Inference in Qualitative Research: An Overlooked Index of Quality.

Making valid inferences in research is a critical quality indicator. In quantitative research, making valid inferences from the sample data is rather straightforward and streamlined. That is, since quantitative researchers work with a sample, they use specific procedures to make inferences about the target population from which the sample was selected. This is usually done through inferential statistics procedures. However, when it comes to qualitative research, there is no such
straightforward and streamlined procedure for making inferences. There are some general guidelines, but these are not regulated, and qualitative researchers use different procedures to make inferences from their data sources. This paper intends to discuss inference making in qualitative research by focusing on and bringing it into foreground. To shed light on this critical issue, the paper will discuss inference in quantitative and qualitative research, compare the procedures in the two methodological approaches, and discuss some criteria for making quality inferences in qualitative research. The paper will end with some concluding remarks.