“But How Do I Start?” A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Qualitative Project

Authors

Jason B. Whiting PhD, Brigham Young UniversityFollow
Bria Nicole Davies, Brigham Young UniversityFollow

Abstract

Many new qualitative researchers feel overwhelmed and struggle to find direction in existing books and articles about qualitative methodology. Qualitative methods have a long history that includes different philosophies, practices, and methods, and there are endless ways to interpret and use these tools within these traditions. This article introduces basic qualitative methods with the intent to guide a first-time researcher through a first social science research project, such as a thesis or dissertation. It frames the process as a five-step journey with guidelines to follow and additional resources that can be accessed related to each phase. Although the craft of qualitative research can take a lifetime to learn, a basic guide can open the gate to a path that can lead to using these methods in competent ways. This article will discuss the following steps on the researcher’s first qualitative excursion. (1) Choosing a topic; (2) Choosing a methodology; (3) Learning from others and generating data; (4) Analyzing data; and (5) Writing a report. We will also review guidelines related to rigor and respect for participants.

Keywords

introduction to qualitative methods, social science, thesis, dissertation, thematic analysis

Author Bio(s)

Jason B. Whiting is with the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Brigham Young University. Please direct correspondence to jason.whiting@byu.edu

Bria Davies is a therapist at Amber Creek Counseling and Psychiatry in Sandy, Utah.

Publication Date

2-9-2025

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7103

Recommended APA Citation

Whiting, J. B., & Davies, B. (2025). “But how do I start?”: A beginner’s guide to your first qualitative project. The Qualitative Report, 30(1), 3061-3087. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2025.7103

ORCID ID

0000-0001-9471-0027

ResearcherID

0000-0001-9471-0027