The difference between quantitative and qualitative research

Headnote

This paper is one of a series of short papers on aspects of research by Linda Shields and Alison Twycross

The first question asked by any researcher with a new topic to study is: 'What sort of research should I use?' Reference to the literature can be confusing: so much research has been done, so many questions asked and sometimes answered, and so many conclusions have been drawn that it can be difficult to sort out one research technique from another. The decision most beginners to research find taxing is: 'Should I use quantitative or qualitative methods?'

At the most basic level, quantitative research methods are used when something needs to be measured, while qualitative methods are used when a question needs to be described and investigated in some depth. Often, the two methods are used in tandem to provide measurements for comparison and evaluation and to give an in-depth explanation of the meaning of an idea.

Quantitative research

The words themselves hold the clues. Quantitative research includes so-called benchtop science (where experimental tests are...