UW Professor Cho Publishes Book on Evaluating Qualitative Research

It is important for qualitative researchers to be thorough and efficient when making judgments on whether conference proposals, manuscripts or large-scale grant applications should be accepted or rejected.

In recent years, many scholars have argued that the traditional approach and the constructive approach to evaluating the quality of qualitative research are neither appropriate nor desirable. Although there has been a strong need, a best-practices guide on how to evaluate qualitative research has not been developed in the academic community at large.

University of Wyoming College of Education Professor Jeasik Cho has incorporated knowledge on the topic in his new book, “Evaluating Qualitative Research,” published by Oxford University Press. The manuscript provides expert advice on how to evaluate the caliber of qualitative research within academia.

While completing his doctoral study at Ohio State University, Cho was first exposed to the field of qualitative research through his mentors and advisers. Their diverse backgrounds and specialties provided him with a unique view of the field.

“I am capable of putting ideas into a holistic view of qualitative research grounded in artistic, pragmatic and cultural theories,” Cho says.

His co-written journal article, “Validity in Qualitative Research,” gained recognition in the field and has garnered 966 citations since it was published in 2006. Cho was then approached by world-renowned scholar Patricia Leavy to write a book on the topic, and he spent the better part of the last five years completing the task.

In the book, Cho analyzes the review guidelines and assessment mechanisms of several established journals to develop a core of standards for how to best evaluate qualitative research.

“My book is the first to explore actual evaluative guides in disciplines and methodologies,” he says. “I analyzed them to pull out core criteria across disciplines that will draw great attention from the global research community.”

Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world, with offices in 50 countries. The diverse publishing program includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, Bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals.

Learn more and purchase the book here.