QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS - A REVIEW OF MAJOR STAGES, DATA-ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES, AND QUALITY CONTROLS

This review examines the basic tenets of qualitative or naturalistic m ethods in terms of their original grounding in the basic social scienc es and their value to library and information science research. Examin ation of the five key points provides the understanding needed to move from contemplation to use of these methods: the research problem, dat a gathering, content analysis, theory development, and validity techni ques.