Integrity and credibility in qualitative pharmaceutical studies

Abstract

Researchers in the field of social pharmacy all over the world have been increasingly turning to qualitative research techniques, either on their own 
or as part of more comprehensive mixed methodologies investigations, thanks to the insights they may provide. Due of this growth, it is essential to 
equip researchers with guidelines for using these techniques effectively. The theoretical foundations and practical issues of ensuring quality in 
qualitative social pharmacy research are discussed in this discussion. Specifically, it describes the many methods used to demonstrate the 
credibility, transferability, dependability, and con- firmability that Lincoln and Guba offer as criteria for trustworthiness. In addition, a short 
introduction to authenticity is provided, which is a more contemporary and less often utilized set of criteria that requires proof of fairness, 
ontological authenticity, educational authenticity, catalytic authenticity, and tactical authenticity. The commentary defines each of these words, 
explains how it relates to social pharmacy research, and offers advice on when and how to utilize it. These are supplemented by illustrative cases 
from the pharmaceutical literature. At the conclusion of the discussion, we summarize several approaches to determining quality in the scholarly 
literature and ask you to consider how these criteria may be applied to your own qualitative study