Q: What should be the focus for the rationale of a qualitative research on the prevalence of an injury?

Hello Jonathan – Welcome to the forum!

So, when you say “vice versa,” we assume you mean whether you should focus instead on why you are carrying out the research and “a small bit” on the injury and its prevalence, cause, risk factors, and so on. The term ‘rationale’ – the principles or reasons that explain a particular decision, course of action, belief, and so on – suggests the answer to your question: the rationale, by definition, should focus on why you intend to conduct research on the proposed topic.

Secondly, you plan your research to be qualitative, whereas prevalence and risk factors favor the quantitative approach. So, the rationale (also known as the justification) should focus on the qualitative aspects of the problem, that is, aspects that show reduced quality of life, for example, restricted mobility because of the injury or inability to participate in social intercourse.

For more insights on writing the rationale and on qualitative research, you may refer to the following resources:

• Can you give an example of the "rationale of a study"?
• How to write the rationale for research?
• Types of qualitative research methods
• What are the possible problems that may be encountered in Qualitative Research?

Hope that helps. All the best for your research!

[With inputs from Yateendra Joshi]