Transparent reporting

No Action (Qual.)

The research process is reported only in broad terms, with limited description of the context, participants, data collection, or analytic approach, making it difficult for others to understand how interpretations were developed or to assess the study’s trustworthiness.

Moving from No Action to Emerging in Transparent Reporting & Methodology (Qual.)

1. To progress from No Action to Emerging, begin by adopting reporting practices that make your qualitative methods transparent, ethically sound, and understandable to others.
2. Use established reporting guidelines. Follow recognised frameworks that promote clarity and completeness in qualitative reporting, such as COREQ (interviews and focus groups), SRQR (general qualitative research), or RATS (Relevance, Appropriateness, Transparency, and Soundness). These frameworks ensure that key methodological elements are consistently described.
3. Describe context and research design clearly. Provide sufficient detail about the research setting, participant recruitment, and sampling rationale so readers can understand the scope and relevance of your study. Explain your data collection methods, such as interview protocols or observation strategies, and the reasoning behind your analytic approach.
4. Include reflexive and analytic transparency. Discuss your positionality as a researcher and how it may have shaped data collection or interpretation. Describe your analytic steps (for example, coding, theme development, or triangulation) so others can follow how findings were generated.
5. Share supporting materials. Where appropriate, share de-identified materials such as interview guides, codebooks, or reflexive notes through repositories like the Open Science Framework (OSF), the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), or your institutional archive. You may keep files private or embargoed until publication if needed.
6. Write clearly and accessibly. Use plain, coherent language to describe your methods and analytic reasoning. Avoid overly technical or abstract descriptions, and include excerpts or examples where they help readers follow your process.
7. Align with open research and ethical expectations. Review journal, funder, and institutional guidance (for example, the Research Excellence Framework (REF)) to ensure your reporting practices meet current standards in openness, rigour, and research ethics.

Emerging (Qual.)

The research process is described with some contextual and methodological detail, but important elements such as researcher reflexivity, analytic reasoning, or participant context are inconsistently reported. Established qualitative reporting frameworks may be partially applied, and while interpretations are understandable, the analytic pathway remains only partially transparent.

Moving from Emerging to Evolving in Transparent Reporting & Methodology (Qual.)

1. To progress from Emerging to Evolving, focus on providing richer methodological detail, clearer analytic transparency, and more consistent use of recognised qualitative reporting standards.
2. Adopt a reporting framework. Consistently apply an established qualitative reporting guideline such as COREQ for interviews and focus groups, SRQR for general qualitative studies, or RATS (Relevance, Appropriateness, Transparency, and Soundness). Use these frameworks to ensure that essential contextual, methodological, and interpretive details are included.
3. Provide rich methodological detail. Expand your description of the research setting, participant selection, data collection, and analytic process. Explain how data were coded, how themes were developed, and what interpretive approach guided your analysis (for example, thematic, narrative, or grounded theory).
4. Include reflexivity and researcher context. Briefly discuss your positionality and how your perspectives, assumptions, or interactions may have shaped the research process and interpretation of findings.
5. Add a README or methods appendix. Create a concise README file or detailed methods appendix outlining the purpose of the study, analytic approach, and steps taken from data collection to interpretation.
6. Share supporting materials proactively. Upload non-sensitive materials such as interview guides, codebooks, reflexive notes, or methodological memos to repositories like the Open Science Framework (OSF), the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), or Zenodo. Share what can be ethically shared, even if full datasets must remain confidential.
7. Clarify analytic decisions and adaptations. Note any modifications made during the research process (for example, shifts in focus, sampling, or coding) and explain why they occurred and how they influenced interpretation.

Evolving (Qual.)

The research process and findings are described with sufficient depth and clarity to allow others to understand how interpretations were developed. Supplementary materials such as interview guides, codebooks, or analytic memos are often shared to enhance transparency and demonstrate the coherence of the analytic process.

Moving from Evolving to Sustained in Transparent Reporting & Methodology (Qual.)

1. Pre-register qualitative studies where appropriate. For projects with defined objectives or mixed-method designs, preregister your aims, methodological rationale, and analytic approach using platforms such as OSF Registries or AsPredicted. Clearly note where flexibility and iteration are expected, as appropriate for qualitative inquiry.
2. Publish full protocols. Share detailed methodological protocols that describe sampling, recruitment, data collection, and analytic strategies. Deposit these in repositories like the Open Science Framework (OSF) or publish them in venues such as Qualitative Research Reports in Communication or F1000Research.
3. Apply reporting frameworks rigorously. Use established qualitative reporting guidelines, such as COREQ, SRQR, or RATS, to ensure systematic and comprehensive reporting across all stages of the research.
4. Share supporting materials transparently. Upload non-sensitive materials such as interview guides, analytic memos, codebooks, and reflexive notes to trusted repositories like the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR), OSF, or Zenodo. Include metadata, contextual information, and file descriptions to make these materials interpretable and reusable.
5. Report interpretive decisions and reflexivity. Clearly document how themes were developed, how interpretations were reached, and how your positionality or interactions shaped the analysis. Discuss these decisions transparently in your methodology section or an appendix. 
6. Maintain an open analytic workflow. Keep a reflexive or analytic log detailing coding decisions, framework revisions, and interpretive shifts. This record helps others trace how findings evolved and supports methodological integrity.
7. Ensure clarity and accessibility. Present your methodology in clear, grounded language that explains analytic reasoning without excessive jargon. Include illustrative data excerpts or analytic maps (anonymised where necessary) to help readers follow your interpretive process.
8. Embed transparency in research culture. Foster a culture of openness within your research team. Encourage colleagues and students to adopt transparent documentation and reflexive reporting, and review one another’s work for completeness and ethical rigour.

Sustained (Qual.)

Full transparency is consistently embedded throughout the qualitative research process. Methods, analytic decisions, and supporting materials are routinely documented and, where ethically appropriate, openly shared in accordance with recognised qualitative reporting frameworks. Reporting is comprehensive, reflexive, and contextually rich, enabling others to understand, evaluate, and meaningfully engage with the research.

Guidance for Sustained Level in Transparent Reporting & Methodology (Qual.)

Congratulations on reaching this level of practice. You are operating beyond good practice and contributing as a field leader in open and ethically grounded qualitative research. At the Sustained level, transparency and reflexivity are embedded throughout your qualitative research practice. You not only model openness and ethical rigour but also help shape community norms, training, and institutional policies that advance transparent qualitative scholarship. To further improve at this level, consider the following:

• Publish registered or protocol papers. When appropriate, preregister qualitative or mixed-method studies on platforms such as OSF Registries or publish methodological protocols in venues like F1000Research or BMJ Open. This fosters transparency about design, sampling, and analytic approaches before findings are produced.
• Promote transparency across the qualitative community. Lead by example through workshops, symposia, or editorials that highlight ethical and transparent reporting. Encourage peers to adopt frameworks such as COREQ, SRQR, or RATS to enhance methodological clarity.
• Mentor and train others. Embed transparent and reflexive reporting into supervision, training, and team research. Develop templates, guidelines, or workshops that help early-career researchers document analytic decisions, manage ethics, and report methods comprehensively.
• Contribute to reporting and ethical standards. Participate in professional networks, working groups, or editorial boards that refine or develop qualitative reporting and data-sharing guidelines. Your expertise helps ensure that openness aligns with ethical and contextual sensitivities unique to qualitative work.
• Audit and reflect on practice. Regularly review published studies from your team to assess how well transparency, reflexivity, and ethical care are demonstrated. Use these reflections to update your documentation practices, consent processes, and reporting templates.
• Conduct meta-research on transparency and reflexivity. Investigate how transparency and reflexive reporting influence trust, interpretive rigour, and knowledge impact in qualitative research. Share these insights to advance evidence-based approaches to open qualitative practice.
• Influence institutional and disciplinary policy. Work with your institution, associations, or journals to embed transparent and reflexive reporting within ethics training, research governance, and promotion frameworks. This helps establish transparency as a hallmark of methodological excellence in qualitative inquiry.