Credibility

One of the responsibilities of any qualitative researcher is to create a high level of consistency in the article. For example, the readers and research participants should see why a particular research model was used and why the participants were selected for the study. The data analysis process should also reveal a believable link between what the participants expressed and the themes and codes that emerge. The accuracy of this process for both the readers and participants creates a measure of credibility to the research project. As such, credibility can be defined as the methodological procedures and sources used to establish a high level of harmony between the participants' expressions and the researcher's interpretations of them.

The basic notion with credibility is that both the readers and participants must be able to look at the research design and have it make sense to them. Questions for the researcher to consider in relation to credibility include the following: Were the appropriate participants selected for the topic? Was the appropriate data collection methodology used? Were participant responses open, complete, and truthful?

Here is an example of how these items of credibility could be addressed when putting together a research study on the devaluing of nurses by doctors using a survey instrument and focus groups. The study would lack credibility if nurses were the only participants. It would be more credible by including nurses, registered nurses, and doctors. A closed question survey would lack credibility because the researcher is defining the context through the survey items rather than allowing the participants to define them. A survey instrument with both closed and open-ended items would be more credible. Credibility of the study would be lacking if a focus group of two doctors and two nurses was the only means for the participants to discuss the topic because nurses might not provide open and truthful information in the presence of doctors. In this focus group setting, nurses also would not be able to provide complete information because of the power dynamic that exists between doctors and nurses. Thus, this methodology for collecting the data would have low credibility because it has a very narrow means of illuminating the context under study. The credibility of the study could be enhanced by having a larger focus group, introducing private interviews with the [Page 139]participants, and then providing opportunities for follow-up interviews as necessary.

The researcher can use the following methodological procedures to increase credibility:

• Time: Establish enough contact with the participants and the context to get the information one needs.
• Angles: Look at the data from different perspectives and viewpoints to get a holistic picture of the environment.
• Colleagues: Use support networks knowledgeable in the area to review and critique the research and data analysis findings.
• Triangulation: Seek out multiple sources of data and use multiple data-gathering techniques.
• Member checks: Use the participants to make sure that the data analysis is accurate and consistent with their beliefs and perceptions of the context being studied.