Research Guides: Resource Evaluation: Quantitative vs Qualitative Studies

Quantitative and Qualitative

Quantitative and qualitative are two different types of data and research with quantitative data being numerical and measurable (e.g., statistics, test scores) and qualitative data being descriptive and non-numerical (e.g., interview transcripts, opinions). Quantitative research aims to measure and test, while quantitative research seeks to explore and understand context and experiences. They can also be combined in a mixed-methods approach for a more comprehensive analysis.

Quantitative vs Quantitative Attributes

Please see below for a description of quantitative and qualitative social science research methods. The table below provides an outline of some of the attributes of each.

Quantitative and qualitative methods are the two main categories of empirical research.

	Quantitative	Qualitative
Perspectives	experimental statistical positivist	naturalistic ethnographic phenomenological anthropological interpretive constructivist
Focus or Goals	describe with statistics test theories show relationships predict obtain a single true reality	develop understanding and meaning describe naturally occuring behavior describe multiple realities
Design	structured predetermined specific contrived	emergent evolving flexible natural holistic
Techniques	experiments questionnaires surveys structured observations or interviews	observations open-ended interviews field research case studies
Data Analysis	deductive statistical	interpretive inductive ongoing searching for themes text analysis

Adapted from: McMillan, J. H. (2012). Educational research: Fundamentals for the consumer (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

There is no one way to limit to quantitative studies in CINAHL, but there are a few strategies to try. To start, open up the home page of CINAHL.

Search with database limiters.

Limit your search by Publication Type to those that are likely to include quantitative methods such as: Clinical Trial, RCT, Meta-Analysis, Statistics, Tables/Charts. Be sure to review the methods of the articles you find to ensure they are quantitative.

Search with CINAHL subject headings.

Quantitative Studies is a subject heading in CINAHL.

Search with keywords.

Try adding adding a keyword that might specifically identify qualitative research. You may find articles missed by CINAHL Subject Headings. Some keywords to try are: survey, experiment, data analysis, statistical, numerical, controlled, outcomes, or hypothesis testing.

There is no one way to limit to quantitative studies in PubMed, but there are a few strategies to try. To start, open up the home page of PubMed.

Search with database limiters.

First perform a search in PubMed. On the search results page, the Article Types limiter will be in the column on the left side. Click on "See all article type filters". Select the study types that are quantitative by definition. You can choose as many as you want. After you choose the types you want, click "Apply". Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) and Meta-Analysis are examples of quantitative research.

Search with subject headings (MESH).

MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is the NLM controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles for PubMed.

THere is no single MeSH term for the concept of "Quantitative Research." Quantitative research is a broad category encompassing numerous study designs. You should search for specific, established MeSH terms that fall under the umbrella of quantitative methods. Some MeSH terms to try are: Statistical Analysis, Clinical Trial, and Randomized Controlled Trial.

For instructions on how to use MeSH watch a tutorial.

Search with keywords.

You may find articles missed by MeSH terms. When running queries in PubMed you not only search for keywords, but also for free text terms. This is important for a number of reasons.

You will find articles that have not yet been indexed in PubMed: MeSH terms have not yet been assigned to them.
It is not possible to cover all concepts with a single MeSH term.
A MeSH term may not have been assigned to articles, despite the fact that they are related to the topic.

Some keywords to try are: survey, experiment, data analysis, statistical, numerical, controlled, outcomes, or hypothesis testing.

Finding Qualitative Studies

CINAHL
PubMed

There is no one way to limit to qualitative studies in CINAHL, but there are a few strategies to try. To start, open up the home page of CINAHL.

Search with database limiters.

Underneath the search boxes on the home page there are limiters. Scroll down and find the Clinical Queries drop down menu.

In the drop-down Clinical Queries menu the options are: Qualitative-High Sensitivity; Qualitative-High Specificity; Qualitative-Best Balance.

High Sensitivity is the broadest search, to include ALL relevant material, but may also include less relevant materials. High Specificity is the most targeted search to include only the most relevant result set, but may miss some relevant materials. Best Balance retrieves the best balance between Sensitivity and Specificity.

Drop down menu for Clinical Queries

Another option is to use the Publication Types limiter and limit to study types that are qualitative by definition, for example Anecdote, Interview, Metasynthesis, etc.

Search with CINAHL subject headings.

Qualitative Studies is a major subject heading in CINAHL. Qualitative Studies will include the following CINAHL Headings: Action Research, Ethnographic Research, Ethnological Research, Ethnonursing Research, Grounded Theory, Naturalistic Inquiry, Phenomenological Research.

You can also try subject headings such as Focus Groups, Narratives, Interviews (explodes Interviews to include Semi-Structured Interview, Structured Interview, Unstructured Interview), Descriptive Research, Descriptive Statistics, Audio-recording, Videorecording, Diaries, Observational Methods (explodes to include Non-Participant Observation, Participant Observation, Structured Categories, Unstructured Categories), Projective Techniques (explodes to include Pictorial Methods, Verbal Projective Techniques), Vignettes, etc.

Search with keywords.

Try adding adding a keyword that might specifically identify qualitative research. You may find articles missed by CINAHL Subject Headings.

There is no one way to limit to qualitative studies in PubMed, but there are a few strategies to try. To start, open up the home page of PubMed.

Search with database limiters.

First perform a search in PubMed. On the search results page, the Article Types limiter will be in the column on the left side. Select the study types that are qualitative by definition. You can choose as many as you want. After you choose the types you want, click "Apply". Some examples include: Qualitative Research, Empirical Research, Interview, Personal Narrative, and Observational Study.

PubMed filters

Search with subject headings (MESH).

MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is the NLM controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles for PubMed. Some MeSH terms to try are:

Qualitative Research, Interviews as Topic, Focus Groups, Grounded Theory, Nursing Methodology Research, Anecdotes as Topic, Narration, Video Recording, Tape Recording, Personal Narratives as Topic, Observational Study as Topic.

For instructions on how to use MeSH watch a tutorial.

Search with keywords.

You may find articles missed by MeSH terms. When running queries in PubMed you not only search for keywords, but also for free text terms. This is important for a number of reasons.

You will find articles that have not yet been indexed in PubMed: MeSH terms have not yet been assigned to them.
It is not possible to cover all concepts with a single MeSH term.
A MeSH term may not have been assigned to articles, despite the fact that they are related to the topic.

Finding Mixed Methods

CINAHL has the following Subject Headings that may be of use: Multimethod Studies or Triangulation

You can also search your topic with the following suggested text words: mixed model* or mixed design* or multiple method* or multimethod* or triangulat*