Qualitative Quality: Eight ''Big-Tent'' Criteria for

Excellent Qualitative Research

 The article is a quality piece of work and discussed how to measure the quality of
qualitative research as it make it more convenient to identify the difference between methods and
practices of qualitative research. Author initially discussed the need for a criteria for qualitative
research and discussed the criticism on the development of model by some of the leading
authors. Many of authors set their own criteria despite of their criticism (e.g. Bochner, 2000;
Schwandt, 1996), criteria is important because it gives simple and useful guideline and rules to
learn and practice. Creswell (2007) has given set of evaluative criteria for some specific
qualitative areas; i.e. narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic and case study
research. To bring all researchers under one umbrella, author given example of criteria for the
quality of cheese and suggested that might be qualitative researcher will agree on the presented
conceptualized criteria of goodness.

Then the author presented eight elements of quality in qualitative research, first of them
is worthy topic: topic must be interested, relevant, significant and timely. Second is rich rigor:
Theoretical constructs, data, sample(s), context(s), collection and analysis process must be
abundant, sufficient, complex and appropriate. Third is sincerity: vulnerability, transparency,
self-reflexivity, honesty and data auditing. Fourth quality marker is credibility: it covers the
trustworthiness, thick description, immersion and concrete detail to ascertain tacit knowledge,
triangulation and crystallization practices. Fifth quality marker is resonance: its about the
ability to make meaningful research content which affect the audience. It also talk about
aesthetic merit, transferability and naturalistic generalization. Sixth quality criterion is
significant contribution: which covers the climate of knowledge, politics and practice to judge
the significance of contribution. Seventh quality marker is ethics: rightness or wrongness actions
as qualitative researcher must be considered. Other than the general ethical standards qualitative
researcher must consider procedural ethics, situational ethics, relational ethics and exiting ethics
while doing qualitative research. Eighth quality marker is meaningful coherence: study must (a)
achieve their stated purpose; (b) accomplish what they espouse to be about; (c) use methods and
representation practices that partner well with espoused theories and paradigms; and (d)
attentively interconnect literature reviewed with research foci, methods, and findings. These
points provided a model for qualitative best practices and can be recognized by the researchers of
the qualitative field.