Quotations in Qualitative Studies: Reflections on Constituents, Custom, and Purpose

Abstract

Qualitative studies are often found to be accompanied by quotations from interviews or similar data sources. As with any methodological tradition, it is essential to critically explore the general principle of including quotations in scientific papers: what is the purpose and justification for including quotations? Are there standards and, in that case, what are they and what are their scientific positioning? This paper presents an overview of the somewhat diverse guidance found in the literature in reference to the representation of quotations. Yet, both students and scholars use a variety of approaches to quote from their data, ranging from presenting numerous, extensive, and/or comprehensive quotations throughout the results section to the reporting of a few particular quotations to illustrate certain aspects of the findings only. While their function may be described, scientific reasoning for using quotations is scarce. Along with an overview of the scientific background and options for including quotations in qualitative studies, we discuss the consequences of the different epistemological and methodological aspects found in the literature. In conclusion, we argue that there are incentives for promoting a more deliberate employment of references from data; deriving from the human sciences tradition, a corresponding epistemological stance would suggest that quotations preferably apply for illustrating the analysis process and/or findings, while the idea that quotations can be employed to validate findings has limited support. Further critical examination of the application of and justification for including quotations in the reporting of qualitative studies is needed among researchers, journal editors and reviewers.

Perceived occupational stressors among emergency medical service providers: a qualitative study

“…In this study verbatim quotations were used. Verbatim quotations are synonymous with direct quotations, which are a basic source of raw data in qualitative research that serve to reveal the informants’ emotions and experiences [ 28 ]. Also in reporting this qualitative study we have adhered to the COREQ guidelines [ 24 ].…”

Mixed methods research in service-learning: an integrative systematic review

“…Codes are conceptual constructs that allow us to assign units of meaning to descriptive or inferential information compiled in the course of a study, thereby providing explanations and elucidating processes and perspectives with regard to the object of study. Quotes, on the other hand, are text fragments: codes are thus conceptual formulations, summaries or groupings of the quotes (Eldh et al 2020).…”

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“…Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed ten themes related to the representations and practices of conviviality in the participating families ( Table 2 ). Following recommendations in the literature (Corden and Sainsbury, 2006 [ 49 ], Eldh et al, 2020 [ 50 ]), quotations from the study participants are presented to provide a more fine-grained illustration of the themes and to allow readers to assess the accuracy of the analysis.…”