Research methods
What Is Qualitative Research?
Published 29 June 2026
Qualitative research is a methodology for understanding experiences, meanings, and processes — not measuring them. Instead of testing a hypothesis with numbers, qualitative researchers collect non-numerical data (interviews, observations, documents) and analyse it to identify patterns, themes, and theory.
This guide covers the definition, the main types, when to use it, and how it compares to quantitative research.
Definition
Qualitative research answers questions of how and why. It typically involves a smaller, purposively selected sample, an iterative and interpretive analysis process, and a written account that builds theory or understanding rather than reporting effect sizes. It's used across psychology, education, sociology, business, nursing, and many other disciplines wherever the goal is depth of understanding rather than statistical generalisation.
Types of qualitative research
Identifies patterns (themes) across a dataset — the most widely used qualitative method across disciplines.
Builds theory directly from the data through iterative coding and constant comparison, rather than testing an existing theory.
Case study
An in-depth examination of one case — a person, organisation, or event — to understand it in context.
Ethnography
Studying a culture or group through sustained immersion and observation.
Understanding the lived experience of a phenomenon from the perspective of those who experienced it.
Systematically categorising text to identify patterns, frequencies, or meanings.
When to use qualitative research
- Exploring an experience — e.g. how patients experience a chronic illness, or how employees experience a workplace change.
- Understanding a process — e.g. how a decision gets made, or how a behaviour develops over time.
- Building theory — in an area where little existing theory explains what's happening — grounded theory's specific purpose.
- Adding context to numbers — qualitative research often follows up a quantitative finding to explain why it occurred.
Qualitative vs quantitative research
Quantitative research measures and generalises; qualitative research interprets and explores. For the full comparison — data types, methods, examples, and how to choose — see qualitative vs quantitative research. For what counts as the underlying data, see what is qualitative data.
Qualitative research by discipline
Expectations for rigour, sample size, and write-up vary by field. See our guides by discipline for what examiners and reviewers expect in psychology, education, business, nursing, sociology, and social work.
From raw data to a defensible analysis
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What is qualitative research in simple terms?
Qualitative research is a methodology for understanding experiences, meanings, and processes through non-numerical data — typically interviews, observation, or documents — analysed by identifying patterns and themes rather than running statistics.
What are the main types of qualitative research?
The most common types are thematic analysis (identifying patterns across data), grounded theory (building theory from data), case study (in-depth study of one instance), ethnography (studying a culture or group through immersion), phenomenology / IPA (understanding lived experience), and content analysis (systematically categorising text).
What is an example of qualitative research?
A study interviewing 15 nurses about their experience of burnout during a hospital staffing shortage, then using thematic analysis to identify shared patterns across their accounts, is a typical example of qualitative research.
When should I use qualitative research instead of quantitative?
Use qualitative research when you want to explore an experience, understand a process, generate theory in an under-researched area, or capture context and meaning that numbers alone can't convey. Use quantitative research when you need to measure, compare, or generalise across a large sample.
Is qualitative research less rigorous than quantitative research?
No — it follows different rigour standards. Quantitative rigour relies on sampling, statistical validity, and replicability. Qualitative rigour relies on transparency, a traceable analytic process (e.g. an audit trail from data to codes to themes), reflexivity, and methodological consistency.