Preregistering Qualitative Research: A Delphi Study

Tamarinde L. Haven*, Timothy M. Errington, Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, Leonie van Grootel, Alan M. Jacobs, Florian G. Kern, Rafael Piñeiro, Fernando Rosenblatt, Lidwine B. Mokkink

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Preregistrations—records made a priori about study designs and analysis plans and placed in open repositories—are thought to strengthen the credibility and transparency of research. Different authors have put forth arguments in favor of introducing this practice in qualitative research and made suggestions for what to include in a qualitative preregistration form. The goal of this study was to gauge and understand what parts of preregistration templates qualitative researchers would find helpful and informative. We used an online Delphi study design consisting of two rounds with feedback reports in between. In total, 48 researchers participated (response rate: 16%). In round 1, panelists considered 14 proposed items relevant to include in the preregistration form, but two items had relevance scores just below our predefined criterion (68%) with mixed argument and were put forth again. We combined items where possible, leading to 11 revised items. In round 2, panelists agreed on including the two remaining items. Panelists also converged on suggested terminology and elaborations, except for two terms for which they provided clear arguments. The result is an agreement-based form for the preregistration of qualitative studies that consists of 13 items. The form will be made available as a registration option on Open Science Framework (osf.io). We believe it is important to assure that the strength of qualitative research, which is its flexibility to adapt, adjust and respond, is not lost in preregistration. The preregistration should provide a systematic starting point.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalInternational Journal of Qualitative Methods
Volume19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2020

Funding

We are deeply grateful for the contributions of the panelists, specifically Alessandra N. Bazzano, Anne H?jager Nielsen, Ahtisham Younas, Birgith Pedersen, Stefan B?sner, Britt Marie Lindgren, Carolyn Tarrant, Crystal N. Steltenpohl, Damien Riggs, Domingo Palacios-Ce?a, Gabriel Vommaro, Hillel David Soifer, Ingo Rohlfing, Ines Testoni, Jennifer Bussell, Jennifer Cyr, Juan Masullo, Kate Seers, Lynn Monrouxe, Marjan J. Westerman, Mar?a Jos? ?lvarez Rivadulla, Nicholas Weller, Peter Sainsbury, Maryam Rassouli, Suzanne Roggeveen, Siun Gallagher, Sebastian Karcher, Stina Lou, Timothy C. Guetterman, Virginia Braun, Edward B Davis and all other anonymous panel members. We would also like to acknowledge Brian Nosek (BN) in his role as helpful steering committee member. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Tamarinde Haven was given an Early Career Fellowship (#0194) for guiding this project from CLUE+, the interfaculty Research Institute for Culture, Cognition, History and Heritage of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (https://clue.vu.nl/en/index.aspx). Fernando Rosenblatt was supported by Fondecyt #1190072 and by?ANID - Millennium Science Initiative Program - Code ICN17_002. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Tamarinde Haven was given an Early Career Fellowship (#0194) for guiding this project from CLUE+, the interfaculty Research Institute for Culture, Cognition, History and Heritage of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam ( https://clue.vu.nl/en/index.aspx ). Fernando Rosenblatt was supported by Fondecyt #1190072 and by ANID - Millennium Science Initiative Program - Code ICN17_002.

FundersFunder number
Edward B Davis0194
Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico1190072
Agencia Nacional de Investigación y DesarrolloICN17_002
interfaculty Research Institute for Culture

    Keywords

    • preregistration
    • qualitative research
    • transparency

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