The yellow brick road: challenges and suggestions for producing more transparent qualitative research

Abstract:

Why should and how can qualitative research papers become more transparent? A solid body of empirical research work suggests that researchers should provide information on procedures and decisions made during the research process. We conducted a bibliographic review of 5,934 Brazilian articles published between 1984 and 2020, using automated text analysis. We identify a prevalence of qualitative studies in Brazilian Political Science and International Relations journals, but a little discussion on transparency and open science in the field. To contribute to this debate, we discuss the difficulties in implementing transparency practices in qualitative studies and suggest a common path for creating more transparent qualitative research. We aim to show researchers how to make transparency a fundamental aspect of research and where to look for support in understanding how to conduct high-quality, transparent research.

Keywords:
transparency; qualitative methods; empirical qualitative research; manual