| Area | Area | Questions to answer | Evans et al. 2008 | Høybye et al., 2005 | La Cour et al. (2016) |
| Clarification | What are the aims of the research? | Assess theoretical rigour (soundness and fit of question). Questions to address: Do the methods link to the question well and are the appropriate? | Question is appropriate and links well to the methods undertaken. | Question is appropriate and links well to data gained. | Question is appropriate and links well to data gained. |
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| What is the research question? | Is the question appropriate and does it contain all elements you would expect? | All elements of the question are given except outcome measure focus | All elements provided. | All elements provided |
| Justification
| Why is a qualitative approach the best option to answer this question? | Does the justification include the paradigmatic considerations and methodological considerations and the rationale given? | Justification based on background literature and theory. | Justification based on the need to consider social relationships in action expressed through narrative. | Follow on from past ethnographic work |
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| Why was the particular qualitative research design chosen? | Has a rationale been provided? | Rationale for why qualitative and not quantitative research is not given | To be embedded in a setting. | To answer the selected question |
| Procedural rigour
| Have the techniques of data collection been clearly documented? | Has the following been consider: accessing participants, development access, development of rapport and trust, identification of data collection, recording, coding and analysing. Does it consider how refusal to participate is addressed? | Access information could be clearer and development of rapport not given. Framework to avoid analysis provided. | Clear information about access, development of access, development of rapport are provided. Refusal to participate is considered. | Clear information about access, development of access, development of rapport are provided. Refusal to participate is considered. |
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| Are the forms of data analysis completely transparent? | How was the data managed is an audit trail provided of the processes undertaken? | No audit trail is given. | No audit trail is given. | No audit trail is given. |
| Representativeness | What sampling t echniques have been used to answer the research question? |
| Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
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| Do the sampling techniques support conceptual generalisability? | Do they mention a type? Maximum variation―(all aspect of the topic under question?) Homogenous (selection fitting a particular criteria) snowball or convenience (perhaps weakest for generalisability) | Not mentioned likely convenience. | Not mentioned likely convenience. | Not mentioned likely convenience |