Eleven Pitfalls in Qualitative Research: Some Perils Every Emerging Scholar and Doctoral Student Should Be Aware Of!

Abstract

The current article analyzes potential pitfalls that each emergent researcher might face during the qualitative research process and illuminates adequate strategies to cope with them effectively. The author's personal and professional experience in supervising doctoral and MA students in their qualitative research and students' own reflections on the pitfalls they have faced are used as resources for this paper. Eleven pitfalls are depicted in this paper, divided into four phases in the research process, beginning from the preparatory phase in which the researcher plans the research program, through data collection and analysis, to the final phase of writing the research report. The paper provides some practical strategies to cope with these pitfalls successfully and effectively.