Reflexivity: Not just a qualitative methodological research tool

Reflexivity is the process associated with researchers' self-awareness – of how they impact and transform the research they undertake. It is widely accepted as a methodological consideration among researchers undertaking qualitative enquiry in midwifery. This article uses sociological literature to introduce notions of reflexivity that emphasize its importance as a theoretical concept and a methodological tool. The ‘doing’ of reflexivity is discussed using examples from published studies of maternity care. The author’s own unpublished research, investigating primigravid women's views of vaginal and caesarean birth, is also used to illustrate the relevance of reflexivity to quantitative and qualitative data collection from a social constructionist theoretical perspective. This article demonstrates that reflexive accounts of the research process should not just be confined to qualitative methodology papers, research diaries or thesis chapters, but are relevant to all research