Trustworthiness in qualitative studies is about establishing the following.

Credibility, or how confident the qualitative researcher is in the truth of the research study’s findings. Researchers can use triangulation to show that the research study’s findings are credible.

Transferability, or how the qualitative researcher demonstrates that the research study’s findings are applicable to similar situations, populations, and phenomena. Researchers can use detailed descriptions to show that the research study’s findings can be applicable to other contexts, circumstances, and situations.

Confirmability, or the degree of neutrality in the research study’s findings. This occurs when the findings are based on participants’ responses and not any potential bias or personal motivations of the researcher. Researchers can provide an audit trail, which highlights every step of data analysis that was made in order to provide a rationale for the decisions made.

Dependability, or the extent that the study could be repeated by other researchers and that the findings would be consistent. If another person wants to replicate the study, they should have enough information from the report to do so and obtain similar findings. Researchers can use inquiry audit (an outside person to review and examine the process) in order to establish dependability.

See reference for more information.

Adapted from Statistical Consulting Blog. What is trustworthiness in qualitative research? Internet. Available at https://www.statisticssolutions.com/what-is-trustworthiness-in-qualitative-research/. Accessed on October 15, 2020.