topic, here are some resources to get you started. We have also included a few resources on mixed methods research. Note that some of the books listed here are available through the UNC libraries as both print and ebooks.
Search the UNC Library Catalog
Other sections on this page contain a sampling of the available works on qualitative research and mixed methods research, but there are many more. To search the UNC library catalog for more resources, click on the links below.
Ebooks & eresources
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Fundamentals of Qualitative Research by Call Number: Also in print Davis 5th floor: H62 .S31857 2011ISBN: 9780199838356Publication Date: 2011-01-01 -
Qualitative Research in the Health Sciences (online only) by ISBN: 9781135039677Publication Date: 2013-06-26 -
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods (online) by Call Number: H61 .S234 2008, Davis 5th floor. Check availability of print copy.ISBN: 1412941636Publication Date: 2008
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Video: What Has Given Rise to the Interest In Mixed Methods Research Today?Creswell, John W. (2010). SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA. The speaker takes as his starting point the idea that this methodology is fairly new, about 20 years old. It is now often described as the third methodoligical movement - an amalgam of quantitative and qualitative research.
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Video: When Should I Choose A Mixed Methods ApproachCreswell, John W. (2010), SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA. Online Video, 6:21 minutes. The speaker analyzes the choice of a mixed methods approach to social research rather than a quantitative or qualitative one.
Print Books
Unlinked titles are in print only, so follow the link to check current availability.
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Qualitative Research by Call Number: H62 .S31865 2018 @ Davis 5th floor Check availability of print copyISBN: 9781506305493Publication Date: 2017-01-23 -
Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods by Call Number: HSL 3rd Floor: W 20.5 P322q 2015 Check availability of print copy; older editions Davis Library: order via Carolina Blu.ISBN: 9781412972123Publication Date: 2015 -
Doing Qualitative Research by Call Number: W 84.61 D657 1999, at the Health Sciences Library. Check availability of print copyISBN: 0761914978Publication Date: 1999-08-27 -
Qualitative Data Analysis by Call Number: H62 .M437 2014, at Davis Library on the 5th floor. Check availability of print copyISBN: 1452257876Publication Date: 2013-04-18 -
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choose Among Five Approaches, 3rd ed. by Call Number: H 61 C923q 2013, at the Health Sciences Library, XPARK 691.001 at the Park Library Reserves. Check availability of print copyISBN: 1412995302Publication Date: 2012-03-14 -
Qualitative Methods for Health Research by Call Number: W 20.5 G796q 2014, at the Health Sciences Library. Check availability of print copyISBN: 1446253090Publication Date: 2013-12-20 -
The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research by Call Number: H62 .H2455 2011, copies at Information Science and Park Libraries. Check availability of print copies.ISBN: 1412974178Publication Date: 2011-04-27 -
Mixed Methods in Health Sciences Research by Call Number: W 84.3 C976m 2015, at the Health Sciences Library. Check availability of print copyISBN: 9781483306773Publication Date: 2014-10-20 -
A Concise Introduction to Mixed Methods Research by Call Number: Davis Library 5th floor: H62 .C69618 2015 Check availability of print copyISBN: 9781483359045Publication Date: 2014-04-22 -
Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research, 2nd ed. by Call Number: Davis 5th floor & ILS Library: H62 .C6962 2011 Check availability of print copyISBN: 9781412975179Publication Date: 2010-06-22
Articles
The following articles all give good brief overviews of what qualitative research is and what kind of methods are involved.
Clissett, P. (2008) "Evaluating Qualitative Research." Journal of Orthopaedic Nursing 12: 99-105.
Fossey, E., C. Harvey, F. McDermott, and L. Davidson. (2002) "Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Research." Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 36(6): 717-732.
Ingham-Broomfield, Rebecca (2015) A nurse's guide to Qualitative Research. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing 32(3):34-40.
Small, Mario L. (2011) How to Conduct a Mixed Method Study: Recent Trends in a Rapidly Growing Literature. Annual Review of Sociology 37: 55-84.
Smith, Mary Lee.(1987) Publishing Qualitative Research. American Educational Research Journal 24(2): 173-183.
Snowden, Claire (Trials) and David Gough (Systematic Reviews) (eds) Qualitative Methods, Trials, and Systematic Reviews. Joint Publication, Trials and Systematic Reviews.
- Snowden, Claire (2015). Trials editorial about the special joint publication: Qualitative and mixed methods research in trials. Trials 16: 558.
- Gough, David (2015). Systematic Reviews editorial about the special joint publication: Qualitative and mixed methods in systematic reviews. Systemaatic Reviews 4:81.
- The two sister-journals, Trials and Systematic Reviews, have, on the face of it, different readerships and deal with different issues. In both journals there is, however, a common and growing interest in the contribution of qualitative methods. We are seeing an expansion of the use and application of a range of techniques with entry into novel research areas and pursuit of new lines of inquiry. Our contributors are working within specific methods, with mixed methods, and across paradigms. This special issue covers these innovative and challenging areas, with the aim of sharing methodological practice, findings and reflections to drive forward and further the respective fields.
Databases
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SAGE Research MethodsResearch methods toolset designed to help researchers develop research projects, understand or identify particular methods, conduct research and write up their findings; library of more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos including Sages Little Green Book and Little Blue Book series focusing on quantitative and qualitative methods, more than 500 social research case studies of real-life social research, videos, teaching and instructional datasets, and analytical tools.(Business, Education, Health, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology).
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SAGE Research Methods QualitativeAs of June 2016, the interface on SAGE Research Methods has changed. If you are looking for the Methods Map, you can access it here. (This links to the qualitative methods section, but you can still find other methods by clicking on the various options).
Websites
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Measuring, Learning, and Evaluation Project for the Urban Reproductive Health InitiativeThis project ran 2010-2015. Some project resources are still available.
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NIH OBSSR (Office of Behavioral & Social Sciences Research) Best Practices for Mixed Methods Research in Health Sciences, 2011The OBSSR commissioned a team in 2010 to develop a resource that would provide guidance to NIH investigators on how to rigorously develop and evaluate mixed methods research applications.
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NIH OBSSR Qualitative Methods in Health ResearchLegacy Resource: The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research/OBSSR sponsored a workshop in 1999 entitled Qualitative Methods in Health Research: Opportunities and Considerations in Application and Review. The workshop brought together 12 researchers who served on NIH review committees or had been successful in obtaining funding from NIH.
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NSF Workshop on Interdisciplinary Standards for Systematic Qualitative ResearchOn May 19-20, 2005, a workshop on Interdisciplinary Standards for Systematic Qualitative Research was held at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Virginia. The workshop was cofunded by a grant from four NSF Programs—Cultural Anthropology, Law and Social Science, Political Science, and Sociology… It is well recognized that each of the four disciplines have different research design and evaluation cultures as well as considerable variability in the emphasis on interpretation and explanation, commitment to constructivist and positivist epistemologies, and the degree of perceived consensus about the value and prominence of qualitative research methods.
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Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector's Field Guide (2005)From FHI 360/Family Health International with support from US AID. Natasha Mack, Cynthia Woodsong, Kathleen M. MacQueen, Greg Guest, and Emily Name. The guide is divided into five modules covering the following topics:
Module 1 – Qualitative Research Methods Overview
Module 2 – Participant Observation
Module 3 – In-Depth Interviews
Module 4 – Focus Groups
Module 5 – Data Documentation and Management