A Guide for Preparing and Reporting Qualitative Research

The preparation and reporting of qualitative research require transparent values and consistent procedures to produce well-crafted, credible results. Such transparent reporting is especially important in the context of epistemic pluralism, as it aids in explicating theoretical commitments and their methodological implications. To this end, this article develops a guide—called the Q-Guide—comprising fifteen dimensions for preparing and reporting qualitative research, grounded in the three values of review, reflexivity, and responsibility. It considers three established guides for reporting qualitative research in the social sciences and adapts them to methodological debates in different language traditions in geography to propose the Q-Guide. The Q-Guide provides a systematic framework of aspects to consider in preparing and reporting qualitative research. The article provides the Q-Guide as a downloadable tool and two examples of its application to guide methods reporting (Supplemental Material). Adoption of the Q-Guide supports more consistent and transparent methods reporting, enabling more reflexive and responsible research.