As a consumer of research reports, the most important thing(s) for me in the methods and results section of a high-quality qualitative research report is/are . .

Knowing what research design was used and why it was chosen is the most important thing for me when analyzing the results and methods section. Without some explanation as to why a specific research design was used, I am left wondering whether the researchers chose the best design for the study. I have found a few reports that simply state the research design without offering an explanation. After reading through the textbook this week and learning about which research designs are most appropriate, I now have a clearer understanding as to why researchers might use a specific design. However, without knowing the differences I would still be wondering why a specific design was used. Critical thinking must always be applied when reading research articles but it is helpful when the article gives reasons for the methods chosen.

Within the research design, I often look for specifics. For example, when a study states there were interviews for participants, I want to know how long those interviews were and what kind of questions were asked. The reports that give the most detail are often the ones I appreciate and respect the most as they lay out each step of the research design. The article I looked at for my second assignment did exactly that. It included the dense complex data in the footnotes while giving a brief overview of the research design and methods in the main text of the article. This allowed me to skim through on my first reading and then go back a second time and understand the specifics of the research.

Question: If a study uses a research design that you think is not fit for the purpose, do you discredit the results or are you just more skeptical of them?