Interpretation and Method Empirical Research Methods and the Interpretive Turn

EVALUATIVE CRITERIA AND EPISTEMIC COMMUNITIES 99

Dependability

Dependability

Criticality

• Dependability


• Dependability

Checking out rival

• Unique impressions

audit

audit

explanations

• Reexamine taken
  
  
  • Reflexive journal
  
  
  • Reflexive journal
  
  
  
  

for granted

Replicating findings

assumptions

Confirmability

Confirmability

• Analysis of both
  
  
  • Conformability
  
  
  • Confirmability
  
  
  
  

Weighing the

front stage and back

audit

audit

evidence

stage

• Reflexive journal


• Reflexive journal

Using extreme cases

1 Erlandson et al. (1993) replicate almost all of the Lincoln and Guba (1985) techniques but neglect to mention their deletion of

negative case analysis as

a technique for verifying “credibility.”

2 Miles and Huberman (1994) use the term “tactics” rather than “techniques.” 3 Some of these terms are treated by authors as criteria, others as techniques, the confusion noted in the text.