A Worked Example of Qualitative Descriptive Design: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novice and Early Career Researchers

Aim: To provide a worked example informed by relevant literature and related studies that novice and early career researchers may use to reflect on, prepare and conduct a thoughtful and rigorous qualitative descriptive study.

Design: Methodological discussion of qualitative descriptive design.

Methods: Seminal work and recent related literature were reviewed to situate the discussion and identify the concepts and steps to conduct a qualitative descriptive study.

Results: Qualitative descriptive design is widely used in nursing and health science research. This design offers flexible use of qualitative methods, which presents a double-edged sword, posing challenges in preparing a well-developed study and achieving methodological rigour. The design often borrows methods from other qualitative traditions, which may need to be clarified for novice and early career researchers, wherein studies may be conducted using a mix and match of methods without giving justice to the heart of qualitative descriptive design. In this paper, we present a step-by-step guide, using a worked example, to demonstrate how to conduct a qualitative descriptive study.

Conclusion: Qualitative descriptive design may be confusing due to its flexibility, which may limit the scope of research and subsequently, the quality and impact of the findings. With the appropriate application of research methods producing high-quality and relevant findings, qualitative descriptive design is a valuable qualitative method in its own right.

Implications for the profession: Novice and early career researchers may increase the impact of their findings through rigorously conducting their studies. Clarifying steps for thoughtful execution may inform novice and early career researchers, allowing for a rigorous application of the method, which, in turn, may contribute to impactful findings.

Impact: A clear presentation of steps, supported by a worked example and related studies, may support novice and early career researchers in conducting a qualitative descriptive study with methodological rigour.

Reporting method: Not applicable.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution.