Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Quality Criteria Quality Criteria

Abstract

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative research methodology originally developed within psychology for the detailed examination of personal lived experience. To support the advancement of IPA research and to enhance knowledge and understanding of how to manage and evaluate the quality of an IPA study, this paper presents a set of criteria developed specifically for assessing the quality of IPA studies and shows how to use the criteria in practice through an example of high-quality IPA work. Understanding of such quality criteria is not only essential to IPA researchers for managing quality of their work to achieve the good quality requirements of IPA, but also important to reviewers, other researchers as well as readers of the research for appropriately evaluating the quality of IPA studies.