Criteria for Assessing and Ensuring the Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research

The trustworthiness of qualitative data has been debatable, yet it has strong support from its supporters. However, the importance and worth of qualitative data cannot be undermined. This paper presents a critical review of the trustworthiness of the qualitative data. The degree of trustworthiness of qualitative research can be measured by ensuring the credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability of research design, process, and action. The guarantee of trustworthiness in qualitative research is more complex than in quantitative research due to its subjective nature. Many researchers and experts denied the generalizability of qualitative research. However, few researchers, like Guba (1985), developed a widely accepted model and strategies to ensure the trustworthiness and generalizability of qualitative research. Credibility is like internal validity in quantitative analysis and provides the actual data about the phenomenon. Transferability shows the degree of application of the research finding in other exact natures of context, people, groups, and settings. If the findings of one study are replicated in a similar population, condition, or context, then the findings are dependable. Neutrality is the degree of fairness of results consisting of purity of initial responses and bias-free.